Sen. Orrin Hatch's annual resolution to designate October "Family History Month" has passed the U.S. Senate. The bill, which has also been passed by the Senate for the previous two years, encourages President Bush to issue a proclamation recognizing the popularity of genealogy and the importance of learning about ancestors.

"What better way to bring families closer together than by discovering more about the story of their own family?" Hatch said in a statement to the committee. "Like it or not, who we are today is in large part a product of our ancestors." Hatch also said genealogy is believed to be the second-most-popular U.S. hobby next to gardening, with an estimated 80 million people researching family trees.

Unfortunately, for genealogists, the annual recognition by the U.S. Senate is only part of the process for official designation of the month of October as Family History Month. Learn why there is still no official proclamation by President George W. Bush designating the month of October in the U.S. as Family History Month.

Family History Month: How You Can Help