What is family history?
This introductory block asks the basic questions: why study family history at all, what is the family and what is history? You will be invited to consider the difference between genealogy and family history, the value of different kinds of sources and how they may be used in writing. From family tree to family history investigates some of the main sources of family history, including the census and registers of births, marriages and deaths. Through a variety of online exercises and activities you will be encouraged to reflect on the nature of these sources and the ways in which they can be used when writing family history. The block will demonstrate how you might use individual case studies to make general judgements and arguments about the family in the past. Writing lives: autobiography, biography and diaries in family history concentrates on diaries, letters and autobiographies. Such first-person narratives can be rich and important sources for writing family history because of the
You might have heard your friends or family members say they are “getting into family history”. You might have wondered, “What does that mean, exactly?” Family History is the broad study of your family’s past including family member biographies, place of descent, linking with others with the same ancestors, etc. Although it is a broader term, “family history” can also be used when talking about genealogy. Genealogy is a specific type of family history research that focuses on tracing lineages. Why and how do I get into Family History? It has been said that learning from your past helps to shape your future. As you research your past, you will begin to feel a respect and build an association with your ancestors (deceased and living). Some people get hooked because they finally find out where they got their red hair from, others read real life love stories of their great-great grandmother that hit so much deeper as they realize the fairy tale is their heritage, or it may be meeting a str
When your doctor is assessing your risk of cardiovascular disease, he/she will ask about your family history. You are considered to have a family history of cardiovascular disease if: • your father or brother was under the age of 55 when they were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease • your mother or sister was under the age of 65 when they were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
Of course, the division between the two approaches outlined here is somewhat arbitrary. Genealogists may develop some of their findings, while family historians may be content to focus on some individuals and learn little more than the names and dates of others. But in doing family history, you can explore a particular family in such a way that enables you to get a sense of what their lives were like. This puts you in a position where you not only begin to know who lived in the past, but you can begin to make some sense of what happened then, too.
