The Migration of Our Ancestors

This past week, I lay in bed with the flu. So, my article is a bit late. The time spent in bed recuperating was well spent, as I thought about my series of articles trying to cover all the countries around the world. As any one who has done genealogy for awhile knows, it is all about connections. You start our with a set of parents, and before you know it you have branched out to far corners of the world.

We find the birthplace of one ancestor, and we wonder where the family came from before that. So, I let my mind wander all the way back to pre-history, a time that only traditions remain with no written sources. What wandering hordes and nomadic people connected with my ancestry. Wars, an ever present human condition, caused the migration of people, and brought in new people who intermarried. Trade routes not only exchanged goods but left behind bloodlines. The human species is a wandering and adaptive species.

Modern (written) history provides events that are the key to our known ancestors emigrations. Archealogical history gives our imaginations food to ponder- in what corners of the world did our far distant ancestors wander?

Whether we like it or not, genealogy is entering the brave new world of gene research. With modern science and archealogy we are learning more about our earliest ancestors. Genetics and Human Migration Patterns provides information on some of the latest discoveries. There is even a link to genetics and genealogy.

For viewing more recent history, my two favorite sites are: World History: Hyper History - Compact information that is easily navigatable. I enjoy the map link.

History Channel - One very good feature of this site is a search engine that allows you to search for a specific historical event.

There is no corner of the world that is not a possible home of our ancestors. When you do genealogy, the world begins to shrink and we begin to realize that we are all related somehow. For fun look, at this progression of just direct line ancestors at Who Says We Are Not Relatives?

Happy hunting and musing into the distant origins of our ancestors.

NEXT WEEK: I will return to my wandering over the globe with the Mid-East.

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