I keep coming back because just when I feel like I've run out of people or stories, someone will ask a question, or a new document or database will surface... and off I go!
I keep coming back to researching my family history because there is a constant increase in accessible information that improves the stories of my family. My research is no longer just about confirming dates and places of life and other important events. It's broadened to finding the snippets that can suggest why decisions were made, who else was in a community that might have been an influence on a person... I could go on and on. It's a buzz finding this information and making plausible conjectures on their lives.
Thank you all very much for the thoughtful answers that confirm exactly why I feel so at home in this community of family historians. We all have unique stories, yet we have a common love for family history research. It is the best. Tomorrow is the launch of Mission: Genealogy. I hope you all join if you haven't already. The Open House will officially kick off this remarkable community. There are links in the main post. Cheers to all of you!
So many reasons. I've often said family history research is a combination of a jigsaw puzzle, a treasure chest, and Pandora's box. It is so interesting and intriguing figuring out the stories of my ancestors lives. I always have questions I want answered and love the hunt.
Genealogy provides a deep sense of place in this continuum of life. As a child, I was taught that I didn't matter. The study of my family history tells me that I do matter -- just as much as all of my ancestors did in their own time.
What keeps me coming back to genealogical study is the stories and the intersection of community and family history. Our ancestors didn’t live in a vacuum. They did things and interacted with people. They contributed or even built a community. Why
THIS is the main driver for me among so many others. The Stories. Who. Why? How? Where? What? And these days that includes DNA, local history, one-place and one-name studies.
I keep coming back with the hope of uncovering another compelling story, finding another old photo, visiting another place that holds meaning in my family tree, discovering more about myself by learning about those who came before me. I’ve found that the more I know about my ancestors, the better I understand my own life.
My age is what keeps me coming back. I feel a sense of urgency to do as much as I can while I can.
Every couple weeks yet another relative or a close friend dies, making me have concern over whether I can come closer to my own goals before becoming a statistic myself in this great genealogy race.
So many fabulous answers- my head is nodding like a bobble head!
I started this journey when my mom passed away and I felt untethered. As my 92-yo MIL likes to say, “everyone around me was dead”, and I couldn’t remember who I was without them.
Genealogy has helped me know who I am and where I belong. It ties me to people I never met but whose life blood and values and dreams live in me. (That sounds cheesy, sorry.)
As I found and reached out to living descendants of our common ancestors, and then the greater community of family historians, I realized I had the time and ability to help others find their feet. To feel tethered.
I giggled so much, because I, too, was bobble-heading my way down the comments! I feel like I should just cut and paste yours, you put my mushy thoughts into words so elegantly with your reasons! She said pick one, but I cannot! Everything you said, YES!
I keep finding mysteries that makes my family more interesting. Like.. Killed by pirates.. Or old letters to officials... I fought in all three of your wars..
I am most always amazed at the lives of my ancestors and I want to know more about them: what was happening in their lives that led to decisions to abandon everything they've ever known and emigrate out of their European countries? Who did they leave behind? How did the women, in particular, deal with life on a frozen farm or life in a male-dominated political landscape? The stories are fascinating and the work to uncover them is endless.
It is also the hidden history, the stuff people forgot that brings me back to genealogy. My favorite movie in high school was A League of their Own about the forgotten history of a women’s professional baseball league in the 1940s and 1950s. That is part of what makes me nostalgic about baseball, a bunch of trailblazing women keeping America’s love of baseball alive during a time of war. I like to connect the modern with the past in such a way that others can see their relevance in the past. What do any of you think of that?
For me, it’s a never ending mystery novel. 😊
This, right here!
Me too!
I keep coming back because just when I feel like I've run out of people or stories, someone will ask a question, or a new document or database will surface... and off I go!
This is true for me also! Sometimes just an innocent question by a family member sends me on a research journey to uncover the story!
I keep coming back to researching my family history because there is a constant increase in accessible information that improves the stories of my family. My research is no longer just about confirming dates and places of life and other important events. It's broadened to finding the snippets that can suggest why decisions were made, who else was in a community that might have been an influence on a person... I could go on and on. It's a buzz finding this information and making plausible conjectures on their lives.
Oh yes this is so true. I’m find myself now combing thru high school year book photos these days
Thank you all very much for the thoughtful answers that confirm exactly why I feel so at home in this community of family historians. We all have unique stories, yet we have a common love for family history research. It is the best. Tomorrow is the launch of Mission: Genealogy. I hope you all join if you haven't already. The Open House will officially kick off this remarkable community. There are links in the main post. Cheers to all of you!
So many reasons. I've often said family history research is a combination of a jigsaw puzzle, a treasure chest, and Pandora's box. It is so interesting and intriguing figuring out the stories of my ancestors lives. I always have questions I want answered and love the hunt.
Genealogy provides a deep sense of place in this continuum of life. As a child, I was taught that I didn't matter. The study of my family history tells me that I do matter -- just as much as all of my ancestors did in their own time.
What keeps me coming back to genealogical study is the stories and the intersection of community and family history. Our ancestors didn’t live in a vacuum. They did things and interacted with people. They contributed or even built a community. Why
THIS is the main driver for me among so many others. The Stories. Who. Why? How? Where? What? And these days that includes DNA, local history, one-place and one-name studies.
I keep coming back with the hope of uncovering another compelling story, finding another old photo, visiting another place that holds meaning in my family tree, discovering more about myself by learning about those who came before me. I’ve found that the more I know about my ancestors, the better I understand my own life.
I keep coming back for the mystery! There are so many stories to uncover. Too many ancestors buried in history and I love a good puzzle.
My age is what keeps me coming back. I feel a sense of urgency to do as much as I can while I can.
Every couple weeks yet another relative or a close friend dies, making me have concern over whether I can come closer to my own goals before becoming a statistic myself in this great genealogy race.
So many fabulous answers- my head is nodding like a bobble head!
I started this journey when my mom passed away and I felt untethered. As my 92-yo MIL likes to say, “everyone around me was dead”, and I couldn’t remember who I was without them.
Genealogy has helped me know who I am and where I belong. It ties me to people I never met but whose life blood and values and dreams live in me. (That sounds cheesy, sorry.)
As I found and reached out to living descendants of our common ancestors, and then the greater community of family historians, I realized I had the time and ability to help others find their feet. To feel tethered.
Plus, of course, I simply love researching stuff!
I giggled so much, because I, too, was bobble-heading my way down the comments! I feel like I should just cut and paste yours, you put my mushy thoughts into words so elegantly with your reasons! She said pick one, but I cannot! Everything you said, YES!
I keep finding mysteries that makes my family more interesting. Like.. Killed by pirates.. Or old letters to officials... I fought in all three of your wars..
Why YOU of course. 🥰 Well... all of you and all of my cousins. It's become a pathway for both self-discovery and sharing with others.
Newly digitized, or otherwise previously obscure, records become available.
I am most always amazed at the lives of my ancestors and I want to know more about them: what was happening in their lives that led to decisions to abandon everything they've ever known and emigrate out of their European countries? Who did they leave behind? How did the women, in particular, deal with life on a frozen farm or life in a male-dominated political landscape? The stories are fascinating and the work to uncover them is endless.
It is also the hidden history, the stuff people forgot that brings me back to genealogy. My favorite movie in high school was A League of their Own about the forgotten history of a women’s professional baseball league in the 1940s and 1950s. That is part of what makes me nostalgic about baseball, a bunch of trailblazing women keeping America’s love of baseball alive during a time of war. I like to connect the modern with the past in such a way that others can see their relevance in the past. What do any of you think of that?