Family history in a modern world
Like many other Americans (36.6% to be exact), I grew up in a divorced family. My parents did, too. As a result, I knew little about my family and the people within it, other than my parents and siblings. I had a vague memory of my paternal grandmother and grandfather but didn’t really know anything about either. And this was more than I knew of my maternal grandparents—which was exactly nothing.
I guess I always assumed that people from “functional” families had a stronger family identity or a family history that they knew all about, or that they were at least familiar with their family tree. I was surprised to read that more than half (53%) of Americans can’t name all four grandparents, and two-thirds (66%) of respondents want to learn more about their family histories — according to a survey from Ancestry in 2022.
Good news, though — there are so many ways to understand who your ancestors were, how they lived, and the historical context that shaped their lives. It’s possible to explore the who, what, when, where, and why of your family, even if you’re starting from scratch. As evidence, compare the scarce family tree from my baby book (top) to my more recent family tree — which actually only shows a few generations (bottom).
A few things I’ve learned from family history research
Y’all, genealogy is not a hobby reserved for people who qualify for AARP memberships. Family history research is fun. It’s a bit like playing detective in a better-than-fiction, real-life novel. More importantly, it’s useful. You discover a lot more than just names and dates. Let me elaborate.
Health & Aging
The life expectancy of an American is about 79 years old. On average, my grandparents only lived to be 62. My grandfathers both died at age 66, and my grandmothers died at ages 68 and 52. This is over 20% earlier than the average American. Yes, kind of morbid… but it’s also information that I can use to inform my lifestyle and choices, so that I can try to live a long, healthy life. I’ve also found that my family has a higher chance of developing certain cancers, which is obviously good to know for prevention and early detection.
Personality Quirks
You’ll notice traits you have in common with ancestors and other relatives, maybe a certain facial feature or physical stature. Interestingly, you might discover shared traits that aren’t physical, like aspects of your personality, temperament, or behavior. While many of these characteristics develop as a result of environmental factors, learned behavior, or chance, some of them are inherited and or at least have a genetic basis. As you research your family history, you’ll come across old photographs from removed or distant cousins (the best part, in my opinion). You might see a glimpse of their goofy personality from a picture taken nearly a century ago.
Or, you might stumble across evidence that being a bad driver runs in the family… and maybe this means you aren’t entirely to blame for your disgraceful driving record.
If you want to learn more…
In my upcoming blog posts, I’ll help you get started with your family history research, step-by-step. It’s time-consuming yet totally worthwhile. However, if you’re curious about your ancestors but DIY genealogy isn’t your thing, I can do the leg work for you. I’m still working on setting up the “shop” section of my website, but feel free to email me or message me on Instagram if you want to talk about research packages in the meantime. Otherwise, stay tuned!
P.S. You can check out more of my favorite “found photographs” here.
