And we are back this week with a brand new interview in our Genealogy in the Works series. For other interviews like Being Gay in Genealogy or Keeping Grandma’s Hair – Interview with world-renowned Victorian Hair Artist click here. Today’s interview is with a new-and-upcoming genealogist, Hazel Scullin.
I met Hazel earlier this year at Rootstech 2019 when we happened to be tweeting about the same lecture we were in together. During the lecture, we live-tweeted the information that was being relayed to us and made plans to quickly meet right after it was over to say IRL. After that, Hazel and I saw each other constantly around the conference, including at the FamilySearch dinner.
Since then, we’ve bonded on on-and-offline and traded stories of genealogy, family history and our utterly helpless obsession with it. A few weeks ago I approached her about giving an interview here at The Hipster Historian and she said yes. Read on below to see why genealogy and family history means so much to her.
Q: Tell us about yourself!
I am a proud Californian, binge TV watcher, foodie, and genealogist. I recently graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with a bachelor’s in family history. I am starting two internships this month; one with Family Locket and the other with FamilySearch in their records department. My research interests are US genealogy and history, women’s history, LDS church history, and genetic genealogy. I hope to be accredited in the Midwest states.
Q: When did you first get into genealogy and what spurred this interest for you?
I have loved history and family history for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the historic Gold Country of California and loved learning about the history of the place that we lived. I also loved hearing family stories and looking at pictures. One of my favorite things to do when I visited my grandma was to look through her old photo albums and listen to her stories about our family.
When I began school at BYU, I learned that there was a family history major. I had only recently started doing my own family history, but I felt like I should pursue the family history degree. I had no idea what lay ahead of me!
Q: What is a fun story about your own family history that you would like to share?
As I mentioned above, I grew up in a very historic location in California; about 10 minutes away from Sutter’s Mill. Once I started researching my own family, I found that my sixth great grandparents moved to California during the Gold Rush. My sixth great grandfather, Joseph Turner Bryan, was a stagecoach driver. He drove every day to Sacramento from Sonora, a 240-mile trip.
Q: What advice would you give to others interested in their own family history?
Don’t forget to eat dinner! But really, when I started doing genealogy a ton, I forgot to eat. Also, make sure to share what you know with others. One of my favorite feelings is helping someone discover something new about their ancestors.
Q: Why is family history important to you?
Genealogy is important to me because I feel that I can bond with my ancestors. On a more personal note, I’ve had a lot of problems with my family and have been hurt by some of them in my life. Genealogy has been important in my healing process.
The Hipster Historian 
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