What is genealogy?
Genealogy (jen-i-al'o-ji)
The Dictionary defines genealogy as "an account of descent from an ancestor in the natural order of succession; family pedigree; lineage; the study of family history ".
This is a very surgical definition. It implies that there is no purpose in genealogy, other than showing a lineage in the natural order of succession. It suggests that the skeleton this creates is all that is needed and no further work should be required.
For many people the real enjoyment gained from becoming a genealogist (any person who is skilled in the art of tracing genealogy, amateur or professional) is the art of putting the meat on the skeleton and discovering whom these people really were, what they did for a living and where and how they lived. What sort of life did they enjoy and / or endure in times gone by?
When you first start out discovering your past, you feel that only the rich and famous would have anything written about them. How quickly we learn that this is not the case. Successive Governments have collected a whole array of documentation that includes many details about our ancestors, good and bad. Census records, Prison records, Land details, Property details, Wills & Probates, Taxes, Military service and Local Courts. These are just a few of the many sources of information that can help develop a picture of the people our ancestors were.
Many Victorian almanacs and newspapers also contain snippets of information about the everyday happenings of our ancestors from reporting about people fighting in the street and being fined, to giving evidence as a witness to an accident, or details of clubs and society meetings / memberships. All manner of society news was recorded and this can aid us to gain an insight to the feelings of the time.
For those new to Genealogy & Family History Research, browse through the rest of the Beginners sections on the left to find out how to get started.