Genealogy is no longer something done by retired people, as a way to pass the time. It’s become quite popular in the last few years. You wouldn’t think that a hobby that involves looking for names, dates, and records would be something that a lot of people would find interesting, and yet, it is. This is due to a variety of reasons, all put together.
Part of what is making genealogy so popular is it’s accessibility. Want to start looking up records that connect to your ancestors? There are several genealogy websites that you can choose from, and become a member of. The most popular one, by far, is Ancestry.com. You can get a free trial membership, for a limited time, but after that you need to pay in order to use their resources. You can also try FamilySearch.org, MyHeritage.com, FamilyTree.com, RootsWeb.com and a whole bunch of other ones. Those who are new to genealogy can access any of these websites from the comfort of their home, and the safety of their home computers, any hour of the day or night.
Social networking websites are also adding to the popularity, and accessibility, of genealogy. Facebook is a great way to connect with your friends, former co-workers, and the people you attended high school with. It’s also become an excellent tool for keeping in touch with living relatives.
There have been a lot of instances where someone has used Facebook to track down, and connect with, a birth parent. Those who were in situations where they felt it was best to put their baby up for adoption can use Facebook, years later, to find out how that child is doing. It’s fairly common for people to join Facebook and then become “friends” with distant relatives that they wouldn’t have had a way to talk to otherwise.
A few people have been able to connect with long, lost, relatives through Twitter, (and a lot of retweeted help from other people). There is at least one story of a woman who was reunited with her mother after the woman made a video and put it on YouTube.
The television show “Who Do You Think You Are?” really has brought genealogy to the attention of people who might not have given it a thought before watching the series. I think this is because many people find it interesting to learn about the private family life of a celebrity. Another reason is that the show is an excellent, easy to comprehend, example of why genealogists find this hobby so addicting. It’s exciting to learn things about your ancestors!
Health is another reason why genealogy has become so popular. The more we learn about the human genome, and about the effects of specific genetic mutations, the more we can understand the risks that a person has of developing a certain disease or condition. A medical family tree is a good tool to use in order to take care of your health. In order to create one, you need to know more about your ancestors, and their health.
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