Why Is Genealogy Important?

Avigdor, J. C. (2015). Ontario Genealogical Society. King’s College University An unfulfilled Dream. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://torontofamilyhistory.org/simcoesgentry/11/kings-college

I started a family, researching into genealogy last year. I found distant cousins through trees and Ancestry DNA. Jaguanana reached out to me on Ancestry our DNA predicted us 1st-2nd cousins by

The interest in genealogy started when African Americans and other Americans soon picked up the now iconic tie to the Civil War (32). People in the south have generations of

If you’re a DNA match, my research to pin-point common ancestors to predicted cousins level is hard to trace further past 3rd cousins (only on my father's side able to trace this far back). My mother's side is very limited to 2nd cousins only. I hope in the future, I can find her side past my 2nd great-grandmother.

Learning about your family tree can be fun and exciting. I can also raise more questions when you come across a surprising discovery, which is exactly what happened to one woman while she researched her family's history.

My parents are James and Kelly Crooks and my sister is Jordan Crooks. My father, James, and my uncle Dave are the sons of my grandfather, David Crooks and my grandmother Maralee Marreel Crooks. My grandfather is the son of Robert Ray Crooks and Eva Mae Rudebeck Crooks. My Great Grandfather had eighteen brothers

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

When I first saw in the syllabus the type of paper we would be writing for this course I thought about what culture means to me. What was the culture of my family? Where did we come from? How did we end up in Virginia? How did we end up believing some of the things we believe? To me culture was basically how I was raised—my behaviors, beliefs, values, and ideas cultivated during my youth and its evolvement as I grew into an adult. This truly was to be a very interesting and involved quest for information. Though I attempted to use websites such as www.genealogy.com and www.ancestry.com, I found most of the information from a couple of the adults in my family. Adults? I, too, am an adult, but in my family, age comes

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.

There are also three major companies that offer DNA testing for genealogy and claim to show the percentage of Native American Ancestry. They are FamilyTreeDNA, Ancestry.com, and 23andMe. National Geographic does a test for deep ancestry, not for genealogy, but they have a partnership with FamilyTreeDNA where you can transfer your raw data and get a genealogical analysis.

Without fail, when someone discovers the stories in their own family tree, they become empowered and inspired. I know this from personal experience, because eight years ago, someone helped me discover my lost family legacies, and it changed me forever. I found stories of great sacrifice, courage, conviction, service, struggle, conflict, diversity and triumph. Some of my ancestors lived in a cave for the first few years and purchased land rights from the Native Americans who helped them plant new crops and build

This is part four of the series "Where Do I Start as a Beginning Genealogist?". Glad to see you! If you haven't read parts

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.”

Family history is something most people do not know much about. This is unfortunate because some people do not or are unable to value their families past. Family history is important for many different reasons. It can be used to meet family members a person never knew about and for educational purpose. I was fortunate enough to have my grandparents still alive to tell me about their great-grandparents and grandparents. I never truly understand how interesting and important it is to know about where my family came from until I did this project. My family consists of Polish and German immigrants.

William, known as Bill, was born on July 20, 1921 in Minneapolis, MN. He worked in the plaster/stucco business for over 25 years before working at Northwest Airlines. His wife’s maiden name was Lorraine Mulcahy. Lorraine was born on August 13, 1922 in St. Paul, MN. Lorraine went to college at the University of Minnesota where she got her Bachelor of Science degree and became a dental hygienist. My grandma “Lo” is the genealogy nut in our family. She has searched for birthdates, marriage licenses, and other documents of her grandparents. I called grandma Lo to get some information on my great-grandparents and family stories. I found out I was part Norwegian and I never even knew it! Grandma Lo’s parents were Edward Mulcahy and Olga Shermoen. Her father Ed was born on April 15, 1880 in Minneapolis, MN. Ed worked as a claim agent for the Great Northern Railroad in the twin cities. Olga was born on March 15, 1888 in Hawley, MN. She also worked for the Great Northern Railroad as a matron. Edward was 100% Irish while Olga was 100% Norwegian. This makes my grandma Lorraine 50% Irish & 50% Norwegian. My grandpa Bill was adopted in Minneapolis so his genealogy is unknown. He was told by his adopted parents that he was mostly Irish. If we pretended Bill was 100% Irish, this would make my mom 75% Irish and 25% Norwegian.