Submitted by Margie STEIN Beldin, TCGS Education Chair:
When I returned home from having lunch with some friends today, I took the time to carefully read a message Renée Tomlinson Petersen had printed for us. The message was written in the early 1900s by Della M. Cummings Wright:
No sooner had I finished, when I looked at my emails and read Legacy News from Legacy Family Tree. Guest blogger Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy website asked "Why Do We Do Genealogy"? I had never really answered that question myself, but it did give me a reason to pause and think.
After reading Renée's handout and the above blog, can you answer why you do genealogy?
I like that the blog writer's reason for researching her family evolved from what she wanted as a beginning reasearcher to why she continues to research today. I think that may happen to a lot of us.
It's kind of like, we marry for love but over the years that love becomes a bond of security, comfort and contentment which wasn't really present at the beginning.
Doing genealogy makes me content. I don't find watching TV interesting but learning about my family and their life and times does make me pause and ponder. I imagine myself in their place. I have no family stories and just a couple of photos but when I read about someone who lived when my ancestor lived or who lived where my ancestor lived, I can envision my ancestor being there too and what his or her life might have been like.
So, why do you do genealogy?
Why do we do genealogy? I started just mapping out the different relatives in our complicated family to try to keep them straight. As time went on I wanted to be sure my kid and grandkids (and those of my siblings) knew the history of our parents as they had both overcome incredible obstacles. Now I’ve been sucked in and am searching for more information about our grandparents. None were living when we were born and there are some mysteries!
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