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The Joy of Family Research |
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Written by Tony Brooks
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Friday, 03 December 2010 15:52 |
 One of the things we have in common is being biologically related to two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, 32 great-great-great-grandparents, and so on. What is different is knowing exactly who all our ancestors are. Some people may only know one parent and two immigrant grandparents, while some may know all eight of their great-grandparents and be able to trace several lines back 10 or more generations. Family research is one of the most interesting, pleasurable, and gratifying hobbies. Following the trails and trials of your forebears can lead you to many exciting tales of successes, triumphs, failures, loves, and pathos– true-life stories as glamorous as any from Hollywood.
It can also take you to new lands and places, through study, writing, internet connections, or in person, as you search for records of unknown progenitors. You will also broaden your knowledge of history, geography, laws, customs, and life in general of the present and the dim past as you delve into records in new and ancient archives.
You will thrill time and time again as you find the accounts of your forefathers’ and foremothers’ doings – births, marriages, deaths, wills, land transfers, military service, moves, etc. Sometimes you’ll run into puzzles as interesting and hard to explain as it is possible to imagine. You will solve some quickly; others may keep you in suspense for years.
How to get started is the big question with most people. What to do first? How to carry on? Where will I find records of my people? How and what should I record when I do find them?
Unlike a decade ago, the Internet has changed the face of genealogy. Pursuing family history is more fun than ever. Still, you can begin the old-fashioned way by visiting a local historical or genealogical society where you can touch and smell old records.
You know something of your family research– much more than you realize. Whatever your present knowledge, you need guidance and encouragement as you proceed in an effort to develop and extend the family record. Ask as many living relatives as you can find about what they know about your family. Conversation with others becomes more meaningful and your relationships more real as you discuss your many connected families; for, if your family has been in America for six generations, the present number of descendants from an ancestor could be in excess of 1,000. Along the way you will encounter pitfalls, detours, and rough roads as you undertake the limitless pursuit of your modern and ancient relatives and their characteristics.
Many things that you will learn and experience on route will be your own discoveries. You will discover not only new names and old places, but you will have a new joy from some things you never anticipated. During the process, you will gain not only facts but meanings from places, events, and times you encounter. It is an experience that you will not want to miss.
You will gain knowledge somewhat imperceptibly at first. This knowledge will be not only of the family itself, but of the setting and events in which the family has lived. Some say that family history is the basis of all history; certainly there is substantial truth in this. The impact of major and minor events in recorded history will be perceived in the lives of the ancestor you learn about. You will gain an appreciation of those individuals’ interplay with past events, and you will want to know more about the persons and events in a more direct way. You will find both early and current maps interesting and rewarding because of the migration of your people.
You will obtain knowledge of the social, religious, economic and political aspects of your ancestors’ lives. You will be able to see the hereditary influences that make up your ancestral DNA. You will gain an appreciation of the physical characteristics of your ancestors and of your living relatives. Perhaps you will look in your own mirror. Your family research may even elicit greater self-understanding.
Come experience the joy of family research. |
