Why the Effort
With all the entertainment available, why would you want to spend your time writing letters, talking to relatives, and visiting libraries and cemeteries? A definitive answer defies all who attempt to explain. A sense of identity is foremost for many. Those who believe their family was too ordinary or too poor to be interesting are amazed to realize the sense of value they place on their family and heritage after delving into the family background. The tales of hardship, of endurance, will instill within you an understanding of the conditions under which they lived. My husband's grandfather would tell with pride how they were too poor to buy fruit, but his mother grew tomatoes and learned to make a wonderful sweetened green tomato pie. The courage and resourcefulness of your ancestors will bond you with them no matter what their station in life. You will feel their pain when they lost the little babies, and when the older children had to drop out of school because they had no shoes to wear.
Among reasons for interest:
V To determine ethnic origin
V To explain why your dad wouldn't talk about his family
V To find out if you are really descended from Paul Revere
V A passion for history
V To note traits in the family such as temperament and talent
V The need for a sense of identity
V Congenital health problems
V A desire to join a hereditary society
V To track down a family tradition
V An interest in migratory patterns
V To identify the owner of artifacts in the family
V To determine ancestors in a particular occupation
V To reclaim the family cemetery
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