In her preface to one of the first genealogies published by a woman in the United States (1837), Sarah Robinson wrote:
"There is something revolting in the idea that we shall soon be forgotten, and be to the living of this world as if we had never been: on the contrary, there is much to encourage, console and elevate us in the hope, that we shall be remembered with respect by our kindred friends, acquaintance and posterity, and that we shall not pass in this respect into utter darkness and forgetfulness. All the tendencies of cherishing past humorous remembrance are virtuous. The 'hearts of fathers should be turned to the children, and the hearts of children should be turned to the father.'"
Robinson's motivation for writing her book sounds very similar to the purpose of FamilySearch. We wish you every success in discovering your ancestors and learning their stories!
Sources: (1) Sarah Robinson, Genealogical History of the Families of Robinsons, Saffords, Harwoods, and Clarks (Bennington, Vt., 1837), iv. Online at Internet Archive; (2) François Weil, Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America (Cambridge, Mass. and London: Harvard University Press, 2013), 53-54. ISBN 9780674045835.
