1.1 History and Genealogy

To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. — Chinese Proverb

If the study of history was a quiver, genealogy would be the prized arrow historians would string when desiring to bring historical dates, facts, and places to life. Genealogy personalizes history. Compelling personal stories and family narratives are places where the details of history are found. One cannot understand a person, their decisions, and the events that unfold around them without understanding where that person came from and examining their closest and distant family ties. Families make people what they are. From humans who share an affinity for parakeets, to loving a certain type of music, to generation after generation choosing teaching as a career; it’s not clear how much is nurture and how much is DNA, but these types of connections can be discovered in families. Families are the headliners on the stage of each life. Past, present, and future come together in every person as they live, learn, and pass the torch to the next generation. Genealogy is more than just a hobby. The methodology is demanding, it takes grit and curiosity and diligence to identify and connect family members. It is also one of the most satisfying and rewarding disciplines in history.