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Genealogy is my escape, what is your excuse?
It is a proven fact that hobbies can be beneficial to our health. As you know stress affects us mentally, physically and emotionally. Engaging in a hobby is a great way to deal with stress. Genealogy reseach especially can allow us to unleash our creativity as it allows us to enjoy an activity we are passionate about while receiving a sense of accomplishment as you manage to tace your family line back another generation or break through a brick wall.
Genealogy research can be both exciting and envigorating. It's as if time stops and you find yourself in another era; What was it like, what was going on in the world at that time, how did these events affect our ancestors, etc. Genealogy research is something many people are very passionate about. How many things can you say that you are truly passionate about in this day and age?
Genealogy research allows us to escape from daily stress and worries and now GenealogyWise will enable us to communicate and form friendships with like-minded individuals. So if anyone tries to give you a hard time about your Genealogy "hobby" just remind them of the many benefits you get from it.
What do you get from Genealogy?
Genealogy research can be both exciting and envigorating. It's as if time stops and you find yourself in another era; What was it like, what was going on in the world at that time, how did these events affect our ancestors, etc. Genealogy research is something many people are very passionate about. How many things can you say that you are truly passionate about in this day and age?
Genealogy research allows us to escape from daily stress and worries and now GenealogyWise will enable us to communicate and form friendships with like-minded individuals. So if anyone tries to give you a hard time about your Genealogy "hobby" just remind them of the many benefits you get from it.
What do you get from Genealogy?
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gen Story Girl on -
genealogy is a great escape and stress reliever for me too. i love history so getting to find my family roots helps to give me a more personal perspective on history.
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Permalink Reply by Kelli Davis Underhill on -
Yes, I totally agree. I used to think history was so boring. Now I kick myself for not having paid more attention since I am having to learn it all over again. Genealogy has made a difference with my children though as history comes alive for them when I mention things like "oh, that was where your ggg grandfather was killed in an Indian attack" or "I wonder what your great grandparents thought of that President" etc...
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Permalink Reply by Unknown Ancestor on -
Why do we do it?
One quick answer is the question, "How many people are there in the world who will write my personal story and my family biography?"
If you don't write your own story, it might be written by someone else, but then it will be a guesswork history and not a meaningful family biography. The title of a history of Polish Americans speaks for the need for going beyond genealogy into biographical and historical realms. It was titled: And My Children Did Not Know Me.
Why do we attempt to stir up the past in this way? We do it for personal reasons. We do it because we are pilgrims on a spiritual search (as I expressed in my Intro post). We are looking for connections with something larger than ourselves. Even if we denied the religious stirrings common to many faiths and cultures, we could discover many reasons for becoming involved. We do it because we love families. We can present the obvious reasons for going beyond the ‘bare bones’:
§ to extend individual and community memory
§ to make compassionate connections to nations and cultures
§ to create order in a chaotic world
§ to see continuity within change
§ to perpetuate our lives and freedoms
§ to honor our ancestors who literally gave us our lives
§ to destroy family myths and to encourage truth
§ to preserve records and history
§ to get emotional uplift and security from a pride in the past
§ to learn where we came from and who we are
§ to determine genetic tendencies
§ to feel the exhilaration of putting puzzle pieces together.
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Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on -
I'm doing my family's genealogy for my family, and for myself, as something to keep my brain working. :) My grandmother didn't know her history, so she asked me to take over for her 3+ years ago. Then my dad saw I was doing genealogy and wanted me to do his, because he didn't know his family, So I'm doing this partly for them. I'm also doing it for my children and nephews so they know they have roots in many places, and so they know who they come from
I do it as my hobby/me time thing as a stay at home mom of 5+ years, its how I interact with 'grownups' LOL :)
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Permalink Reply by Ursula Ann Martin on -
I think we all want to 'belong' to a family of some sort. In today's society, this is quite often not the case as families move away, are too busy, or just not bothered with each other any more.
My personal reasons? I get a buzz when I find a 'missing link' and they are added to my tree. I also find it fascinating to think if somewhere along the line, that link of ancestors were ever broken (through death....divorce....war etc) I and my children would not exist.....all those people that came before us had to 'make it' in order for us to be here.
Sometimes I look at my family tree (with 1140 individuals) and imagine blocking just ONE individual (from my line).....we wouldn't be here.......
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Permalink Reply by Kelli Davis Underhill on
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I do love that "buzz" and I also think about what could have happened if my ggggrandfather had been hung by the redcoats instead of managing to escape or what if my Irish ancestors had died on the trip over. It's mind boggling sometimes.
Also love your thoughts on belonging. I think you have hit on something very important there.
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Permalink Reply by Ursula Ann Martin on
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I'd recently discovered that my great grandmother had 19 children.....10 of these died. My grandfather luckily survived. Obviously if he hadn't....well we wouldn't be here.
My research has shown me that there have been generations on my family tree that consisted of literally one member that managed to pass on their genes....such a fragile chain of events that could have been so easily broken but luckily wasn't.
Makes my mind boggle anyway :-)
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Permalink Reply by Elyse Doerflinger on -
Genealogy is my life saver. It keeps me from worrying what bills are do, the lack of funds in my bank account, worrying about family members, worrying about health, etc.
I honestly don't know what I would do with my life without genealogy and the community that comes with it.
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Permalink Reply by Kelli Davis Underhill on
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Amen Elyse! Amen!
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Permalink Reply by Christine Evelyn McAvaney on -
with what i have read here today we all must feel the same within ourselves about genealogy i dont think i could ever walk away from it and forget it i care too much for my family and its history and in my position of life it has helped me escape for a bit of solitude as well as i am a carer for my husband who is confined to his wheelchair for health reasons i also feel that we all without realising it feel as if we have a much larger family to care for if we could meet all and sundry that we find "who are on the little twigs of our tree" friendship to all
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