WHY TRACE DEAD PEOPLE?
Historically, genealogy was a necessary discipline. For nobility, compiling very detailed and accurate records was absolutely essential to determine inheritance and ensure that the correct heir would inherit the throne. Today, genealogy still has a practical purpose beyond collecting the names of relatives and gluing them onto a cardboard family tree. Heather MacAlister, who is the channel manager of Ancestry24, lists some of the main reasons why people look into their family histories. The first is the search for a long-lost family member. There are countless stories of families being torn apart by circumstances beyond their control and how genealogical tracking plays a decisive role in helping to bring people back together. An even more common reason is the pursuit of an ancestral visa. Many young South Africans hold out on the possibility of an elusive family connection in a foreign land in order to make their own passage across as effortless as possible. Another important and perha
