The other day a friend told me that he was sick of hearing about genealogy, especially the part where people were discovering that they were related to the rich and famous. Ironically, I can understand how it felt. I still remember when I was a child and when my grandfather would show me pictures of yellow-looking people in shirts and dresses buttoned up to their chin. No one in the photos ever smiled. They looked miserable. He would just roll his eyes.
So my grandfather would say, “this is your great-great-grandfather and your grandmother.” Each image had a story and each story seemed more boring than the last. The worst part was when we would visit old cemeteries and my grandfather would stop at each stone of each ancestor buried there and tell me all about that person.
This didn’t make sense to me. I found it boring and monotonous, and the whole thing exhausted me. Not for the life of me could I understand how ancestors who were dead could be interesting to anyone. And so it was, practically, until 2001. That was the year Congress passed Senator Orrin Hatch’s resolution. The resolution specified October as National Family History Month, and suddenly genealogy was all the rage.
There soon seemed to be a new awareness of the influence of genes and their effect on inherited diseases, which morphed into the use of DNA to trace one’s ancestry.
In 2004, the British television show, Who do you think you are? premiered on the BBC, with documentary episodes of celebrities discovering their ancestral roots. The program was adapted by Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Israel, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and, in 2010, the United States.
No one really knows how many people are actively researching their ancestry today. How could they? There is no way to measure the exact number of people who visit libraries, archives and cemeteries, consult genealogy sites online, let alone Google their ancestors. However, it is clear that genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies among Americans.
What do these people see as they walk through cemeteries or scour the damp repository of records looking for scraps of information about ancestors who have been dead for more than a century? In fact, they see themselves. Ancestry is popular because it deals with everyone’s most precious subject: self. The ego wants to know everything about its own identity. He constantly asks himself questions.
- Who I am?
- What does my last name mean?
- What traits have I inherited?
- Am I from royalty?
- I have always heard that I am part Native American. That’s right?
- If my ancestors were slaves, what part of Africa were they from?
- Is there a disease that I am susceptible to due to my genetic history?
These are the kinds of questions that bombard the minds of ancestor seekers and fill them with an overwhelming urge to search for the answers.
However, many people are hesitant to start researching their family trees due to the reputation that genealogy is difficult, not to mention that it is a bit stuffy and boring. Sometimes these feelings of intimidation can be overcome by looking at genealogy as a game or a hobby, rather than something you have to accomplish. See it as something you can experiment with, little by little.
Little by little, the genealogical detective in you will begin to take over. You’ll start looking for facts about your immediate family and soon you won’t be able to resist telling your other relatives what you’ve found. In turn, that can motivate them to share their own family stories with you. Before you know it, the whole process of searching for ancestors will turn into an addiction, but one that provides great satisfaction.
One of the first areas of satisfaction relates to your health. Certainly, your doctor has asked you questions about your mother and father’s medical history. That is because diseases can be passed from generation to generation through heredity. Imagine the benefit of knowing your long-time relative’s health problems and how having this information can enable you and your children to take preventive measures against any inherited disease.
Suppose you discover that your grandparents suffered from high blood pressure. This knowledge can allow you to avoid this disease through a healthier diet and more exercise. Plus, you can make sure your kids do the same.
If you discover that you have probably inherited a susceptibility to certain diseases, such as drug or alcohol addiction, you can choose a smart lifestyle. Instead of keeping this type of information for yourself, you can inform your family members of these family health history trends so they and your children will know about them too.
Of course, not all the ancient information you discover will be crucial. Some will be just fascinating. You can find out where your family comes from in the beginning and what your last name really means. You can find out if any member of your family received a coat of arms and see what it looks like.
Researching your family tree can provide you with information about the family heirlooms you own, adding new layers to its meaning. You may discover a famous ancestor or an infamous scoundrel in your past. You are sure to learn about family burial places, which can become interesting places for a future family vacation. Without a doubt, you and your children will become experts in using the Internet and the library for research.
The time you spend on genealogy will not be wasted – it will be invested. The time you spend researching your own ancestry will reveal information that will allow you and your family to stay well and take pride in your heritage.