Understand the difference between genealogy and family history
Assess what constitutes a family
Consider the different motivations of genealogists
Incorporate documentary hearsay, and genetic evidence
We live in fast-paced times and are inundated by information of all types. Our jobs and other influences often take us far away from where we were born and where our families may still live. Since geographic distances can impose communication breaks between us and other family members, it is normal for us to sometimes feel the need to know more about ourselves and to reconnect with the history of the people in our families and with the simpler times, places, and events in which they lived.
Genealogy is fast becoming one of the most popular hobbies in the English-speaking world. This is becoming more evident with the huge audience responses to recent television series such as Who Do You Think You Are? in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, Genealogy Roadshow, Faces of America, and Finding Your Roots in the United States, and other genealogy-related television programs produced and broadcast elsewhere. Baby Boomers, as they reach retirement age, are finally finding the time to trace their family history and are becoming immersed in their research.
Don’t be intimidated by the term “genealogy.” The word is derived from Latin and Greek and simply means the study of a line of descent. And genealogy is nothing new. The aristocrats in ancient China carefully documented their male family lines in genealogies referred to as jia pu. Egyptian royalty detailed their familial histories and relationships, and these are often documented in hieroglyphics carved into stone or on clay tablets or painted onto wet plaster (see Figure 1-1).
FIGURE 1-1 The Saqqara Tablet contains a list of Egyptian pharaohs. It was found in the tomb of a priest by the name of Tjenry, who lived during the reign of Ramesses II.
It was important for royalty and aristocratic families in Europe to document their family lines in order to determine the rights of succession and the validity of an heir to inherit. The terms genealogy and family history are often used interchangeably. While they may seem similar, there actually is a distinction between them:
• Genealogy is the scholarly study of a family’s line of descent from its ancestors, during which one develops an understanding of the family’s historical context and documents its history and traditions.
• Family history is the study of a family’s history and traditions over an extended period of time and may involve documenting some or all of the facts.
A family historian may seek to trace and document specific family members or a branch of the family, and to perhaps write a family history. A genealogist, on the other hand, typically has a much broader view of the family. He or she traces an entire or extended family structure, including brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This includes both their ancestors (the persons from whom they are descended) and their own descendants. The genealogist actively seeks documentary evidence of many types to prove and verify facts about the family. In addition, the genealogist seeks to place family members and ancestors into geographical, historical, and social context in order to better understand their lives. The genealogist also documents the sources of all the evidence he or she finds, using standard source citations.
In actuality, those of us who are eager to learn as much as possible about our families and our ancestors will combine both genealogy and family history research. This approach will provide us with detailed biographical information to actually bring these people’s lives into focus.
The simplest concept of a traditional nuclear family has been considered to include a father, a mother, and children. However, a modern family can consist of any number of combinations of individuals:
• A single parent and one or more children
• A stepparent and one or more children
• A grandparent and one or more children
• One or more grandparents, or a father-in-law or mother-in-law, living with the family
• An aunt or uncle, and perhaps cousins
• One or more foster parents
• A same-sex couple, perhaps with one or more either natural children or ones that the couple has adopted
• Any family unit with adoptees
As you can see, the living arrangements are many, and the interpersonal relationships between the people in a household can be complex. People don’t always have to be related by blood to be components of a “family.” However, these are still family groups that need to be represented, as they exist, and need to be documented as part of your family history.
We are the product of our ancestry in many different ways. Certainly genetics play a critical part in our physical makeup, determining our physical characteristics and potential susceptibility to medical conditions, both physical and mental. However, the circumstances of place, time, physical environment, education, economics, experiences, family group dynamics, social influences, and interactions with the personalities of our family members and friends also distinctly influence our development. These other influences will all contribute to the overall person that we become. The family stories and traditions that we have observed and that have been passed from generation to generation contribute to our sense of kinship and belonging. It is no wonder that we want to explore, maintain, document, and preserve these stories and traditions. Documentary evidence is still the most significant resource used in genealogical research, but genetic genealogy has rapidly become another component in the genealogist’s toolkit. We will examine and discuss all of these types of research evidence throughout the book.
Why are so many people interested in their family history? There are certainly many motivations for genealogical research. Here are the most common ones:
• Create a sense of belonging Some people trace their ancestry to help understand their place in the family.
• Document family traditions The term family tradition has multiple meanings for genealogists. In one sense, it refers to such things as why a particular holiday is celebrated, why certain foods are or are not eaten, or why members dressed in particular clothing or styles. Family tradition can also refer to family stories that are passed on from one family member to another. You might refer to these as the “family legends.”
• Join heritage or lineage societies Some people study and document a family’s direct line of descent in order to link to some famous group of people. Often this is done in order to join one or more of the lineage or heritage societies, such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, or the First Fleet Fellowship.
• Research ethnic origins There is a great deal of interest in tracing the place of origin of a family line, the racial origins, or religious background.
• Document medical history Many people may research their family members’ data for reasons such as to discover the family’s medical history. This may help project possible longevity or provide clues to susceptibility to specific medical conditions that recur in a family line.
• Locate heirs Some people, including family members and legal professionals, perform research to trace living people who are descended from specific individuals. This may be done to reconnect family members or to trace individuals who may be entitled to inherit from an estate.
• Locate birth parents Adoptees frequently are interested in identifying and perhaps connecting with their birth parents. Adoption laws in some places seek to protect the identities of birth parents by preventing anyone from accessing original birth records without approval of a court of law.
• Pursue paternity/maternity claims Genealogical research, including genetic tests, is used to establish and document relationships between children and their birth father or mother. This may provide documentary proof for use in civil court cases.
• Document ownership of property There are many people who are interested in the history of their property or home. They may therefore perform genealogical research into land and property records, census documents, and other historical materials in order to determine the names and biographical information of the people who previously may have owned the property.
• Conduct historical or social research Scholars and historians often perform genealogical research in order to learn more about a particular area’s historical background and the people who lived there.
• Perform background research Authors frequently investigate details about places and individuals living in a place at a particular time as background for their books or magazine articles. Writers and producers of video productions, particularly biographical and historical documentaries, perform background research in order to ensure that details are correct.
You can now begin to understand that there are many types of people who are doing research of a genealogical or family history nature. They are ordinary citizens of all ages, historians, sociologists, anthropologists and archaeologists, legal personnel and paralegals, land and property clerks, government officials, adoptees, and potential heirs. It also includes people like us who are interested in learning more about our ancestors and their places in history. Whatever your reasons for tracing and investigating your own family’s history, your search will lead you on a fascinating and exciting journey of discovery. Don’t be surprised if your quest lasts a lifetime.
The term evidence is one we will discuss a great deal throughout the book. As a genealogist or family history researcher, you are always looking for details about individuals. These details can come in many forms. Human beings love to write about themselves, and their administrative governments delight in gathering statistical information. Paper records that were created at various times during our ancestors’ lives, by both them and other people, constitute documentary evidence. They may include letters and notes, diaries, and other written materials written by your ancestors and their families or friends. They may also include more formal documents generated by government authorities for a wide variety of purposes. These might include census records, birth, marriage, or death documents, land and property documents, court records, wills and probate records, and many more. Figure 1-2 shows a marriage record from a county marriage book from 1866.
FIGURE 1-2 A marriage record from Floyd County, Georgia, documenting the matrimony between George Black and Ann Swords on 27 December 1866.
Hearsay evidence is that which is typically shared verbally between individuals. A prime example might be a family story passed from generation to generation. (“Family tradition has it that Grandfather Holder fought in the Civil War.”) This type of evidence is typically considered much less reliable than other types because the facts can become distorted with the retelling of the story over time.
DNA testing has become an important part of the genealogical research process over the last decade. Its reliability in proving genetic familial relationships provides methods for confirming documentary evidence already collected or identifying matches with other related family members.
All of these types of evidence provide details about your ancestors and their lives. Some pieces of evidence are more reliable than others. In some cases, you will find that some information found on the Internet is reliable, but that other online information may be problematic in some respect. You will learn more in the coming chapters, however, about many different kinds of evidence and how to use your critical thinking skills to effectively evaluate them, so that they help build your knowledge of your family.
Now that you have a better understanding of what genealogy is, let’s get started on our genealogical journey!
