ABSTRACT
Until a few decades ago, most authorities considered historical research and genealogical research to be two very different pursuits. The chasm between the two fields is disappearing rapidly. The collection and study of social history have gained a great deal of respect and appeal by 20th century scholars and teachers. Social historians are finding that researching familial relationships as they extend from one generation to the next can be extremely helpful in defining trends. Historians have discovered that information and insights from ancestral investigations can assist in interpreting changes in family structure, migration patterns, social mobility, and the alteration of traditional values and practices in education, religion, and similar institutions. Furthermore, genealogists are finding themselves using many of the same sources that traditional historians have used for years.
