Family Genealogy

The reasons that people choose to get involved in their family genealogy are as varied as the people who do it. There are dozens of reasons why you should get involved in your genealogy:

• For health reasons: to find out about inheritable conditions in your family.
• Because genealogy is fun: it's the thrill of the chase and putting together the puzzle of your ancestors.
• To spend more time with aging parents and grandparents.
• If you're adopted, to find out more about your birth family.
• To re-connect with your childhood.
• For religious reasons, to provide your ancestors with religious ordinances after they've passed away.
• To connect to a piece of history.
• To discover your prominent or famous ancestors.
• To keep your ancestors from being forgotten.

Whatever the reason you decide to research your family genealogy, the point is to enjoy it. So do the things that make family genealogy fun for you. Do you like attending genealogical conferences and networking with other researchers? Then do it. Do you like the creative aspect of genealogy? Then make a book, scrapbook, or quilt to showcase your efforts. There are a thousand different things you can do with family genealogy, so do what interests you.

Getting started in family genealogy can be overwhelming at first. If you need a support group to turn to for research advice and encouragement, here are some places you can meet other researchers:

• Your local historical society, genealogical society, or DAR chapter. Just go to your local public library and ask about what community groups are available near you.
• Message boards and online groups. These groups can be found on sites like Ancestry.com and RootsWeb.com. Some groups are even surname-specific, so you can network with distant relatives who are searching for your same ancestors.
• And one of your best places you can turn to for help and encouragement is your own family. Get them involved in the research you're doing; show them your findings. While they may be skeptical at first, it won't be long before they're as excited about your research as you are.