What are the benefits of Genealogy?

Roselee Mczeal: In some case there may be some benefit in knowing which if any of your ancestors had certain medical disorders. Modern genetic testing is now very good and is getting better, but it is still inconvenient to test everybody for everything. So if you can catch a clue about diseases that might be hereditary in your family, it could suggest to a physician what tests might be helpful in caring for you.Otherwise, genealogy is mostly just a hobby. It is very instructive in regards to history and geography and very helpful in breathing life into these relatively dry subjects. It helps you to understand the human timescale. What does 1776, 1666, or 1066 mean to you? When you can place your ancestors in relation to historic landmarks, you have a deeper understanding of how long ago and how far away those events really were.Your mother's adoption may be something of a barrier on that side of the family. But sometimes you can get past that sort of thing. The first! step is to get as much as family history as you can from living members of your family....Show more

Terresa Tsasie: If mom is adopted, you MUST have the names of the biological parents, to trace her lineage. That is the technical answer. You can trace dad's side. Some persons choose the approach that adopted children become part of the adopted family, thus making those ancestors "family". Some states also are opening up adoption records. This is a choice your mom must make, if she wants to pursue....Show more

Rosie Travino: Some people take it for religious belief, others for pride of decent from certain families, still others for the desire to know medical and family history of certain persons.Conducting genealogical research can benefit you in psychological ways. Many people take this pastime a leisure activity. The psychological benefits of this leisure activity are significant. You can feel a sense of accomplishment through researching and compiling inform! ation. You may feel proud of some of your ancestors and being ! a decent of your family. You can fosters a sense of self worth and belonging....Show more

Merna Fauset: In very rare cases you can find something you need to know; if you are a carrier for Huntington's Chorea, for instance. usually you can do more for your health by the usual ways than by genealogy. If; for instance, your last 4 generations of ancestors all died of cancer, you'd do well to stop smoking and get a checkup once a year. But, most people would be healthier if they stopped smoking and drinking, exercised more and limited how much red meat they ate.Doing a cross-word doesn't have many benefits, unless you count keeping your mind active. You learn a new word now and again, and once in a while you see a clever pun. ("Future school", for instance, was the clue for the word "roe" on one crossword I remember.)By the same token, genealogy doesn't have any particular benefit, but many of us (especially us regulars in this category) find it a fascinating hobby.In yo! ur case, you'd have to either limit yourself to your father's line, or "do" your mother's adoptive parents, or get her adoption records unsealed.Her adoptive parents would be as much of a challenge and almost as much fun as her real ones. I sell my talents to the highest bidder at our church talent auction every year. I spend 20 - 40 hours tracking down the ancestors of a person I'm not related to. It is as much of a challenge and almost as much fun as someone I am related to....Show more