Not long ago, it was heralded as the fastest growing hobby in America – thanks to the revival genealogy got through the Internet. Heck, that’s how I got really hooked into the hobby – when a distant cousin of my dad’s, Shannon COURTNEY of New Mexico, contacted us looking for info.

My interest in genealogy started as a school project and it gained legs thanks to computers and the Internet. I was able to chart my family history through Family Tree Maker (I now use Reunion) and contact people across the globe to try to make connections through the Web.

But why is this incredibly popular hobby on the decline? At least that’s what Google Trends tell us.

Google Trends tracks stats for the most searched terms and most popular Web sites. When “genealogy” is punched into this database, it shows a significant decline.

Why the downward spiral? Is it the economy? The War in Iraq – people’s attention being diverted to other things? Maybe something else? I can’t put my figure on it. Anybody have any thoughts?