Genealogy and Other Disciplines

Genealogy can be generically defined as the study of family. For a genealogist, genealogy is defined in more detail and is different for each individual genealogist. Some genealogists only conduct one-name studies on one particular surname and never look into the other surnames in which they have ancestors. Other genealogists want to know about each individual ancestor and go into great detail to understand their lives and the times in which they lived. Genealogy for me is a way to understand history through my ancestors. To learn about the Revolutionary War, society during the late 1770s, and pick apart the behaviors of the people who lived at the time. When researching my Revolutionary War ancestors I apply what I have studied about history, sociology, and psychology to attain as complete an understanding as possible about my ancestors who lived during this time.

Most academic disciplines rely on multiple disciplines to gain more understanding. Psychology relies on biology to understand chemical reactions in the brain. Sociology relies on psychology to understand the behaviors of groups of individuals. Disciplines take methodologies and concepts from other disciplines in order to further the discipline and create new methodologies and concepts. Genealogy is no different from these disciplines, relying on many disciplines to complete a study of a family.

Genealogy's research methodologies are similar to how a detective would solve a case, working from the known to the unknown. A detective takes the last known event, someone was kidnapped or murdered, and works backward to create a timeline using clues to try to solve the kidnapping or murder. Genealogists also work from the last known event, such as an ancestor's death and work their way backward to the ancestor's birth.

Without the use of other disciplines genealogy would have no depth. Genealogy would be defined as simply collecting the names, dates, and locations of ancestors to make a pedigree chart. Without methodology genealogists would constantly be overwhelmed in their research trying to get from point A to point B without a map. Without some understanding of sociology, psychology, history, the scientific method, or even basic writing skills genealogists wouldn't be able to write a family history to bring their ancestors to life. Through the use of other disciplines, I am able to connect my ancestors through more than names, dates, and locations, but can picture them discussing protests with tea, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, or the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I can picture them traveling in covered wagons to settle west, farming their land, and receiving news of a son's death in World War II. Never take for granted the use of other disciplines in genealogy.