“When I talk with a genealogist, I seem to sit up with a corpse,” Ralph Waldo Emerson spat in 1855.

The 'Sage of Concord' may not have been a fan, but I'd argue that the study and tracing of lines of descent is certainly more scintillating than a cadaver. That it is now a $1 billion+ industry speaks for itself.

HSP's Historian and Head of Reference Services Dr. Daniel Rolph recently featured several "hidden gems" from HSP's collections in the International Society for British Genealogy & Family History's latest British Connections newsletter.

This year's Family History Days brings together professional genealogists and family historians from around the world to help beginner & seasoned researchers alike find their story. In the weeks leading up to Family History Days on March 18 & 19, we'll be spotlighting several of the event's featured speakers.

Click here to register for Family History Days or visit hsp.org/FHD

It will perhaps come as no shock that, in terms of website categories, pornography attracts the most traffic. Number two, however, may surprise some: genealogy.

Popularized by shows such as Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots, genealogy - the study of lines of descent - has become one of the most prevalent pastimes in the United States.