Genealogical & Historical Societies - Common Interests

It is interesting to explore the websites of organizations which have titled themselves as either genealogical societies or historical societies. Such titles often distinguish the emphasis of their activities. However, many of their objectives and interests are similar.

Although some genealogical societies limit their activities to helping individuals trace family lineages, many move beyond the family tree to family history. Once a society includes family history in its objectives, it is difficult to ignore how community history and family history become a common interest.

Sense of place, sense of community, and sense of personal identity are clearly related. The character, values, and legacy of many of our ancestors was very much shaped by the history of the communities in which they lived and raised there families.

For these reasons, many members of community historical societies have an interest in family genealogy projects, and many members of genealogical societies have a strong interest in community history.

It should not be a surprise that the mission statements and projects of many genealogical societies and historical societies reflect this common interest in family and community history.

Therefore, LocalArchiver's guides to preserving and sharing family and historical society photo and document collections are also guides to preserving and sharing family and community histories. For more color, see the LocalArchiver.com article on The Importance of Preserving Historical Photos and Documents.