Genealogy is the search for our greatest treasures… our ancestors. Family history is the study of the lives they led. Over 100 million men and women are actively involved in genealogy today.

Tracing ancestors as far back as possible has brought a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction to many people. The obvious reason is the discovering of who your ancestors were. Anyone who has delved into their family history knows that the more information they uncover about their ancestors, the more real and fascinating these people become. Soon the researcher begins to learn more about the times these people lived in: the social, religious, and political situations. The discovery of each ancestor previously unknown is truly a thrill!

Another excellent reason to study your genealogy and family history is to leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. In our mortality, at some time in our life we begin to sort out what is important to us. We want to be remembered. So, perhaps this hobby called genealogy would be the perfect answer to rescuing our ancestors (and us) from obscurity, giving them their rightful place in history, linking one generation to the next each in its own time period. The most precious gift we can give to our children is not money. It is their heritage.

A final reason to study family history is learn about the medical history of our ancestors. This will enable us to take whatever preventive measures are available to keep ourselves and our families healthy. Many diseases are hereditary. What better way to prevent a disease than to know there is a possibility you could contract it? We live in a world today that values preventive medicine. We can help our family by knowing why they should keep healthy, eat right, exercise, etc. and encouraging them to do so.

The Charlotte County Genealogical Society recognizes the importance of providing an education means to best learn how to study this very popular hobby of genealogy. Because ancestors multiply exponentially, it is important to understand the concepts of doing genealogy correctly assuring that you are connecting each generation to the precious one in such a way that you know you are claiming the right ancestor in your family tree.

To that end, many classes and seminars are provided to Society members and the community at little or no cost.