Genealogy and History Fan

From the following article we learn some of the reasons why people trace their family history. Ready this for some interesting ideas.

What is Genealogy?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Javier_Colayco]Javier Colayco

Genealogy, generally defined, is the study of one’s ancestry. However, in actuality, genealogy is much more involved and interesting than its general definition lets on.

When you begin studying genealogy, you realize just how much interesting information your family history can reveal. Genealogy can shed light on where your ancestors came from, where they lived, what they did for a living, who they married and what property they owned.

Almost everyone, whether they realize it or not, has participated in some form of genealogy activity. In grade school, did you ever make a family tree? That’s genealogy! Genealogy can be as simple as making a record of your family tree from you to your great grandparents or as complex as tracing your entire lineage back to ancient times.

The history of genealogy dates back to the Old Testament of The Bible. In the very first book, the Book of Genesis, we see a family’s bloodline narrated and the importance of genealogy. The New Testament would later also reflect the importance of genealogy in religion and society. Both the Books of Matthew and Luke outline the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth.

But The Bible is not the only written record that lends credence to the importance of genealogy. Throughout history we find records of disputes, murders and even wars where genealogy played a part in the story. Ties to royalty, rights to inheritances and eligibility for rulership are all tied to a person’s heritage, and genealogy provides the map that illustrates who has right to what claims.

There are a number of instances throughout history in which genealogy played an important role as certain dramas unfolded before humanity. From something as significant as the lineage of Jesus of Nazareth to something as modernly-trivial as the true father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, genealogy has oftentimes been at the forefront as history played itself out.

Genealogy also played a large role in England’s historical claim to the throne of France. King Edward III was a Norman-French descendant. When his uncle, Charles IV of France, passed away Edward tried to lay claim to the French throne.

He tried convincing the powers that be that even though his mother could not lay claim to the throne because she was a woman, she could pass on the bloodline’s right to the throne, making him the rightful ruler of France. Of course, the descendants of the male side of the bloodline didn’t agree and the argument eventually led to the Hundred Year’s War.

England and France aren’t the only countries to have disputes over who would be the rightful heir of a throne because of genealogy. Rowena’s, Byzantium, Portugal, and even ancient Egypt all have histories that are rich in bloodline disputes.

Genealogy finds aren’t all ancient history. Modern genealogy issues have hit the media recently. Al Sharpton’s recent discovery is proof of the ironies that genealogy may uncover. Mr. Sharpton, who earlier this year stated that he might run for president in 2008, recently discovered through genealogy research that his great-grandfather was a slave owned by none other than Senator Strom Thurman’s great-great-grandfather. In fact, the two may be related by blood.

Then, of course, there are the less-significant genealogy disputes that don’t have nearly as much importance as some of these historical and political events, but they get enough media coverage to make them world famous. The true family tree of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter is just one instance. Perhaps this dispute over lineage wasn’t historically significant, but it appears that many found it to be a topic of intense interest.

There are a number of reasons why people pursue genealogy. From something as simple as a mild interest in one’s family history to something as significant as trying to find the parts of a broken family and piece them back together, the reasons for studying genealogy are numerous.

Genealogy can help a person get in touch with who they really are. You can find out who your ancestors were, what they did, where they lived, and more. By tracing your roots, you not only learn about those in your bloodline who have gone before you, but you can research and gain an understanding of these members of your family that you never had the chance to meet.

While genealogy doesn’t always dig up buried treasure, it is indeed a possibility. Did you have a rich great uncle who died without any heirs? One you never knew about? If you did, genealogy could help you uncover the details that would help you claim what was rightfully yours.

There have been times throughout history when extreme circumstances split families apart. World War II, for instance, tore brother from sister and mother from child. Genealogy is a tool that can help piece broken families back together and thousands of people have done just that.

Sometimes genealogy is just plain fun. Wouldn’t it be exciting to find out you were a distant cousin of a famous celebrity, or that your great-great-great-great grandfather was a king? Many times genealogy can uncover interesting and exciting facts about a person’s family tree.

Genealogy, while always important, didn’t experience such a widespread explosion in popularity until the advent of the Internet. Gone are the days when researching your family tree meant running from one public records facility to the next, hoping you could find missing pieces to the puzzle by mailing away for information that might never arrive.

With more and more public records being made available online, priceless genealogy information is just a mouse click away and easier than ever to create a fluid family tree. Its no wonder millions of Internet users have started tracing their family lines on the Web. What used to take years to accomplish can now be done in a matter of days or weeks.

With genealogy becoming more and more popular and advanced genealogy tools now so readily available, there really hasn’t been a better time to get involved. Whether you only want to trace your family history back a few generations or you want to see just how far back you can climb up your family tree, the genealogy tools now available will make the process faster, more efficient and much more enjoyable.

Javier Colayco is the founder of TribalJunction.com ( http://www.tribaljunction.com), a site that makes it easy to create a family tree and find distant relatives. With additional features like group email, customizable user profiles and more, Tribal Junction also helps families keep in touch.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Javier_Colayco http://EzineArticles.com/?What-is-Genealogy?&id=839230

Recently we learned that Barack Obama is distantly related to six presidents and to Brad Pitt. Hillary Clinton is distantly related to Angelina Jolie, Camilla Parker-Boles and Madonna. John McCain is a 6^th cousin of first lady Laura Bush. In my own genealogy, I have a President (Harry Truman) and an outlaw (Jesse James) from the same family line. You never know who might turn up in your family!

“Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Webster’s dictionary defines a tradition as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or social custom). It can also be the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another.

Each of us belongs to a family and our family traditions help determine who we are. These traditions create positive feelings and keep family members close as they spend time together. Our family traditions often provide us our best memories of our families. It has been said that if you see a strong family, you will likely find they have strong family traditions.

Some traditions can be as simple as always having pizza on Friday nights. Other traditions may occur at certain times of the year. For example, every August we always went to the County Fair as a family. During the Christmas season we always took several evenings to drive around our area to see the lights and decorations. On Christmas Eve we always read the Christmas Story from the Book of Luke.

These times together help family members to feel more secure, and more unified and loyal to each other. In today’s fast paced and ever-changing world, it is even more important to firmly establish and maintain family traditions.

Some families find that at least once a year they have to leave their hectic lives behind and take their family to a special setting. This special setting could be any place that the whole family enjoys going. For some families it might be a cabin on a lake, an ocean side retreat, or a mountain trek. Other families may have a favorite theme park that they look forward to visiting each year. The list of great places to visit could be endless.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every family could have a special getaway! I hope your family has treasured and established traditions that will always keep you connected. May 2008 be a banner year for keeping and even making great new family traditions.

When my husband and I were newly married we rented a small apartment in our hometown, Terre Haute, Indiana. Our landlord told us to be prepared to have twins. He said he had rented to quite a few young couples through the years and that each couple who lived there had twins.

The next year I gave birth to one baby girl. My husband called our landlord to give him our news. He was very surprised and probably disappointed to hear that we only had one baby. But he said that he was still confident that we would have twins in the future.

We soon were able to move to a home. Our now former landlord told us to call him as soon as we had our twins. I told him I didn’t think I would ever have twins, but we would let him know if by chance I did. Lo and behold, 14 months later my husband called him to announce that I had given birth to identical twin boys! At the time they were the largest twins to have been born at Union Hospital in Terre Haute (7lbs 2ozs & 7lbs 10ozs).

Identical twins occur in about 1 in 250 births. We soon found out that our twins were also  mirror image. This results from a late spilt of the fertilized egg. It is a rather rare happening in humans. So my boys are a rare breed in many outstanding ways!

But what mattered most to our former landlord was that we had not broken the tradition! He said we could thank his apartment for our twins. I’m not sure about that, but I am very thankful for my twin boys and my two daughters who thoughtfully came one at a time.

I hope to hear from anyone who had larger twins or ones that are mirror image.

In the 1860’s Henry and Catherine Wineinger Fallen were living in the hills of Tennessee trying to survive on poor farm land. As their family increased, Catherine felt the need to move to a new area where the soil was good and enough crops could be grown to feed them all. Word came of rich soil and of the homesteading opportunities in the Kansas Territory. Catherine decided that their only chance for a better life was in Kansas. But Henry didn’t want to leave his beloved hills, woods and streams. Henry also said he was afraid they might get killed by Indians or starve to death on the trail. However Catherine was not deterred by her husband‘s negative attitude. So with her mind made up, she began preparations for the covered wagon trip to Kansas. Catherine was sure Henry loved her and their children too much to let them go without him. At the last minute Henry climbed into the back of the wagon with his gun and his dog.

They had many problems and delays during their journey. They were traveling during the Civil War. One day they had to make a sudden stop in a corn field with earshot of an Arkansas battle. (There were 17 battles fought In Arkansas during the Civil War.) The reason they needed to stop was for Catherine to give birth to a baby girl!

Eventually they arrived in Kansas where they obtained 160 acres of good farm land. Henry and Catherine raised crops and 11 children on their Kansas homestead.

Never underestimate the power of a good and determined woman! Hats off to Catherine and all the great women (and men) who have gone before us. Catherine is one of my many Wineinger cousins.

Robert and Mary Rains Drummond came to northern Indiana in 1838 to purchase U.S. government land. They received 80 acres of tall trees and rich soil. They built a home and settled into the community. There was a school and a church but it was still a wild and sometimes dangerous part of the country.

During those early years Mary, and her younger children were at home one evening at dusk. Robert and the older boys were at a neighboring farm across long fields. While looking out a window Mary spied a band of Indians with raised tomahawks creeping up around the house. She threw the door open and began shouting many men’s names. The Indians, supposing there was a large group of men to rush home, ran through the woods and did not return.

The determination and resourcefulness of our pioneer grandmothers (and grandfathers) was amazing. I wonder if I could have done even half as well. I honor all those hard working, brave, and dedicated souls who gave us so much. Robert and Mary are my husband’s great-great-grandparents.

While researching family history, it’s always fun to discover a story of love and adventure. The following story was told by Amanda, daughter of Travis and Sarah.

Amanda relates that her mother Sarah was a descendant of English royalty and from a very wealthy family. While she and her family were touring America, young Sarah met Travis. Travis was from Belfast, Ireland, but was in the U.S. racing horses. Sarah and Travis fell in love but Sarah’s mother disapproved of such a match. After returning to Europe she was able to keep them apart for seven years! But eventually Travis arranged for them to runaway to America. They were married aboard ship by the captain. For a time they lived in Kentucky where Travis resumed horse racing. Later they moved to southern Indiana to farm and raise nine children. Hopefully Sarah never regretted giving up her regal life for love. Sarah and Travis are my 3^rd great-grandparents.

 From the time I was nine or ten I have loved to read historical novels.   By the time I was thirteen, I had read Gone With The Wind four times.  To this day, nearly fifty years later, one of my favorite pastimes is to read a historical novel.

It’s no wonder that I was drawn, in my teens, to begin genealogical research. My fascination with the lives of former generations has had me on a life-long pursuit.

I have discovered in my research that some of the adventures of my ancestors read like a novel. Everyone loves a good romantic story. My fifth great grandfather, Anthony Lindsay, was a messenger for General George Washington. During one of his relay trips he stayed at the home of a wealthy landholder. This man had a daughter named Rachel who caught Anthony’s eye and heart. Three years later he to returned to their home and made Rachel Dorsey his bride.

For a family drama consider the conflict and dilemma of brothers during the Civil War. My second great grandfather, Calvin Wineinger, and his brother James lived in Indiana and were Union soldiers. Another brother Levi lived in Arkansas. Calvin and James’ military troop was sent to Arkansas to fight. Levi found out his brothers were coming so he hid in a cave because he couldn’t fight against his brothers.

Some might prefer a murder mystery. In the 1850’s my third great uncle, Moore Woodmansee, a prominent merchant in southern Indiana was traveling to Cincinnati with a large amount of cash. Along the way he checked into a leading hotel to spend the night. He was seen retiring to his room in the evening. By morning he had disappeared without a trace. He was never seen or heard of again.

What stories are waiting for you to discover in your family history?