Knights in a Database

I've always found genealogy fascinating. Not for any type of bragging rights, but because of the massive jolt to the imagination that the stories of past ancestors bring to mind. Four hundred years ago, my ancestors could not have predicted the series of marriages and migrations that would come after them anymore than we can envision what our descendant, 400 years from now, will be like. Yet, with careful research and notes, I can piece together enough facts to have an idea of what life was like for the German woodsman, the English knight, the Russian-Jewish shoemaker, the Danish fisherman...a few of the hundreds in my family tree.

And, there has never been such a wealth of information for genealogists than there is now. Almost each week, new databases are added online--often for free--that fill in blanks that had been left unanswered for decades. DNA testing for genealogical purposes is thriving and previously unknown cousins find each other and share even more information.

Today, I read on twitter that a new, free database had just been uploaded of soldiers in late medieval England. In less than five minutes, I'd grabbed my file on medieval English ancestors, entered a few surnames, places and dates and actually found matches. The first one was Thomas Ferrers, who served as an archer under Thomas, Earl of Arundel, and fought in France in 1415 for King Henry V. Extraordinary! It seems his family, and another ancestor's family, were all archers. A small detail, lost for centuries. Yet, now found, it stirs up colorful images and makes me wonder...once again what these men were like.

Many see genealogy as a dusty, dreary pursuit. Yet, for every revealed name, there was a life full of details and dramas, passion and routines...much like our own. And, on some level, a degree of honor is given to each ancestor in the simple act of remembrance. That's what genealogy really is.