If families are the foundation of society, ancestry is the foundation of modern life. Many modern people want to better understand their history and the family that created them. Learning about your family and ancestry is great fun. People are frequently surprised at the interesting bits of genealogical gold they pick up along the way. You never know who you’re related to until you dig into your ancestry. North Americans frequently learn that they carry the blood of the Lakota Sioux, the Cherokee, or the Navajo Nations in their veins.
The advent of modern technology and the internet has opened a new world for genealogical research. Although it can be challenging, time-consuming, and frustrating, tracing your family’s ancestry and history is an extremely rewarding pursuit. Yes, you’ll run into dead ends and lengthy delays, but you’ll learn more about your family and your culture than you ever dreamed possible. You may even find relatives and life-long relationships that were impossible without the effort.
There are many websites that specialize in genealogy today, and you can use one or several of them to seek family ties and relations. One of these is the Culture Genealogy Society website, where you’ll find links to respected, reputable information on families in different cultures and countries. There are sites that focus on Native American DNA genealogy, and European-based sites where you can find centuries-old information on your ancestors’ lives and times.
The Culture Genealogy Society website provides copies of original documents for review, and it will give you a virtual family tree to help you track individuals and relationships over time. Other websites with information that’s searchable by beginners also offer the help and experience of professional genealogists.
The time you spend searching for details about your family’s past will produce much entertainment and some big surprises. For example, one genealogist undertook research on the ancestry of President George Bush, only to learn that he shares common ancestors with political rival John Kerry and, even more surprising, with infamous playboy Hugh Hefner!
You never know what you’ll turn up – an illegitimate son who spawned the grandfather of a famous preacher, a distant uncle who was hung as a horse-thief, perhaps even kings and queens. You may find that you are a mix of races or ethnic groups who’ve battled each other throughout history. Or maybe you’ll find someone who first stepped on Plymouth Rock or who bought the first slave in America.
You simply won’t know if you don’t take the time to track down your family’s heroes and villains. You could well find enough information to write a best-seller or assemble a family heirloom that will be cherished by generations to come. At the very least, you’ll have a much better sense of who you are and where you came from by doing a little research into your unique