Ancestry
Family History Happiness
You might be the kind that loves reading self-help books, believe in the power of positive thinking, and consider yourself inquiring and interesting, you might be open minded yet skeptical while still wanting to learn more about their family history, and you most certainly are curious. If you think it might bring you happiness to find your ancestors, read on.
As I write this, my Swedish nephew is penning an article about my grandmother (his great-grandmother) detailing what we know about her journey from there to here in the US, a tale she portrayed as somewhat of a Hansel and Gretel story complete with a wicked stepmother, all of which was entirely not true. Sometimes it can also be troubling to find your ancestors, but we also found so much more family history happiness in connecting with our Swedish relatives.
You’ll get a hint about my roots in the flag photo on the left, I am mostly a Swedish girl. Both of my grandmothers were Swedish. And then there is a little bit of western Europe. My DNA results on Ancestry.com confirm this picture which does quite accurately reflect the story we know that of my four grandparents, 50% of them had full-on Swedish beginnings.
Oh, the Tangled Webs We Weave
My father received a phone call from a young man (my nephew) in Sweden tracing his great-grandmother’s journey from Stockholm in Sweden to Portland, Oregon. This was back in 2004. It was confirmed that my paternal grandmother was their great-grandmother. Signe had left a daughter in foster care as a young mother when she left for America; later we found out a son was left behind as well; maybe another.
She never returned for them as promised, and some 100 years later, a Swedish family wanted answers. And boy did we learn some stories about my grandma, as did they about us! Some of the family has visited us in Oregon, my son visited them in Sweden, and my son, his girlfriend, and I spent two weeks in Stockholm in July 2021. Amazing trip all wrapped up in family history happiness.
Are You My Father?
In 2022, I received a phone call from a woman whose mother was looking for her father. She had been told via a sister, from her mother’s deathbed, that her father was my grandfather. Since I had done my DNA on Ancestry, she also did, but we were no match, so this begs so many questions for her. Why was she told that? Did her mother lie to her or to my grandfather, or was it all a huge miscommunication? It seems now she may never know, although hopefully her Ancestry results will help her find the way. However, we made a special connection with people who knew my grandfather so closely many years ago.
There seems to be a fascination in us in finding out who came before us, their accomplishments and struggles, and why they made the choices they did that evolved into our own existence, but why do we care?
Reasons for Family History Happiness
- Identity and Belonging: Learning about your family history provides a deeper understanding of your roots, contributing to a stronger sense of identity and belonging.
- Connection with Ancestors: Exploring your family history allows you to connect with the stories, experiences, and legacies of your ancestors, fostering a meaningful connection across generations.
- Cultural Heritage: Discovering your family’s cultural heritage provides insight into traditions, customs, and values that have shaped your family over time.
- Sense of Continuity: Learning about your family’s history creates a sense of continuity, helping you see how your family has evolved and persevered through generations.
- Understanding Family Patterns: Examining family history can reveal patterns of behavior, talents, or even health conditions that may be passed down through generations, offering valuable insights.
- Preserving Family Stories: Documenting family history preserves the stories and memories of your ancestors, ensuring that they are passed on to future generations.
- Building Family Connections: Studying your family history can lead to the discovery of relatives you may not have known, fostering new connections and relationships.
- Personal Growth: Learning about the challenges and triumphs of your ancestors can inspire personal growth and resilience as you navigate your own life.
- Appreciation for Heritage: Understanding your family history fosters an appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before you, instilling a sense of gratitude.
- Educational Experience: Researching family history provides an educational experience, involving skills such as genealogy research, historical analysis, and storytelling, contributing to lifelong learning
What the Experts Say
Why does researching our family’s history make us happy? In Why We Need Family History Now More Than Ever, first off, this was yet another genealogy research site I didn’t know about (for Mormons only, it appears), but loved the article. In it, the author tells us about the importance of knowing our cultural identity as a way to develop a sense of who we are, to increase our connection with our tribe, to create awareness and compassion about the hardships of our ancestors.
Jaya Saxen writes for the New York Times in “Why You Should Dig Up Your Family History – and How to Do It?” that there are two ways to find out about our past. There’s getting your DNA tested and picking a database (or a few of them), and then good old-fashioned research because, of course, all of those ancestors aren’t in your DNA tree. The online databases make it easy to fill your family tree up quickly, but make sure the information is accurate.
Great tips on how to start here: Children Can’t be Born Before Their Parents: A Common-Sense Guide for Genealogical Beginners. Genealogy requires common sense. Check years, verify other information, don’t assume that the research done by others is accurate. Verify and validate, and be prepared for surprises you may or may not want to know about.
Find Your Ancestor Resources
Ancestry.Com
National Archives
23andMe
MyHeritage
Geneology Bank
FamilySearch
RootsMagic
FamilyTreeDNA
Ellis Island Manifests
Family Tree Magazine (I’m waiting for my first article to share with you)
The Ancestry.com DNA test, according to the review in the video, this appears to be the likely one for North Americans, with the largest database of that population. I’m thinking of trying the MyHeritage test because it is more likely where Europeans are registered, and I know of several of them there. Mostly the ones who found us many years ago now. Does this provide family history happiness, however?
A State-By-State Guide to the Best US Genealogy Websites
A very comprehensive and great article on websites offering information on geneology? Find it in the November/December 2021 Family Tree Magazine. Just get this magazine if you are serious about exploring your roots! Yes, back issues are available. This is an amazing resource for researching family history happiness.
On the Other Hand
In The Meaning and Meaningless of Genealogy, there becomes a point at which the search for our roots becomes pretty meaningless. If you go back far enough, you’ll find all sorts of relationships, but does it matter? An example is provided in which it was found that Barack Obama was related to Dick Cheney, their closest connection is 400 years ago. Is that meaningful? It seems not, except for the entertainment factor, but it begs the question as to what is meaningful and what is not.
Conclusion
Family history happiness, an amazing journey that can teach us so much about ourselves and our world. Along the way, it might be hard to find information or memories that are difficult, but it just might give you a sense of family history happiness and belonging that can come from learning more about where you came from. It can be thrilling and educational at times. It also has the potential to make us feel more connected to our family members which can lead to feelings of happiness. Heck, it gives us something to talk about when we get together!
Resources
Why We Need Family History Now More Than Ever
Why You Should Dig Up Your Family History – and How to Do It?
Children Can’t be Born Before Their Parents: A Common-Sense Guide for Genealogical Beginners
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