Learning family history is not easy, especially if you have a small family and no older or distant relatives, or if you know that your family had moved from another place, or if (most of the time) you haven’t any documents about your family tree.

This process can also be time-consuming, and require some spendings to get access to documents and archives. Many people realize they need to travel to other places to find out more about their family and its history. 

However, as complicated as it may seem, the process and results are definitely worth the effort and money. Learning family history brings forward several surprising benefits that will help you learn more about yourself as a person, develop a deeper understanding of your life, feel connected, and eventually feel better about your life. Check out this post to find out seven amazing benefits you can enjoy while learning your family history.

Crystalizing Your Identity 

Identity is something we develop most of our lives, it can change for the better or for the worse, depending on what we encounter on our way. Not only an abstract family tree, but real family stories unearthed can give you a better understanding of your roots, your appearance, your personal traits, passions, or even drawbacks. Most people do not feel very worthy on their own, but when they know more about their family, they feel they are part of something bigger and therefore, they are valuable.

Reestablishing the Connection 

Living in small families, as many people do these days, destroys the deeper connections between the generations and between distant relatives that can also be separated by huge distances physically. Researching your family tree and history will help you feel more attached to distant family and older relatives, becoming aware that they are part of your life and you are part of theirs.

Passing the Legacy 

Researching your family tree today and learning your family history, you do the work for your children and younger relatives, and make their lives better. Imagine if you were told all the family stories and were better aware of your identity since childhood; would you be a better person? You can collect the knowledge and pass the legacy to your children, to help them be aware of their identity earlier in life. 

Feeling Important 

Surprisingly, you may find out that your family was really important to many people in the past, they could be leading the communities, creating jobs, etc. Moreover, you may find out that you or your family may be important to a group of other people right now, these days, and you can reconnect with them and they will accept you as part of their community. 

Feeling Proud 

Living the usual modern lifestyle, you may feel that your family was “nothing special”, just an ordinary family, but learning its history you might uncover stories that will make you proud of your ancestors and your legacy. Anything counts – your ancestor writing a song locals sing until today, or being the beauty of the whole town in the past century. Your self-worth will benefit from this knowledge. 

Feeling Grateful 

When you learn more about your ancestors and their life stories, the paths they took, the sacrifices they had to make, all the work and all the challenges they had to deal with, you will feel more grateful for the life you have today. Knowing how much was done by your family in the past just for you to have the chance to live this life today will bring you more at peace with yourself. 

Making Better Health Choices 

Probably researching very old family archives will not give you much information about family health, but knowing more about a couple generations before you can give you valuable insights into your health condition and risks. Being aware of your family history, you can eventually make better health choices, and teach your children to do so, as well. 

Final Thoughts 

Learning family history is complicated and insightful, but it is also fun! You will tell amazing family stories at parties, your friends will consider you a clever and educated person, and you can also meet many interesting people when exploring your family tree!