Family history
What is a family history and why should I care?
Just what is the family history craze all about anyway? Why is genealogy the 2nd most popular hobby in the United States, second only to gardening?
Genealogy used to be a hobby that required traveling to cemeteries, libraries, and archives to gather records that were relevant to family histories. The expense of traveling to collect these records made genealogy a hobby that could get quite expensive, and not an easy feat for all Americans. Often the only way to get the records of our ancestors was to travel to far off locations where our early ancestors lived, or hire researchers to look up the records, and mail us copies.
Times have changed, and so has genealogical research. Today, the internet makes gathering these records very easy for most people. The web has many free or affordable sites for genealogists. Many historical records have been digitized, photographed, or scanned and uploaded for public use. Online genealogy sites make it easy to access these records and connect with others that may be researching related families.
Why Should I Care About My Dead Ancestors?
I know you are probably thinking, why in the world would want to know about my dead ancestors?
WHY do we even care about ancient relatives?
Are there important reasons to learn about our family history? I believe there are several reasons, some more important than others. Let’s examine some of those reasons.
Family Stories
Almost all of us have family stories that our parents or grandparents told us. Stories of celebrations, weddings, and funerals. They tell us of stories of our family’s travels to new lands and stories of our native lands.
Whatever the stories are, they are stories of our family and are important to pass on to the younger members. Sadly, these stories, for the most part, live only in the minds of our oldest living relatives and will be lost if we don’t document them.
Learning about our family histories and documenting them, will validate those stories, and give a sense of belonging. Knowing these stories will connect us to our ancestors.
Ancestor’s lives become personal
Genealogy gives us the opportunity to discover personal things about our ancestors. Where were they from? What were their occupations? What was a normal day in the life of our ancestors like?
Genealogy research leads us to documents such as wills, land records and Census records that give us glimpses into the lives of our ancestors.
Names of Ancestors are Lost
In this high-tech world, we live in, most of us have no clue the name of even 1 of our 16 great, great grandparents. Did you know everyone has 64 great great great great grandparents? My point is, the history is lost to most of us, our histories. Even the names of our families are forgotten if we don’t document them.
Family History Reminds Us of Where We Come From
Family histories remind us of where we came from. How did we get here? Who was our immigrant ancestor? What was their culture like? What languages did they speak? Where did our family traditions come from?
A study of our ancestors can answer many of these questions.
Our family histories can tell us what life was like for our ancestors. The lives of our ancient relatives can become personal to us when we research and discover details about them. Knowing where we come from gives us roots, a sense of belonging to a broader group. It gives us a grounding and often shapes where we are going.
Other Reasons to Research Family History
There are other reasons to research family history. Some people are looking for birth parents. Tracing medical conditions is another reason people research family history.
For some of us, the search is just about looking to satisfy a curiosity, or solve a family mystery. Genealogy is a personal history and it helps us understand just how we fit into this world.
Establishing our reasons for researching our family histories is the first step in learning something about ourselves and our family’s journeys. What will your reasons be?
Stay tuned for tips on how to start your family tree research.
Some great books on Family History Research.
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