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Why Are People Interested In Genealogy? 7 Reasons Why

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Genealogy is not only fascinating but also exciting. The reasons why people are interested in genealogy are as varied as the people who are fascinated by family history research.

People are interested in genealogy because it helps them to discover their roots. Genealogy teaches us a lot about history and where we are from; it also gives us identity and legitimacy. Genealogy can help explain things about our family, or we may also discover some deeply hidden family secrets.

I love British mysteries, so doing genealogy research is a lot like solving a good mystery.

Here are 7 Reasons Why People Are Interested in Genealogy.

We Discover Our Family Roots

One of the main reasons why people are interested in genealogy is that they want to discover their family roots. This is because genealogy is the process of learning about your ancestors who have gone before you.

With genealogical research, you discover your ancestors, where they lived, and a bit about their culture. One of the main things about genealogical research is that it helps us to be able to discover this part of our family, our life, and the very blood that runs through our veins.

Genealogy Is Like Solving a Good Mystery

Genealogy is like solving a good mystery. I love British mysteries, so genealogical research is a lot like solving a good mystery.

Maybe you have a great-great-grandfather who you know lived in a certain part of London. Through genealogy research, you can piece together his life. It is like being a detective to find the clues along the way to discover exactly where your great-great-grandfather lived and why he moved to the United States.

This is because genealogy is about looking at the clues left for you and then putting all those clues together to solve a mystery by discovering exactly what happened and why. If you love a good mystery, you will love genealogy research.

Genealogy Teaches Us About History

Genealogy also teaches us a lot about history. To truly understand the lives of our ancestors, you need to understand a little bit about the history of the area that they lived. You need to understand why they said and did certain things due to the time’s social, cultural, or political atmosphere.

If you love history or you are a history buff, then genealogy is a great hobby to get into. As you discover your family roots, you will also discover the history, areas, and countries they lived in.

History and genealogy go hand-in-hand.

Genealogy Gives Us Identity

Genealogy gives us an identity. How many times have you heard someone say I am half Engish, a quarter Dutch, and a quarter Swedish. Genealogy helps to give us an identity of who we are and where we have come from.

Someone may say I got my Irish grandmother’s red hair and blue eyes from my Swedish great-grandfather. This kind of cultural identity is so important for us to know and discover when we do our genealogical research and study our family history.

Genealogy Gives Us Legitimacy

Genealogy also gives us legitimacy. If you buy a purebred dog, one of the first things you will ask for is a pedigree. You will want to know who the father was and the grandfather; you want to make sure the dog you are purchasing is is purebred animal and comes with the proper pedigree.

Genealogy is very much like this. This is why in the Bible and other books scripture, you will find that people go through a list of their genealogy. In fact, in the Bible in Genesis Chapter 4, the genealogy of Adam begins to be listed. This genealogy gives Adam and those who have gone over his legitimacy.

This is the same with us that genealogy gives us legitimacy – a sense of belonging.

Genealogy Helps Explain Things About Our Family

Genealogy helps to explain things about our families or traits about our families. For example, someone may say that your grandfather was very stubborn because he was German. Or maybe someone else will say that I come from a loud Italian family; we ate together every Sunday and had these big, loud family dinners.

This is even been popularized in many movies and television; movies like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Genealogy helps us to be able to discover where we are from and even certain traits that we have that have been passed down through our families.

It may help to explain some cultures and traditions that our families have. For example, some families open their gifts on Christmas Eve and not on Christmas morning or why other family celebrate Hanukah and not Christmas.

With Genealogy We Discover Family Secrets

When you start on the adventure of your family history or your genealogy research, you will discover some family secrets. You may discover that some of your ancestors had illegitimate children; others may be married before. Others maybe were not married at all.

You may discover many hidden family secrets; you may discover some of these secrets when you do your genealogy. When you do your genealogy, there will be some things you find that will pleasantly surprise you and other things you will find that may absolutely shock you.

You may find that you had relatives that were in prison or did some other terrible things. But all of this is part of the discovery of our family and genealogy.

Genealogy is fascinating because we can discover so many things about ourselves, our family, and our ancestors.

Once you start to work on Genealogy, you will not be able to stop. This is because there’s still so much that you can learn and discover. This is one of the main reasons why we love genealogy so much.

What Are The Swedish Mantal Tax Records?

The Swedish Mantal tax system was the tax system prevalent in Sweden for over 300 years. The Mantal tax was a tax placed upon Swedish households and people. The Mantal tax system was organized and structured.

You can learn more by reading our blog What Are The Swedish Mantal Tax Records? History & Genealogy Research Tips by clicking here.

What Is The Purpose of Genealogy?

The purpose of genealogy is to study family, family history, and the tracing of our lineage or our ancestors. The purpose of genealogy goes far beyond the dates, names, and places of our ancestors.   This is because as you do your genealogy, you begin to learn more about your family and yourself.  Genealogy helps to unite and link families together as you discover things about your family that you did not know.

You can learn more about Genealogy by reading our blog What Is The Purpose of Genealogy? by clicking here.

Anita Hummel
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