Why Genealogy Is Important

My family the Heintzelman family has lore that has come from our ancestry in Germany. Ancestry is a very important part of a person. Knowing who came before you can affect a person greatly. If someone knows the hard work that their ancestors did it can lead to a lot more humility for that person. No person gets to where they are in life without the hard work of the people that came before them, especially in America. Almost no one is a native of American which makes it a melting pot for all cultures, which means knowing your history is important. The hard work of my ancestors I feel is extremely important due to the story that surrounds the last name of Heintzelman. The story of the Heinzelmännchen, which originated in Cologne, Germany, was a legend about elves who would do the chores of the lazy townspeople. Every night when the townspeople went to sleep the Heinzelmännchens would come up to do that work that the townspeople had neglected to do (Kopisch and Thrlet). This was a myth that was started many years ago in Cologne but is still remembered today. The story of the Heinzelmännchens is commemorated in statues that stand in Cologne and through my last name. The story of the Heinzelmännchen has been passed down from generation to generation in my family, as the beginning of our last name and heritage. However, this is not the only way that lore is passed down, we have also passed down our history through our names, as many Heintzelmans have been named after

I’m amazed at how many Americans don’t know their own family heritage any further back than their grandparents. For many years, I was one of them. I would casually tell people, “My family never really talked much about our family tree, because we were afraid we’d find horse thieves hanging from the branches.” But, bad or good, I always wondered about my roots.

During this family heritage project i have learned a lot of things about me and my family. I can't believe that i have lived 12 (almost 13) years of my life without knowing where my family originated from. Imagine being 50 years old and knowing nothing about your family. It just feels so great to have that blanket lifted from my head and to know more.

A very little to almost none is known about my family history because of the backwardness of the eastern culture as opposed to that of the west. Our forefathers are said to have been nomads all their lives searching pasturelands for their cattle and cultivating land for the subsistence farming. They bartered animals for salt, hides, clothing, etc. Civilization remained unheard to them until after mid-eighteenth century. Our

Genetic genealogy can set the stage for discrimination and inequality for those seeking minority status, for benefits and government handouts, or alternately, it can hold individuals back because of racism or bigotry; and lead to ‘genetically repackaged discrimination’. There is an uneven playing field, with some entities recognizing genetic testing results, yet others are rejecting it. While seeking personal identity is a worthwhile endeavor, another perspective brings a host of psychological, social, legal, political, and ethical worries. It is possible to uncover undesirable, or unexpected genetic ancestral ties that could lead to diverse identity issues, and other emotional, or financial consequences. Increasingly, genetic testing, or DNA, is used as a genealogical resource; it has potential to be used as a tool by narrowing down possibilities, but it can, also, be scientifically inaccurate. There are limitations in the science, both with interpretation of tests results, and with the databases. Avoiding inaccuracies requires sampling strategies and creating human population margins from genetic data. In addition, interpretation of ancestry tracing needs to be made less complicated for the consumer. While uncertainties are inherent, geneticists are optimistic about the future of genealogy using DNA.

So you wanted to know about some of my family history. My Grandparents have worked extremely hard for what they have got and don’t take any of it for granted. They all have been good role models, and have set good examples for us Grand-Kids. Even though they have dug some holes for themselves they all have dug themselves back out of that hole, and came back stronger. Now they have made it possible for us not to make the same mistakes that they have

Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.

As I researched and talked to relatives concerning my background, heritage and culture, it made me want to know more about my family and where it all began. I had fun putting

There is an old African saying, “When an elder dies, it is as if an entire library has burned to the ground.” This happens to be the case when it comes to my family history. Unfortunately, my grandparents' on both sides of my family have passed away and the rest live across the world which can be difficult to contact. My parent’s are going to be my sources for this assignment. They both have provided me with information about their childhood and the lives of my grandparent’s. By using the stories provided from Deborah A. Miranda’s book Bad Indians, I will compare and contrast the lives of my family to hers.

Since I have always had such a fascination with genealogy, I thought it an honorable undertaking to research our ancestry. I wish someone had done it fifty years ago so that I might have access to more information on our direct line of ancestors, other than the word of mouth passed down through the generations that I’ve had to rely on and what little I have found digging through dusty courthouse records.”

There is an old African saying, “when an elder dies, it is as if an entire library has burned to the ground.” This happens to be the case when it comes to my family history. Unfortunately, my grandparents on both sides of my family have past away and the rest live across the world which can be difficult to contact. My parent’s are going to be my sources for this assignment. They both have provided me with information about their childhood and the lives of my grandparent’s. By using the stories provided from Deborah A. Miranda’s book Bad Indians, I will compare and contrast the lives of my family to hers.

Often times a person lives their life based on how their own family would see it. Whether it disappoints or makes their family proud, it is inevitable; a person’s family will forever remain an important factor in their life, actions and the consequences that come with it. In “The Idea of Ancestry”, the author Etheridge Knight writes a poem where it is obvious that he is guilty of his actions and the shame and hurt it brings to his loved ones. Knight is haunted by the faces of his loved ones in his cell, and it is symbolic of the guilt he feels as he sits in prison and contemplates on his bad choices and addiction to heroin.

“These digital records and documents, combined with our proprietary online search technologies and tools, enable our subscribers to research their family history, build their family trees, upload their own records and make meaningful discoveries about the lives of their ancestors.” (Form 10-K 2016). It would appear that the purpose of the Ancestry.com service is to put the subscriber on a self-learning path to discovering more about their heritage, it wants people to be: “We are studying our mother tongues. We are dancing to folk tunes. We are climbing our family trees.” (Kabada 175). The less common but emerging method of utilizing Ancestry.com involves a subscriber receiving a DNA testing kit and sending back their data. Ancestry.com would then run the subscribers genetic information through their massive ever-growing database, and generate a report for the subscribe allowing them to trace their genetic lineage through history. “Ancestry.com sold approximately one million DNA kits for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of over 93% in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2014.” (Form 10-K 2016).

In this essay, I will discuss my experience of interviewing a family and constructing a genogram guided by their narrative. For this task, I purposely chose a family that is very different from my family of origin in terms of their cultural heritage. I will reflect on differences and similarities between our families as well as my prejudices and hypothesis that I inevitably constructed before and during the process. To identify this family, I had to approach some colleagues proposing to them to participate in the interview. Fortunately, one of them introduced me to her friend. Francesca had an interest in psychology, and since she was free and not much committed, I did welcome her with a cup of coffee to share more about the