Role of Genealogy
Her journey sparked a new interest in genealogy among her family members. Relatives who may have never pondered over exploring their backgrounds started looking deeper into ancestry research. Genealogy became no longer just a hobby but a means of tapping into history on a personal level.
They discovered that their relatives had lived through wars, migrations, economic crises, among others. All these stories gave them an understanding of the kind of choices made by their great-grandfather and explained the context in which he was living and making those choices. Genealogy shifted their attention away from judgment and put them in the position of a detective who wanted to understand the people behind the stories.
The exercise also showed the significance of community in the process of uncovering the past. Through collaboration with historians, archivists, and even some folks on ancestry forums, Emma and her family reassembled a story that might otherwise have been lost to time.
