Viewer's Guide to Getting Started
Introduction
Welcome to the episode guide for the first series' episodes of ANCESTORS. If you've ever wanted to know more about who you are and where you came from, you're not alone. According to a recent American Demographics article, more than 100 million Americans are now looking for their roots. This remarkable genealogical explosion was inspired, in part, by Alex Haley, who introduced the ROOTS phenomenon over two decades ago and declared:
"In all of us there is a hunger marrow deep to know our heritage-to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness."
This Viewer's Guide To Getting Started contains helpful how-to information that you can refer to while watching the ANCESTORS first series' episodes, including important research tips, suggested viewer activities, and a sample pedigree chart. Keep it on hand to guide you step-by-step through the beginning stages of your research, or share it with your family and friends so that they too can experience the life-changing power of family history. But be forewarned-family history research is addictive. Once you catch what Alex Haley affectionately called "the genealogical bug," you may find, like he did, that your life is never quite the same.