Sometimes when you want to break away from your regular family history research, you can find genealogy-related things to do just for amusement. For example, today I did a Google search for my surname to see what the other Berthiaumes out there are like. We are a diverse bunch, and I am sure that all of us share the common frustration that most people can not pronounce our name correctly, let alone spell it.
Who are the Berthiaumes that I found with my Google search? I do not believe that I am related to any of the people that I found on the first few pages of search results, but there are a few very interesting people that share my last name. For example, Steve Berthiaume is an anchor on ESPN. While we are not related, he did grow up in Massachusetts and I was born in Massachusetts and lived there until my early twenties. Canadian professional fitness model Sophie Berthiaume shares my surname, but alas I do not share the genes and workout routines that contribute to her enviable figure.
There are even people with the same names as people that are actually in my family. My sister’s name is Laura Berthiaume, and I found a Laura Berthiaume in my search. She is on the Board of Education in Rockville, MD. My father’s name is James Berthiaume, and there is a James Berthiaume who is an actor. He was in the movie Motocross Kids. Canadian jazz musician shares the same first and last name as my late uncle, Raymond Berthiaume.
The next time you hit a wall in your family history research or you just want to gather the family around the computer for some rainy-day fun do a Google search for your surname and see what you find.
Photo by mconnors on morguefile.com.