Genealogists and family historians often join family history societies, where novices can learn from more experienced researchers. It welcomes members who can prove descent from a participant of the Salem Witch Trials or who simply choose to support the group. Bloodlines of Salem is an example of a specialized family-history group. 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. This often requires-or leads to-knowledge of antiquated laws, old political boundaries, migration trends, and historical socioeconomic or religious conditions. Both try to understand not just where and when people lived but also their lifestyles, biographies, and motivations. They may work for companies that provide software or produce materials of use to other professionals and to amateurs. Professional genealogists may also conduct research for others, publish books on genealogical methods, teach, or produce their own databases. Overview Twelve generations patrilineage of a Hindu Lingayat male from central Karnataka spanning over 275 years, depicted in descending orderĪmateur genealogists typically pursue their own ancestry and that of their spouses.

Genealogy research is also performed for scholarly or forensic purposes, or to trace legal next of kin to inherit under intestacy laws. 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. A family history may include additional biographical information, family traditions, and the like. 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. The record of genealogical work may be presented as a 'genealogy', a 'family history', or a ' family tree'. The field of family history is broader than genealogy, and covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. 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. Genealogy (from Ancient Greek γενεαλογία ( genealogía) 'the making of a pedigree') is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. The family tree of Louis III, Duke of Württemberg (ruled 1568–1593) The family tree of 'the Landas', a 17th-century family For other uses, see Family history (disambiguation). For medical family history, see Family history (medicine).

Writing a family history book template