Abstract Note
THE POPULARITY OF GENEALOGY HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY IN THE
last decade, thanks in large measure to the internet, which has
expedited access to a wide and still expanding range of infor-
mation. Rootsweb.com and Genealogy.com are two of the world’s most
frequently visited websites. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints operates familysearch.org, perhaps the most comprehensive ge-
nealogical database in the world. The site, which receives more than
eight million hits per day, includes a database that now includes one
billion names (Kilborn 1, 24).
To date, however, little research has been performed on why indi-
viduals embark on genealogical research. This paper is a first step in
that direction. I use surveys built on open-ended questions and diaries
completed by a group of genealogical researchers to develop a narrative
that reveals how researchers assign meaning to the information and
individuals they discover through their work.