I was raised up doing genealogical research. To my mother, a Mormon, it was essential. It is only recently, however, due to current circumstances, that I have begun to mull that there may be a dark side to those who use it improperly.

Friends of my mother's at the church taught her where to look for ancestors and such. One flaw in the ointment; however, is that these tools can often be used to locate LIVING individuals as well, something my mother is well aware of and has done repeatedly in the past. In the case of a mother locating a child (especially one with children of their own), allegations by the "hunted" of stalking can be defused by a simple assertion that the research was done with the welfare of one's family in mind.

And that is exactly how my mother uses it. A career con artist, her silver tongue will convince the most hardened skeptic of her "pure" intentions. The same skeptic will not stop to evaluate why a 56 year old woman has no record of even ONE individual who has known her for any significant number of years who can even tolerate her, and that her trail of fraudulent dealings stretches halfway across the country in the last 5 years alone. No, they will simply see a mother looking for her children and grandchildren.

And that, sadly, is a cross I must bear until she passes on. Any business dealings I do must be done in such a way as to not draw any attention to myself, and I must write under a pseudonym or risk her sudden, unwelcome appearance. It is restricting, confining, and the only way I can assure the safety of my children.

There is, therefore, a dark side to genealogy, and, it would not surprise me if sometime in the future a stalking suit is filed against such an individual as my mother.