What is Family Genealogy?
The term genealogy comes from the Greek ?????,
genea, ‘generation’ and ?????, logos, ‘knowledge,
hence knowledge of generations; a study of lineage.
Family genealogy involves tracing familial bloodlines
back to a common root. In the process, genealogy creates
a map of one’s ancestral past, link by link, known as a family tree.
What is passed down through generations by those ancestors
is known as your family heritage. Although a term often interchanged
with family history, family genealogy is primarily concerned with
creating an account of kinship; thus it differs from family history,
which focuses on ancestors’ lives and the historical context in which they lived.
Discovering Your Family’s Lineage
There are a number of ways in which family genealogy can be tracked: through oral history;
birth, marriage and death records; military service documents; wills and probates; property records,
such as deeds and charters, and many more. The family genealogist faces a number of barriers,
such as problematic dates and the lack of consistency in the spelling of place names and surnames.
A surname is of great value to a family historian or genealogical researcher but also a great cause of confusion,
for over generations marriages occur and names become changed. Knowing where one’s ancestors came
from thus is helpful and can narrow the search. These, combined with occupational and other records,
are the means by which family trees are mapped.
Show Pride in Your Heritage
Family genealogy is akin to family heraldry, particularly as we look at its goal in history.
Genealogy, tracing lineage, was of key importance to royalty and nobles. Proving one’s pedigree meant wealth,
land and power. Originally, heraldry was a way to prove an individual’s identification on the battlefield
through recognizable emblems. The armorial symbols were coats of arms, which came to reflect ancestry.
It is through the armorial bearings of family coats of arms, crests and shields that you can revere your roots.
In today’s world, undertaking genealogical studies is simple; all it takes is an internet connection.
There are thousands of online historical documents and other websites devoted to helping you trace your
family’s genealogy through such records. More and more people are becoming hobby genealogists, and why?
To determine a place for their family in history, to carry on their ancestral heritage and to honour those
that came before by ensuring they not be forgotten.
A Coat of Arms is sometimes also called a Family Shield, Family Seal or Family Crest.
Contacting us
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