Genealogy

This article is about the study of family lineage, history and bloodline. For the philosophical technique developed by Nietzsche and Foucault, see Genealogy (philosophy). For the sociocultural evolution of kinship, see History of the family. For family trees of scholars according to mentoring relationship, see Academic genealogy.
For other uses, see Genealogy (disambiguation).
"Family history" redirects here. For medical family history, see Family history (medicine). For other uses, see Family history (disambiguation).
The family tree of Louis III, Duke of Württemberg (ruled 1568–1593)
The family tree of "the Landas", a 17th-century family[1]

Genealogy (from Ancient Greek γενεαλογία (genealogía) 'the making of a pedigree')[2] is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. The field of family history is broader than genealogy, and covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography.[3]

The record of genealogical work 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,[4][5][6] but the terms are often used interchangeably.[7] A family history may include additional biographical information, family traditions, and the like.[3]

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.[8] Genealogy research is also performed for scholarly or forensic purposes, or to trace legal next of kin to inherit under intestacy laws.

  1. ^ "Généalogie de la famille de Landas". Lib.ugent.be (in French). Belgium. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  2. ^ "genealogy". etymonline.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2016. from Greek genealogia 'the making of a pedigree', from genea 'generation, descent' ... + -logia (see -logy)... Meaning 'study of family trees' is from 1768.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference sog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "family tree". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  5. ^ "genealogy". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  6. ^ "family history". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  7. ^ "Interested in Family History? Are Genealogy and Family History different?". National Genealogical Society. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. ^ Bishop, Ronald (2008). "In the Grand Scheme of Things: An Exploration of the Meaning of Genealogical Research". Journal of Popular Culture. 41 (3): 393–412.