Tracing your family history

Why bother? Here is something written by an author unknown to me that kind of says it all:-


Why do we research our Family History?
We are the chosen. My feeling is that in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow those who went before know and approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the storytellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called as if it were in our genes. Those who have gone beforecry out to us; Tell our story. So, we do.


In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have Itold my ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us."?How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was lovethere for me? I cannot say.


It goes beyond just documenting the facts. It goes to who I am, andwhy I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lostforever to weeds and indifference, and saying I can't let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doingsomething about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, theirresoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride thatthey fought to make and keep us a nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us, that we might be born who we are, that we might remember them. So we do.


With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence,because we are them and they are us. I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation, to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what call those, young and old, to step up and put flesh on the bones.