My interest was driven by coming across some family tree research my paternal great-grandmother and great-great grandmother did 100 years ago. I wanted to bring it up today's genealogical standards, if only to help out my childrens' children.

Many of stories I've found are gut wrenching and brand new to me, as in never spoken by any living generation, and yet, generations persisted after that event.

So, to me, it's a kind of very unique resilience that can be told only through dusting off your own family tree.