Indeed, using the family unit as a way to discover history also helps individuals, especially children and adolescents understand that history does not exist in a vacuum, but instead, is made up of events from real people and real events. This also tends to involve more family members and encourage stories and events from the past that may also spur memories and take on new meaning to show that each family has often made important contributions to historical processes.

While family folklore is an invaluable tool for personal research and often a springboard for further research, it is also important to understand that family research carries some inherent challenges for the professional scholar. Anytime behavior is observed, stories are told and recorded, or verbal histories are given, there is a chance for bias to creep in. This may come from the researcher, from the memory of the event, or simply...
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