Why Do Genealogy
Genealogy is a hobby for the young and old. It is very rewarding for many people to discover their roots. We have always felt that knowing ones roots helps you realize where you fit in life or perhaps why you are here. This may sound strange to many people who don’t think of such things but the truth remains that a big percentage of people do want to know where they fit in, or what the purpose of life is. This is a hobby for the young, old and young at heart. Knowing your roots helps you figure yourself out. As well you will learn a bunch of history along the journey.
Each time you discover another piece of the family history puzzle, in United States records, you uncover a piece of American history from a human perspective. A nation’s history is a collective story of the individual people’s histories. To find the fullest meaning of a nation’s culture and what it means or how it fits in as well as how you fit in, you have to study the history of the people who helped form the country. You have to get to the roots of the family story as it relates to your country.
Many people have encountered enormous satisfaction while tracing their family history. Some have a sketchy trace that goes back for centuries whereas others prefer to gather more detailed information on just a few generations back, compiling personal stories and photographs. Both types of family history research can prove exciting. Each time you find a new person or new fact it is exciting. To find records rich with information that would have gone unnoticed or untouched is exciting and a part of history. The magnetism of doing genealogy research is in the diversity of what can be found and the excitement each new find brings.
There is some disappointment or frustration in doing genealogy. Genealogy researchers all have in common the frustration that comes with imagining that there is something else that could have been found if there was only more time. We learn to live with this torture and in spite of it we keep going in as many directions as we can with a strong curiosity.
As s serious genealogy researcher, you need a lot of dedication, a true love of the past and even a fanatical pursuit of genealogy clues and leads. As ancestors become real people in our minds, there is a sense of fulfillment. Yet, there may be some disappointment if we realize that now there are even more leads yet to follow. The path never ends for us although it may get foggy. The serious genealogy researcher must also plunge themselves into the archives of libraries, societies and repositories, ignoring their daily life routine, many times. The commitment must run deep and lack of sleep is common. A sense of purpose is what drives us on day and night, the curiosity never seeming to end. The family history researcher must be an optimist as well. Being an optimist allows us to continue on with a willingness to research every new lead, thinking the answer must be around the corner. This is the kind of person you learn to be once you become fully involved in genealogy research.
Oral history, bibles, journals and letters are all traditions that are part of family history, and carried down from one generation to the next. This makes genealogy a family affair with a connection between generations. Without this rich history of traditions, we would not have any idea of our cultures or how it, and we, fit in. The re-telling of family stories from one person to the next is as old as time. This is part of being human. Passing on family history is how a family feels a sense of ancestral unity through time. Older members of the family can serve the very important role of passing on known information to the younger members. This is what genealogy is.
The reasons mentioned here are why so many people find it exciting, rewarding and important to do genealogy. Some day you or your children may experience the addiction and draw of doing family history research. Then you will be the one that passes on the family story about your ancestors and descendants. It is an adventure for a lifetime.
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The two most highly needed books for genealogy research and recording are:
Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian
The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, Third Edition
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