Genealogy

Genealogy from families, set history, as well as the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists usage oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, as well as other records to obtain information about a manner and tokinship and pedigrees of its members. the results are often displayed in charts or or done as a reaction to a question as narratives. The field of family history is broader than genealogy, and covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography.

The record of genealogical clear may be presented as a "genealogy", a "family history", or a "family tree". In the narrow sense, a "genealogy" or a "family tree" traces the descendants of one person, whereas a "family history" traces the ancestors of one person, but the terms are often used interchangeably. A family history may put additional biographical information, family traditions, and the like.

The pursuit of family history and origins tends to be shaped by several motives, including the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations, and self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling. Genealogy research is also performed for scholarly or forensic purposes, or to trace legal next of kin to inherit under intestacy laws.

Overview

Amateur genealogists typically pursue their own ancestry and that of their spouses. expert genealogists may also continue research for others, publish books on genealogical methods, teach, or realise their own databases. They may work for combine that dispense software or produce materials of ownership to other excellent such as lawyers and surveyors and to amateurs. Both effort to understand not just where and when people lived but also their lifestyles, biographies, and motivations. This often requires—or leads to—knowledge of antiquated laws, old political boundaries, migration trends, and historical socioeconomic or religious conditions.

Genealogists sometimes specialize in a particular group, e.g., a Scottish clan; a particular surname, such as in a one-name study; a small community, e.g., a single village or parish, such as in a one-place study; or a particular, often famous, person. Bloodlines of Salem is an example of a specialized family-history group. It welcomes members who can prove descent from a participant of the Salem Witch Trials or who simplyto guide the group.

Genealogists and family historians often join family history societies, where novices can learn from more experienced researchers. Such societies broadly serve a specific geographical area. Their members may also index records to make them more accessible or engage in advocacy and other efforts to preserve public records and cemeteries. Some schools engage students in such projects as a means to reinforce lessons regarding immigration and history. Other benefits include family medical histories for families with serious medical conditions that are hereditary.

The terms "genealogy" and "family history" are often used synonymously, but some entities ad a slight difference in definition. The Society of Genealogists, while also using the terms interchangeably, describes genealogy as the "establishment of a pedigree by extracting evidence, from valid sources, of how one generation is connected to the next" and family history as "a biographical inspect of a genealogically proven family and of the community and country in which they lived".