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Why Is Family Genealogy Important?

Generally, most people who become interested in family genealogy do so out of curiosity; if they are excited once they start, it becomes a hobby. Like everything else, some individuals are interested in the ancestors and family history; others are not.

Genetic Testing

Family genealogy can become of great interest and importance to patients or relatives of patients who suffer from genetic diseases. A patient who presents with symptoms of disease may be asked for as much family history as possible. In this case, one does not usually stop with their immediate family. Patients ask questions of their parents, who have information about [their] siblings; they may also have information regarding [their] grandparents and great-grandparents, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Knowing how, when, and where a person was born or died can answer many questions; there are city registries, hospital records, immigration reports, and cemeteries, to name only a few resources. There are also software options and resources for family genealogy searches on the Internet.

In at least some cases, people who have formerly been convicted of murder or involuntary manslaughter have been able to prove that they did not, in fact, cause the death of one or more of their children or other people. With the medical technology available today, evidence that was once thought to be infallible has shown repeatedly to be imperfect. Not only have some people been wrongly accused of hurting children or adults with terminal, albeit undiscovered, genetic diseases, family genealogy has been used for others who exploit the system in another way.

Others claim to be “criminally insane,” or “not able to account for their actions,” due to a “rare [undisclosed] genetic disorders.” While in most cases these claims cannot be proven, they are certainly presented at an alarming rate. Probably one of the most useful reasons to trace a family’s genealogy is to rule out the possibility of genetic diseases in unborn children. Knowing how many generations in a family have suffered from a particular illness, or which generation last presented symptoms, helps prospective parents make educated choices about their decision to give birth or adopt a child.

Since many genetic diseases are not fatal, many families choose to take their chances that they will give birth to healthy child, even in instances were there is a 25 or 50 percent chance of passing on a genetic disorder. Even with the child is born, it is important to keep an accurate family genealogy report in case future siblings or cousins are interested in the health of their child or yours.