A growing trend has people planning vacations to get in touch with their roots. They are called “ancestry trips” or “heritage trips” and experts say the phenomenon is fueled by an unprecedented level of access to family history.
“There has been a revolution in terms of genealogical materials,” said Dr. Jackie Hogan, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Bradley University. She also is the author of “Roots Quest: Inside America’s Genealogy Boom.”
“Organizations likeancestry.com and familysearch.orghave digitized literally billions of records that used to only be available in dusty boxes in courthouse basements,” Hogan said.
Interest in family history is a societal constant, but Hogan said it tends to surge during times of societal upheaval. During these periods, we spend more time reflecting on who we are, what we want to be and where we come from.
Some examples include spikes following the fight for American independence in the late 1700’s, immediately following the Civil War, after the civil rights movements of the 1960s and '70s and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In fact, during the pandemic, memberships on ancestry.com increased by something like 30%,” Hogan said. “Those are times when we are more likely to turn to our roots to find a greater meaning.”
However, the increased proliferation of genealogical information is a double-edged sword. It also means faulty information is increasingly common. Hogan said to always do your own research and verify at every step.
“They could post up supposed family trees tracing their family back to King Charlemagne or something like that,” she said. “And if you rely just on those publicly posted trees, you will probably be laboring under misperceptions.”
In order to avoid these information pitfalls, Hogan recommends bringing in the assistance of a professional genealogist, which can be found online. She said you could also visit your local historical or genealogical societies to find a place to start as well.
If you’re looking for a more cost effective option, familysearch.org is a nonprofit database of billions of digitized documents run by the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Whatever resource you choose, Hogan recommends doing thorough research before planning your trip. She recalls one time, while on her own family history journey in an Ireland archive, seeing an under-prepared family run into a language barrier. Without enough details, the archivist couldn’t help the family find relevant documents.
“On the ground, he was pointing her back to ancestry.com,” Hogan said. “So do all of the research you can before you plan your trip.”
The family history research experience won’t be the same for everyone. Hogan said members of minority and marginalized groups may have difficulty finding documentation of their ancestors.
“Folks whose families were poor, marginalized racial and ethnic groups, Native Americans, African Americans, there often were not records kept on them, sometimes at all,” she said. “This presents many additional challenges. Especially, for instance, in the United States with African Americans, a lot of record keeping only began for many enslaved people after emancipation.”
Hogan said ancestral DNA testing can help marginalized populations with a lack of thorough records find a country or location to start their search.
Whatever path the journey to learn more about your family history takes, Hogan said those who take heritage trips have a profound experience beyond researching from home.
“It’s sweet, it’s rich, you go there and you walk the streets your ancestors walked,” she said. “You smell the air, you see the sights and eat the food they ate. It gives you a palpable sense of connection with these people that you have spent all this time researching.”
You can find more information about our local genealogical society here.
