{"id":16813,"date":"2016-09-22T11:58:49","date_gmt":"2016-09-22T15:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=16813"},"modified":"2017-01-31T11:17:19","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T16:17:19","slug":"18-historical-and-modern-rules-of-civility-for-genealogists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/18-historical-and-modern-rules-of-civility-for-genealogists.html","title":{"rendered":"18 Historical and Modern Rules of Civility for Genealogists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak has some fun taking etiquette rules George Washington wrote down when he was a boy \u2013 and seeing how they apply to genealogy today. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk etiquette, netiquette and genetiquette (genealogy etiquette)!<\/p>\n

Comporting oneself properly is always important. Our ancestors often referred to rules of civility, quoting several publications by that name \u2013 including one by the father of our country, George Washington.<\/p>\n

Compiled at the young age of 14, Washington\u2019s book drew from earlier times. Years ago I purchased a copy of George Washington\u2019s<\/em> Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation<\/em>, and recently decided to see if the rules still apply.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: cover of George Washington\u2019s etiquette book. Credit: Mary Harrell-Sesniak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turns out many still do \u2013 and have, ever since Washington wrote his book. For example, this 1891 newspaper article explains how the young Washington carefully wrote down his rules of civility and decent behavior in the blank pages of a math book, and notes that many of those rules were still relevant.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois), 4 January 1891, section 3, page 18<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the Washington rules quoted in this newspaper article are these two:<\/p>\n