Archaeology uncovers all of history while genealogy uncovers just your own family’s history. Maybe your great great grandfather fought in the Civil War and never came home. He may have been killed in a small battle and his body was buried there in an unmarked grave. Little may be known about the battle or who was buried there. Then an archaeologist comes along, discovers the battle field, and finds the grave of your ancestor. It was not too long ago that a tourist at Gettysburg saw bones protruding from a dirt mound, and when the area was excavated by archaeologists, the body of a Union soldier was discovered. This soldier was somebody on someone’s family tree whose whereabouts had been unknown.

Though paleontology is a little farther afield than archaeology, in its relationship to genealogy, it still deals with previous history. The need to preserve and understand previous history is always important. One only has to look back in time to learn how important animals were in our lives. It was not uncommon to find the faithful family dog or the prize mules in the family portraits, because they were part of the family, and family’s lives often depended upon them for hunting or farming. To see examples of such family photographs and other family photographs of interest, click on the icon for Photographs.