genealogy
Tracing family trees
Genealogy is the study of family lineage and descent—tracing who descended from whom across generations.
A genealogy is also the resulting record: She traced her genealogy back to the 1600s.
The field has exploded with DNA testing and online records, turning amateur genealogy into a popular hobby.
By extension, genealogy can trace the lineage of ideas, words, or things: the genealogy of a musical genre.
Chart of ancestors
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- descendantsThose who come after
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
bloodline · lineage · kinship · clan · generations · forefathers · foremothers · patriarch
Chart of ancestors
- pedigree chartDiagram tracing ancestral lines
- source citationsDocumented origin references
- databaseOrganized digital information collection
- digitizingConverting to computer format
Shared cultural heritage group
- homelandOne's native land
- identityWho someone is
- nationalityLegal belonging to country
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
customs · folklore · cuisine · dialects · diaspora · migration patterns · ethnic origins · family traditions
Stored historical documents
- birth recordsOfficial nativity documentation
- census recordsOfficial population survey documents
- historical recordsPreserved accounts of the past
- vital recordsOfficial life event documentation
parish registers · immigration records · ship manifests · death certificates · marriage records · wills · oral histories · headstones
Genetic ancestry classification
- mitochondrial DNAMaternally inherited organelle genome
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- DNA matchesIdentical hereditary sequences found
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
Objects passed through family lines
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- estateProperty and grounds
- bequestGift left by will
family name · coat of arms · heraldry · family crest · memoir · oral tradition · storytelling · intergenerational
family tree
Chart of ancestors
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- descendantsThose who come after
- forebearsAncestral family members
progenitors · bloodline · lineage · kinship · clan · generations · forefathers · foremothers · patriarch · matriarch
family tree
Chart of ancestors
- pedigree chartDiagram tracing ancestral lines
- source citationsDocumented origin references
- databaseOrganized digital information collection
ethnicity
Shared cultural heritage group
- homelandOne's native land
- identityWho someone is
- nationalityLegal belonging to country
traditions · customs · folklore · cuisine · dialects · diaspora · migration patterns · ethnic origins · family traditions · cultural identity
archives
Stored historical documents
- birth recordsOfficial nativity documentation
- census recordsOfficial population survey documents
- historical recordsPreserved accounts of the past
vital records · parish registers · immigration records · ship manifests · death certificates · marriage records · wills · oral histories · headstones · obituaries
haplogroup
Genetic ancestry classification
- mitochondrial DNAMaternally inherited organelle genome
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- DNA matchesIdentical hereditary sequences found
heirlooms
Objects passed through family lines
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- estateProperty and grounds
bequest · family name · coat of arms · heraldry · family crest · memoir · oral tradition · storytelling · intergenerational
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- ancestryancestors, kinship, ancestor, clan, ancestry
- family recordsbirth certificates, birth certificate, family trees, death certificate, birth records
- library servicesyouth services, bookmobiles, reference desk, reference librarian, mobile libraries
- kinship systemsclan, tribe, lineage, dynasty, household
- Canadian genealogyancestors, ancestry, descendants, family history, family tree
genealogyposterity
Future generations collectively
descendants · progeny · offspring · future generations · issue
genealogybiography
Written life account
autobiography · personal history · life story · memoir · character study
- genealogy recordsDocuments tracing family descent
- genetic genealogyTracing lineage through inherited material
- family genealogyStudy of ancestral descent
- biblical genealogyFamily trees in scripture
- genealogy chartsAncestry diagrams
- genealogy researchStudy of family descent
genealogical, genealogist, genealogies, genealogists, genealogically