Types of Genealogical Information

There are five main types of genealogical information that you have to take into account when conducting your research. These types of information are very important in terms of confirming your information and putting them into context. This way, your records and findings will be as accurate as you can possibly make them. The five main types of genealogical information are as follows: place names, occupations, family names, given names, and dates.

It is quite imperative that you know WHERE to look for your ancestor. Be very aware that place names are subject to misspellings and renaming as much as they are subject to political shifting and declines. Maps are useful when researching this information. Occupations are useful in terms of bringing context to WHO your ancestor was as well as determining his or her uniqueness from a person who has the same name. The occupation will also give you a good idea of whether or not certain family professions have been handed down by that particular ancestor. Family names and given names are pretty much as problematic as place names, in that not only are they subject to changes (in cases of marriage and adoption) and culture (while most name the children after the father, some name them after the mother). Events like migration, and peculiarities like similar names often abound as well – but names are nevertheless the most important type of information in genealogical studies. Finally, we have the dates, which are just as important as the place names in contextualizing the ancestor. Information on chronology are hard to interpret, as some of them may have been recorded at a later date, or have used a different calendar.