Who Are You?
History is much more than the study of important persons and events. Everyone has a story to tell and every life potentially reveals something important about the past. Even you and your family have a history. There is a special name for this type history: it is called genealogy, or the study of family lines of descent. The term "genealogy" derives from the word gene, those tiny units in our cells that are responsible for various traits such as the color of our eyes or our hair, and even any special talents we may have.
Have you ever stopped to think about your history? Look at family photographs of your parents or grandparents. Is there a family resemblance across the generations? Are there a lot of teachers in your family? Or maybe doctors? Perhaps, a special skill or craft runs throughout the family. All of these things help make up your family history.
Although genealogy has become very popular today, people have always been interested in learning about their ancestors. Pride, curiosity, and sometimes to establish rights of inheritance have all provided motives to find out about the history of a family. Some of the greatest dramas in history involved the claims of a family to a kingdom or a desirable piece of land, so confirming the family genealogy was extremely important in those instances.
Before written records were kept, people learned about their ancestors through the stories told to them by their older relatives. These oral histories were then passed on from generation to generation in order to keep the memory of family alive. In the United States, for example, Native Americans and African Americans used the oral tradition as a "talking record" to tell members of the present generation about their ancestors. It this oral tradition that prompted Alex Haley to trace his African and American ancestors in his famous book Roots, which in may ways gave rise to the current popularity of genealogy.
The first to keep written records of their ancestors were the ancient Chinese and Egyptians. These records were particularly valued by the wealthier classes for they established the importance and power of their families in society. For others of lower social status, however, keeping a written history of their ancestors was equally valuable, if for different reasons. Whether wealthy or poor, all men and women revered their ancestors and regarded them as direct links to the past as well as sources of well-being in the present. Many homes contained small altars in which the names of the deceased relatives were preserved.
Latest Articles