Genealogy

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Genealogy from Ancient Greek γενεαλογία (genealogía) ('the making of a pedigree') is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages.

Genealogy and family history

The terms "genealogy" and "family history" are often used synonymously, but some entities offer a slight difference in definition. The Society of Genealogists, while also using the terms interchangeably, describes genealogy as the "establishment of a pedigree by extracting evidence, from valid sources, of how one generation is connected to the next" and family history as "a biographical study of a genealogically proven family and of the community and country in which they lived".

Sources

Genealogical Record Keepers (वंशावली लेखक) maintain the genealogical records of Jats and some other Kshatriya communities in India. Traditional Genealogical Record Keepers are Badwas, Bhats and Jagas who are also known as [Rao]]s. These people are mainly inhabitants of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh states.

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.

Presentation

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, but the terms are often used interchangeably. A family history may include additional biographical information, family traditions, and the like.

Motives behind presrving genealogy

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

History

Historically, in Western societies, the focus of genealogy was on the kinship and descent of rulers and nobles, often arguing or demonstrating the legitimacy of claims to wealth and power. The term often overlapped with heraldry, in which the ancestry of royalty was reflected in their coats of arms. Modern scholars consider many claimed noble ancestries to be fabrications, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that traced the ancestry of several English kings to the god Woden. Some family trees have been maintained for considerable periods. The family tree of Confucius has been maintained for over 2,500 years and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest extant family tree. The fifth edition of the Confucius Genealogy was printed in 2009 by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee (CGCC).

Places of keeping genealogy records

Some notable places where traditional genealogy records are kept in India:

1. Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)

2. Chintpurni (Himachal Pradesh): At one point in time, Hindu pilgrimage and marriage records were kept safely. There have been incidents where these records, some belonging to 1800s, written in hand, have been stolen. Priests had written the name, date, hometown and purpose of visit for each pilgrim and these records were segregated according to family and ancestral home. A few years back, the Genealogical Society (GSU) of Utah, USA microfilmed Hindu pilgrimage records for Haridwar and several other Hindu pilgrimage centres. The holdings by GSU include Haridwar, Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Chintpurni, Jawalapur and Jawalamukhi.

3. Haridwar (Uttarakhand) : In India, Haridwar is the biggest genealogical centre. About 300 hereditary priests or pandas, as they are known, are still at work. You’ll find them sitting under thick banyan trees, with huge registers that have your family records. Although it can take you a long time to find your family priest, if you do manage, you’ll have answers to every ancestral question you have. In fact, you could update your own family scroll with your details which would help future generations trace their family history.

4. Kurukshetra (Haryana) : Kurukshetra is another place that has genealogical records. It functions exactly the way Haridwar does. You have to find a family priest (which can be a task), but once you find him, you’ll probably get information about your grandfather’s grandparents.

5. Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra): A few Hindu records can be found at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra. These include information about people from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan. These are updated when a family member visits and contributes details to it. The registers are arranged according to the caste and the native place.

6. Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): The ghats at Varanasi are another place you can find your family priests. Although some people say some records have been stolen from here, the priests still exist.

Other places in world:

7. Ellis Island, New York City, US - Many families settled in the States trace their family history from Ellis Island. After all, it was the first stop for for over 20 million Americans. At Ellis Island, you can find out about people, and the passenger lists. This is the place where you can also study about immigrant ancestors and understand what they experienced when they entered a new land.

8. Family history library, Salt Lake City, US - At Salt Lake City, there’s a Mormon Church that has records of people from about 110 countries. Their staff is in the process of digitising all the records which is good news, of course. But we still suggest that the best way to really get some information is to visit it. But make sure to do a little research before you go, because if you won’t know what exactly you are looking for then you’ll definitely get lost.

9. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, US - New England Genealogical society is vast. They have about 12 million documents, manuscripts, records, books, microfilms, photographs and even artefacts from the 14th century. According to their documents, the nation’s first family history dates to 1845.

10. Candia Canavese, Italy - Candia Canvese is a small village in Italy that was found in the 5th century. Many people go to this place especially in search of records, data and photos. But before you spend all that money and visit this place, you should build on what you already know and what you want to know. You can give information to the researcher in advance so that they’ve already found a bit about your family history before you've reach.

11. Lodge at Doonbeg, Ireland - For the Irish, finding out about ancestors is quite a fancy ride. The lodge is a part of a five-star hotel in County Clare on the Atlantic coast. The hotel has an on-site genealogist who can find your ancestral village and home.

Genetic analysis

Because a person's DNA contains information that has been passed down relatively unchanged from early ancestors, analysis of DNA is sometimes used for genealogical research. Three DNA types are of particular interest. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is contained in the mitochondria of the egg cell and is passed down from a mother to all of her children, both male and female; however, only females pass it on to their children. Y-DNA is present only in males and is passed down from a father to his sons (direct male line) with only minor mutations occurring over time. Autosomal DNA (atDNA), is found in the 22 non-sex chromosomes (autosomes) and is inherited from both parents; thus, it can uncover relatives from any branch of the family. A genealogical DNA test allows two individuals to find the probability that they are, or are not, related within an estimated number of generations. Individual genetic test results are collected in databases to match people descended from a relatively recent common ancestor. See, for example, the Molecular Genealogy Research Project. Some tests are limited to either the patrilineal or the matrilineal line.

List of record types

Records that are used in genealogy research include:

• Vital records
  • Birth records
  • Death records
  • Marriage and divorce records
• Adoption records
• Biographies and biographical profiles (e.g. Who's Who)
• Cemetery lists
• Census records
• Church and Religious records
  • Baptism or christening
  • Brit milah or Baby naming certificates
  • Confirmation
  • Bar or bat mitzvah
  • Marriage
  • Funeral or death
  • Membership
• City directories and telephone directories
• Coroner's reports
• Court records
• Diaries, personal letters and family Bibles
• DNA tests
• Emigration, immigration and naturalization records
• Hereditary & lineage organization records, e.g. Daughters of the American Revolution records
• Land and property records, deeds
• Medical records
• Military and conscription records
• Newspaper articles
• Obituaries
• Occupational records
• Oral histories
• Passports
• Photographs
• Poorhouse, workhouse, almshouse, and asylum records
• School and alumni association records
• Ship passenger lists
• Social Security (within the US) and pension records
• Tax records
• Tombstones, cemetery records, and funeral home records
• Voter registration records
• Wills and probate records

See also

• Genealogical Record Keepers
• Lunar genealogy
• Solar genealogy
• Genealogical tables of Chauhans
• Mahavansa/Geneology of Kings