| If you get bitten by the genealogy bug, you will | | | | thread and there are many unknown people and |
| fall in love with the search for your ancestors. | | | | their whereabouts. Maybe, a branch of the family |
| Here are five reasons why I love genealogy. | | | | split from the rest and you never met them or all |
| 1. I love genealogy because you find out who the | | | | the cousins you could have known and enjoyed. |
| members of your family are and the fun facts | | | | That is why I love genealogy, which is a chart or |
| about them. You meet cousins, aunts and uncles | | | | recorded history of the descent of a family from |
| you never knew existed. You find out why you | | | | ancestors. You start by naming the ancestors |
| have red hair and freckles when your parents do | | | | you know. Can you name your eight great |
| not. You find out who your great grandparents | | | | grandparents? Makes you think does it not? You |
| are and how they influenced your parents. You | | | | will love finding their names and the facts about |
| discover the countries where your ancestors lived | | | | them. |
| and maybe even visit them. You may try to learn | | | | 4. I love genealogy because it opens a whole new |
| the language of those countries. You will discover | | | | world for a person. What is the religion of your |
| why you love certain things that no one else in | | | | ancestors? What country did they come from? |
| the family does. | | | | What clothes did they wear? How did they meet |
| 2. I love genealogy because it reinforces the love | | | | each other and what wedding customs did they |
| between family members. If you were raised by | | | | pass down? What language did they speak? Who |
| loving parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles | | | | is the "black sheep" of the bunch? That person will |
| and had many cousins to play with, you no doubt | | | | be the most interesting. Do not tell me your |
| heard many stories about the rest of the family | | | | family does not have one in some degree. That |
| members. You may have been told about how | | | | world will include archives, courthouses, libraries |
| your great grandparents came to this country | | | | and the opportunity to talk with many people. |
| and about their problems getting established in a | | | | 5. I love genealogy because it makes the travel |
| foreign land or you may have heard how they | | | | bug bite you. You want to visit the countries of |
| got rich and maybe how they lost everything at | | | | your ancestors. You want to visit the states and |
| one time. Little stories about cousins have been | | | | cities where they lived. You want to meet their |
| told and retold until you know them by heart. | | | | neighbors who might tell some juicy stories about |
| 3. I love genealogy because I found many family | | | | your family. Travel broadens your boundaries and |
| members and met them for the first time. If you | | | | you will never be the same. New languages, new |
| were raised by a single parent, grandparents, or | | | | customs, new people, new ideas will shake up |
| step parents, they may have lost the family | | | | your life. Try it and you will love genealogy, too. |