Is it just a pastime like any other or is it like some sort of spiritual quest?
2006-06-12 22:21:39 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
It is neither of them. It is all about knowing your roots and knowing who you are. People who have lost touch with some of their relatives feel, whether they admit it or not, a lack in their affective lives. The need to belong is inscribed within us and is important to our self-development and fulfilment. Knowing our ancestors also helps us consolidating a solid basis for building our future. From there we can keep the good part, leave behind the bad one and move on with our lives. It like finding the last piece of a puzzle, everything becomes clearer and makes more sense, don't you think?
2006-06-13 03:00:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 4⤋
Its a bit like a cross between a detective story and doing a jigsaw puzzle without the picture and once you get started your hooked. There is so much information on the internet its relatively simple to find large quantities of ancestors! I've been tracing my husbands family for the last 6 months and have over a thousand names on his tree going back to 1600 and beyond. I even found copies of his great, great, great, grandparents wills I was able to download and which cleared up a family mystery. Great fun and very addictive. For anyone thinking of getting started try these links
www.genesreunited.com
www.ancestry.co.uk (British) (or .com for the American site)
www.genealogy.com
www.rootsweb.com
There are loads more, just Google! most Birth, Deaths & Marriages are available on line as well as all the Census up to 1901.
2006-06-13 06:40:52 · answer #2 · answered by piapoi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we all have a history that is worth knowing about. our past plays a huge significance to our future. For example our ancestors ethnicity, religion, mental and physical ability. It portrays us today, and may give us an insight in to some of the characteristics we may have. For instance, i have blue eyes whereas no one else in my family that i know of has. It would be interesting to discover who i take after. Also whether my interests are similar to my ancestors pastimes.
2006-06-13 05:27:26 · answer #3 · answered by smart_babe 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fun and exciting!! To me it is a spiritual quest. I want to know where my ancestors came from. And I have emailed many distant cousins who share the same great-grandfather (He had two families, changed his name when he went back to his first wife). I keep in contact with both families and we share info we find it. I have found relatives in Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon, and California. It's fun, try it. I even attended a family reunion and met the last generation who was born in the early 1900s that is related to my grandmother.
2006-06-13 12:50:12 · answer #4 · answered by Dottie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For me, everyone has a story. I find my ancestors' stories interesting. To find out how they lived and what they did in their lifetimes has also helped me find out where I come from,and how I might react to certain situations too. All families have had some interesting people in them. What they did is part of a families' history. I just find it fascinating.
2006-06-13 05:32:00 · answer #5 · answered by Craig F 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
people from different origins would like to see how people of the same origins in the passed lived. a person in southern mexico might want to know about ancestors from the aztec civilization
an modern day egyption would like to discover history through the ancient egyptians...
just to learn about different things.... if you know your history you will be smarter than the average bear because history is experience..
2006-06-13 05:28:04 · answer #6 · answered by she 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every single one of your genes has come down to you in an unbroken line for thousands of generations. That is your legacy, preserved in the face of great perils by some unnamed and unknowable fraction of your ancestors.
2006-06-13 09:22:33 · answer #7 · answered by sweet & sour 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Preservation of history is very important. Researching our ancestors is a vital part of preservation of history. When one begins research, there are many things of interest to be discovered.
2006-06-14 22:47:58 · answer #8 · answered by Kay_Zoo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mostly it is curiosity of who they were. Then once you start finding out what they looked like and how they lived it becomes more exciting. This is one of the most exhilarating hobbies you will ever find. It contains mystery after mystery. It is up to you to solve them. Some of them you will solve others will remain a mystery. Once hooked you will never want to give up.
Try it you will like it!
G.G.
2006-06-13 07:33:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I find it interesting to know the events and experiences which shaped my grandparents and their grandparents. All those things end up trickling down in traditions and stories, whether it is hardship or travels or riches. (It's also just fun to do the research!)
2006-06-13 14:27:26 · answer #10 · answered by CF 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋