General History

Believe it or not, researching American genealogy is not a new trend, though it’s growing popular as more resources become available each day. Family records have been used throughout history for a variety of different purposes. Family lineage has been used to determine everything from one’s vacation to one’s social standing.

Purposes of genealogy throughout history have varied. Some cultures used it to trace their lineage back to godhood. Others used their relations to certain prophets or other important religious figures to hold positions in the church.

Throughout the middle ages, the general history of one’s lineage was used as a requirement to own land, to secure knighthood, and establish one’s feudal position. From these times, we can see a few of the first written genealogical records, including the Book of Kells as well as sections from the Old and New Testament.

In the Victorian era, one’s knowledge of the general history of their family line played a huge role in establishing social station. In those times, names were displayed like badges—one’s lineage and family history were important for maintaining a recognized position in upper class society.

US Genealogy was incredibly important for immigrants as well. As they established new lives in North America, many felt the strong need to remember their lineages and maintain a connection with their roots.

In more modern times, those who have immigrants in their family line often want to form a link with their ancestry. It is easy to see how North American genealogy plays a huge role in doing just that.

It may not seem like it, but genealogy is all around you. You can find it in libraries, in church records, in cemeteries, in newspapers, and even online. In some cultures, particularly among Native Americans, you can still find specially trained officials who have effectively memorized thousands of lineages, all of them passed down orally from generation to generation.

These days, there are several organizations that can help you as you pursue American genealogy. These include the Daughters of American Revolutions, the Mayflower Society, the United Daughters of Confederacy. These organizations honor those descended from everyone from war heroes to the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
 
Regardless of the purpose, underlying it all is the unwritten notion that one’s lineage is important and worth remembering. In researching your own general history, you are doing more than just discovering your family line—you are keeping the names and memories of your ancestors alive.