Curiosity, love of history, a feeling of connection with the past, along with the need to keep alive the memories of those who came before me. I have always been interested in history in general, so when I received a hand drawn family tree in the early 90s, it was only natural I'd get drawn in. The more I found, the more I wanted to know. Seeing names on documents was such a thrill. Over the last decade, I've devoted much of my spare time to the pursuit.
Both my parents had traumatic childhoods...rather than allow the events to pull them down, it seemed to make them more determined to build a good life. And so they did. The more I learn about our ancestors, I understand now that my parents followed in their footsteps. Telling the stories I uncover in the historical record is so important to me - I don't want anyone to be forgotten.
I also admit that solving particularly tricky genealogical puzzles is very satisfying - plus, working through them helps keep my brain nimble! As a librarian, I also help patrons learn how to discover their ancestors and host a group of local family historians at monthly meetings.
In the end, it's really the connection to the past that keeps me going...Feeling rooted in the world in such a solid way in a world today where so much of life is conducted in digital spaces.
Thanks Teresa for sharing with me such an open and honest reply. We all come to family history or history in general from vastly different places, so it’s always good to hear different people’s stories 😊
I’m with you, @Paul, it’s about knowing who I am and who I come from. For me, family history provides a grounding, a tether that connects me through generations to the values, ideals, resilience, grace, faith and knowledge of those who came before me. It reminds me I am part of a continuous chain from the past to the future. And, I guess selfishly, it’s a promise that my link in that chain - who I am - will not be forgotten. Powerful stuff, right?
I have much in common with so many of these posters. A fascination with history, a drive to solve a puzzle, a love of family. I grew up as an only child, so I was drawn to other families with brothers and sisters, the more the merrier. My mother's extended family was very close, and all my great-aunts told the most hilarious stories! When I began as a teenager, the ancestors I was researching were already familiar to me from the stories. And when I was 14, I saw Roots on TV and knew that was what I wanted to do, research my family back to the old country and write a book about it.
Thanks so much for sharing that with me Anne. I can distinctly remember watching the Roots program myself as a young man and also remember the lasting impact that it had on me.
Incidentally, Paul. I read your post immediately after reading this one from Dyfan Gwyn Jones all about finding a sense of belonging through family history. If you haven't already, I recommend you read it - https://dyfangwynjones.substack.com/p/full-circle
This is a fabulous question to ponder on @Paul Chiddicks. Initially, I was going to restack your post by highlighting a paragraph that resonated with me but then I found they all did! You have really "hit the nail on the head". Genealogy is a journey of self discovery and, particularly so for adoptees like me where there is a very deep seated drive to fill a hole by finding missing pieces!
Psychologists tell us that hobbies are a way to bring order into at least one small part of one's life. They obviously weren't talking about genealogists.
I think there are a number of traits that most genealogists have that include puzzle solving, tenacity to not let go of something plus the ability to empty a room 😂😂😂
I kept hearing stories from my grandparents and wanted to know more. And I'd been to the family grave in Southend, while my mum told me that we were related to the people in the graves around it, and I wanted to know more. That's what drove me, really. As my grandparents grew old and passed away, it's felt like a way to get to know them again, especially as records like the 1911 and 1921 censuses and the 1939 Register have become available. I love putting my librarian search skills to use as well - I love solving a puzzle involving several archives and online resources, and printed books as well.
I've seen up close how people who are adopted feel about their birth families and their origins - there is, I think, an utterly natural drive in us to know who we are and where we come from. Where does my nose come from? Why are my eyes this colour? Why am short or tall? It's more pronounced in someone who's adopted and doesn't even know their parents' names. But that drive can take you on very similar journeys.
I think many of us are inspired by an older relative, mum, dad, grandparents etc. They plant the seed inside us and watch us take up the family history baton. It’s wonderful when you can share new discoveries and breakthroughs with them, it’s makes those connections that little bit more special. How wonderful that you were also able to inspire a friend to trace their birth family, it’s a great thing to be able to help others in that way
I know someone who's adopted who decided to track down their birth family after they'd mey me and my family and noticed our family similarities! They wanted to finally meet people out there in the world who looked like them.
Growing up, my family was loving but full of secrets. Genealogy has given me a toolkit, badge, and license to explore the stories that framed these secrets and better understand the characters and their times. It’s like watching the most personal of movies. 🍿
Thank you for bringing us together with this wonderful question.
Even better (and perhaps this is just the perspective of the youngest in the family)… you have the opportunity to understand the origins of the characters around you.
Learning about the grandmother and great-grandmothers I never knew helps me understand their attitude toward my mother and her response… all of this happened ten years before I was born, but now it makes more sense.
It’s like piecing together a film in a foreign language. You understand a little more each time you go back to it. 🥹
Great question Paul. When I was helping a relative organise a family reunion, I became interested to find out about my father's family. I knew nothing of them as Dad's parents both died when he was 6, and they were never mentioned. This is what got me started and what still drives me as I remember how I felt when I realised as an adult, that I knew nothing about my father's family. I am driven now to leave family stories from my research in the hope that one of my descendants will want to know about them
There are many reasons why I do what I do, if I don't do it who will? My family aren't that interested which I imagine is familiar to lots of us. I love discovering interesting people in my tree (there are many) and having the opportunity to share their stories with the world. Finding patterns, traits and skills that have been inherited. I also enjoy solving mysteries and making connections. Connecting the past, the present and the future...
Hey Paul, love this question. It drives me forward in my genealogy pursuits. Here is a snippet from my memoir, a story of how I got started in family history. https://app.weare.xyz/public/cutting-family-tree-october-2024/articles/naem8hdjkrxz
Thanks for sharing how you started your genealogy journey Carole and great to see you using Simon’s wonderful website!
I am currently teaching others how to preserve their family history archive at WeAre.xyz.
Curiosity, love of history, a feeling of connection with the past, along with the need to keep alive the memories of those who came before me. I have always been interested in history in general, so when I received a hand drawn family tree in the early 90s, it was only natural I'd get drawn in. The more I found, the more I wanted to know. Seeing names on documents was such a thrill. Over the last decade, I've devoted much of my spare time to the pursuit.
Both my parents had traumatic childhoods...rather than allow the events to pull them down, it seemed to make them more determined to build a good life. And so they did. The more I learn about our ancestors, I understand now that my parents followed in their footsteps. Telling the stories I uncover in the historical record is so important to me - I don't want anyone to be forgotten.
I also admit that solving particularly tricky genealogical puzzles is very satisfying - plus, working through them helps keep my brain nimble! As a librarian, I also help patrons learn how to discover their ancestors and host a group of local family historians at monthly meetings.
In the end, it's really the connection to the past that keeps me going...Feeling rooted in the world in such a solid way in a world today where so much of life is conducted in digital spaces.
Thanks Teresa for sharing with me such an open and honest reply. We all come to family history or history in general from vastly different places, so it’s always good to hear different people’s stories 😊
I’m with you, @Paul, it’s about knowing who I am and who I come from. For me, family history provides a grounding, a tether that connects me through generations to the values, ideals, resilience, grace, faith and knowledge of those who came before me. It reminds me I am part of a continuous chain from the past to the future. And, I guess selfishly, it’s a promise that my link in that chain - who I am - will not be forgotten. Powerful stuff, right?
Absolutely powerful stuff, we often forget that we are both a descendant and an ancestor! We are our families link between the past and present.
Great post! Wish I'd written it! :)
Thanks Leslie 😊
I have much in common with so many of these posters. A fascination with history, a drive to solve a puzzle, a love of family. I grew up as an only child, so I was drawn to other families with brothers and sisters, the more the merrier. My mother's extended family was very close, and all my great-aunts told the most hilarious stories! When I began as a teenager, the ancestors I was researching were already familiar to me from the stories. And when I was 14, I saw Roots on TV and knew that was what I wanted to do, research my family back to the old country and write a book about it.
Thanks so much for sharing that with me Anne. I can distinctly remember watching the Roots program myself as a young man and also remember the lasting impact that it had on me.
Incidentally, Paul. I read your post immediately after reading this one from Dyfan Gwyn Jones all about finding a sense of belonging through family history. If you haven't already, I recommend you read it - https://dyfangwynjones.substack.com/p/full-circle
What a truly wonderful story @Jane Chapman by @Dyfan Gwyn Jones I have subscribed now thanks for sharing this with me
You are welcome. I knew you it would be one that would appeal to you!
This is a fabulous question to ponder on @Paul Chiddicks. Initially, I was going to restack your post by highlighting a paragraph that resonated with me but then I found they all did! You have really "hit the nail on the head". Genealogy is a journey of self discovery and, particularly so for adoptees like me where there is a very deep seated drive to fill a hole by finding missing pieces!
Psychologists tell us that hobbies are a way to bring order into at least one small part of one's life. They obviously weren't talking about genealogists.
I think there are a number of traits that most genealogists have that include puzzle solving, tenacity to not let go of something plus the ability to empty a room 😂😂😂
Ah! Emptying a room. So I’m not alone in this skill? Hooray! I’ve found my people. 🥰
I kept hearing stories from my grandparents and wanted to know more. And I'd been to the family grave in Southend, while my mum told me that we were related to the people in the graves around it, and I wanted to know more. That's what drove me, really. As my grandparents grew old and passed away, it's felt like a way to get to know them again, especially as records like the 1911 and 1921 censuses and the 1939 Register have become available. I love putting my librarian search skills to use as well - I love solving a puzzle involving several archives and online resources, and printed books as well.
I've seen up close how people who are adopted feel about their birth families and their origins - there is, I think, an utterly natural drive in us to know who we are and where we come from. Where does my nose come from? Why are my eyes this colour? Why am short or tall? It's more pronounced in someone who's adopted and doesn't even know their parents' names. But that drive can take you on very similar journeys.
I think many of us are inspired by an older relative, mum, dad, grandparents etc. They plant the seed inside us and watch us take up the family history baton. It’s wonderful when you can share new discoveries and breakthroughs with them, it’s makes those connections that little bit more special. How wonderful that you were also able to inspire a friend to trace their birth family, it’s a great thing to be able to help others in that way
I know someone who's adopted who decided to track down their birth family after they'd mey me and my family and noticed our family similarities! They wanted to finally meet people out there in the world who looked like them.
And they did.
Growing up, my family was loving but full of secrets. Genealogy has given me a toolkit, badge, and license to explore the stories that framed these secrets and better understand the characters and their times. It’s like watching the most personal of movies. 🍿
Thank you for bringing us together with this wonderful question.
If only they left us more subtitles!
I love that analogy Barbara so much! We are actors starring in our own family movies!
Even better (and perhaps this is just the perspective of the youngest in the family)… you have the opportunity to understand the origins of the characters around you.
Learning about the grandmother and great-grandmothers I never knew helps me understand their attitude toward my mother and her response… all of this happened ten years before I was born, but now it makes more sense.
It’s like piecing together a film in a foreign language. You understand a little more each time you go back to it. 🥹
Great question Paul. When I was helping a relative organise a family reunion, I became interested to find out about my father's family. I knew nothing of them as Dad's parents both died when he was 6, and they were never mentioned. This is what got me started and what still drives me as I remember how I felt when I realised as an adult, that I knew nothing about my father's family. I am driven now to leave family stories from my research in the hope that one of my descendants will want to know about them
There are many reasons why I do what I do, if I don't do it who will? My family aren't that interested which I imagine is familiar to lots of us. I love discovering interesting people in my tree (there are many) and having the opportunity to share their stories with the world. Finding patterns, traits and skills that have been inherited. I also enjoy solving mysteries and making connections. Connecting the past, the present and the future...