The fall television season is upon us and once again we are being barraged with another set of "reality-TV" shows. I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. I can't make myself care who gets voted off the island, who lasted the longest with tarantulas on their face, who can eat the most disgusting bugs, or what Ozzy Osbourne and his family had for breakfast. These people are strangers to me, and I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way.

Yet, there is a fascination there for the millions of people who tune in each week. I think these millions of people should be family historians. Then they could peek into the lives of people who are actually related to them. Unfortunately, often when you mention family history to a "non-genealogist," they start looking for an escape exit.

Why is that? Well, most people equate family history with pedigree charts filled with names and dates, and let's face it, reading someone else's pedigree chart is about as exciting as reading a phone book. But to us, these are not just a collection of names and dates. They're real people. They're not a distant name on a cold tombstone. They're our family--our grandparents, our aunts, uncles, and cousins. We share their DNA, which to me means that a piece of them is with me always. Their reality is what interests me.

So what was their reality? What were their lives like? How do we bring our ancestors closer and learn more about them? Let's look at some ways.

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