The Genealogy Gospel: Why We All Want to Know Our Family Tree
Regardless of their fame or fortune, no matter how many books or albums they've sold or level of influence they've achieved, never once had it occurred to me to be jealous of Reba McEntire or Rick Warren.
Yet there I sat, watching country singer McEntire on NBC'S Who Do You Think You Are? (Fridays, 8pm EST) and Pastor Warren on PBS's Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates (Sundays, 8pm EST), feeling the envy rise as they lived my dream—the dream of digging deep into family history.
if I had the spare change or moments, I'd sign up for Ancestry.com and whittle away the hours searching out my family tree. I'd travel to the American South like McEntire did, trying to piece together why my Danish great-grandfather moved his Swedish wife and young daughters out of Chicago, dragged them down to Alabama, and then disappeared. I'd head out West to Washington State to see if I could discern why my great-grandmother became a preacher—a Christian Scientist preacher. And then I'd explore the other side, heading back to Sweden, stopping only in Stockholm long enough to pick up my cousins so we could explore the island our grandmothers were raised on. The one that boasts royal summer residences and yet was the one on which my 10-year-old grandmother was sold to a neighboring farm. The one she fled from at age 16 to come to the United States. Alone.
I used to think it was the writer in me that wanted to know what happened there, so I could tell these stories, try to cull meaning from the bits of generation hurts and mysteries. But now I know differently: The longing to understand from whom and from whence we come is more than an artist's dream.
In an episode of Finding Your Roots—which premiered on PBS last month and runs till May 20—Brown University president Ruth Simmons described her "longing to know where you came from." A descendent of slaves, Simmons lamented having lived her life, until the show, without knowing that. Similarly, when a high-school student learned which African tribe her ancestors came from, she felt a "connection" to these people she had never met and who lived in a place she'd never been.
That's the power of knowing our roots. But it's a power we tend to downplay—especially in the United States. In this immigrant land, one of fresh starts and reinvention and independence, it's perhaps more difficult to admit we are who we are because of who came before.
This seems never truer than now—as we continue to become less rooted, more nomadic, as jobs transfer and families divide. And yet, as this happens, we discover that the places we currently live have less to say about who we are than the places we used to live. And that the people we live with may not say as much about us than the people we live without. As we realize more and more that not one of us is "self-made," but that we are all made from whom and from where we come. It's what we do with who and what we are that's up to us.
The Seminary Gender Gap
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Virginia
Hello. The Family Tree image in this post is from my Etsy Store. It is my personal artwork and I'd love it if a link back to my store was included in the article if you wish to use my image. Thanks! Virginia http://www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeFamilyTree
Louis Hemmings
an account of my unusual story above, can be read on COWBIRD & is called HUNTING FOR THE MISSING HEMMINGS, a 68 year genealogical adventure story
Louis Hemmings
Caryn - if you ever do get started on your family history, you will find good samaritan's along the way, like i did. in 1942 my paternal grandfather murdered my paternal uncle when he was aged 8 (apparently to relieve him of suffering from Bright's Disease). a few hours after the dirty deed he committed suicide. a neighbour from that time recently was able to fill in many of the missing gaps. the coroner's reports were "missing". my father is now 86 & still lives with that paternal rejection. however, using the internet two years ago, through God's goodness, i was able to re-unite my father with his only same-age remaining cousin....after a 68 year silence. a year later his cousin died. last year i commissioned a few family grave with the Revelation 21:4 quote 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. seeing God's hand bring goodness out of such family despair has, in many ways, shaped much of my life & vision
KATHLEEN L Kexel
In a mobile society, it's important to know one's roots. One of my cousins went to school 500 miles from home because he wanted to "escape" our large extended family. Turns out our family had a few secrets only the eldest still remembered, and when my cousin returned home with a new bride he had met in that distant town...and our oldest aunt asked the young woman a few questions about her family, we all discovered she was related to us. Fortunately the relationship was distant enough to be legal, but still...
Angela
What a wonderful post, Caryn! I've had a fascination with my mother's side of my family for most of my life. Born & raised in the Philippines, she was a child during the Japanese occupation in WWII. Her father was originally from Italy & as a young adult came to the Philippines with his mother to escape the impending war, only to come face to face with another war. He met and married a young Filipina woman. They had six children including my mom. His own mother returned to Italy just before the war began with his oldest daughter, my mom's sister. Their stories speak of courage & love during hard times. I wish I could have met my maternal grandparents, but unfortunately, they passed before I was born. From my mom's stories, I know they were such strong and loving people. Even though my mom is no longer able to answer questions about her family, I've continued to try to piece together information on their lives, both in the Philippines & Italy. I feel a strong connection to them and am grateful for who they were.
Marlena
On my mother's side I can only trace by to her mother, my abuela. Not too much there. Abuelito, I think, was adopted. Abuelita's mother died when she was eight and her father when she was a teenager (I think). She was born in 1916 and mostly raised by her older sister as one of eleven. Abuelita had a third grade education, but was the hardest worker I've ever met and full of life and laughter. She was a devout Catholic, consistently reading her Bible out loud daily. I was motivated to immerse myself in Scripture by watching her. I know that her roots are in Spain. I was told by my mother that her mom, my great-grandmother, was born in Spain and that Abuelita's father was of Island Indian roots in Puerto Rico. I can only trace back to Puerto Rico. I loved and admired Abuelita more than most others. I want to kno her story and my own--especially since she is no longer here. I hold onto the joy of her memory. Thank you for fleshing this out Caryn. By no means am I alone.
Karen Yates
Thank you for this, Caryn. In adoption there is much talk of Story and how knowing our story matters in helping our identity take shape, especially in the teenage/young adult years. It grieves me that I have no genetic, historical, or family information whatsoever to share with my son (adopted Ethiopia, 2008). While I will do everything I can to encourage his identity in Christ and his identity as our son, I believe you are SO right that roots and ancestry matter--knowing where we came from cements our heels to the ground in some sort of centering. I don't think it is essential, but can do a lot of good.
Tim Childs
This is an excellent post. I have always wanted to trace my ancestry but for some reason have never really got around to it. I suspect that tracing ancestry is like anything else, some people have a burning desire for it and others perhaps couldn't care less who their ancestors were! It doesn't matter at the end of the day whether our ancestors were kings and queens and aristocracy or Irish peasants (probably like mine!) but that they are our ancestors, the reason why we are here. In countries made up of huge numbers of immigrants like the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, the UK and most Western European countries there will always be a desire to find out who we are descended, where we come from originally and what made us the people we are. Whether it's a particularly Christian issue or a need for Christians, that's another story, but for many people it is a real need and something many of us would like to know more about.
Donna
Rahab, thank you for your comments. I am definitely capable of mucking around in the past too much and avoiding moving forward. I would appreciate prayers for help in that regard. I don't think I made my meaning clear about understanding my ancestors. I didn't mean to suggest that I understand any of my ancestors better than they understood themselves. I meant to say that I know more about my distant ancestors than my more recent ancestors did. This is because I have access to resources which they did not. You and I disagree about whether or not that knowledge matters and I respect your viewpoint. It matters a great deal to me, and I pray that God will use my interest and my efforts fruitfully. I pray that God blesses you in all your endeavors.
BCH
I loved the article and all the comments. I understand that inner hunger to know more about one's ancestor's lives. I have spent many hours researching my own family history. It gave me a more certain sense of place, a connectedness that somehow rounded my identity in a way that had been lacking. A fullness, a richness was added. It was a need,for me, to know as much as I could, and I'm not sorry I spent the time to do so - it settled something in me. I think too, it has helped me be better able to give more of myself now to people in the present. So yes, there is the danger of spending too much time in things past, we mustn't dwell there too long, but sometimes we do need to understand the past in order to use that knowledge to help us function more effectively in the present and future. I love the Lord, our wonderful Creator and Saviour,and know He uses all things to shape and mould us throughout our lives. He has also made all of us so wonderfully unique, different and diverse. Our interests, needs and service opportunities to others, as a result, all included.
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