Your genealogy refers to your family history. When you first start to research your genealogy, you may expect to find a small tree with only a few branches.

Many people cannot go far with their family trees because there is not enough information to trace their family history back that far. On the other hand, there are others who can trace it back many generations because they have the records. This can be done with the help of a family tree maker.

Before you start or go deeper into researching your family tree, there are a few things you should know about genealogy: 

It is Based on Vital Statistics

There is a lot of information that can be used to trace your family history. However, what is used is usually basic statistics about yourself and your family members.

The vital statistics refer to the most basic events defining a person’s life. They will include facts covering birth, marriage, death, and burial among others.

These statistics will be ascertained with varying levels of accuracy depending on your family history. However, collateral information is what will give the results the added level of accuracy for certainty.

It Can Tell You About Your Medical History

Your medical history is more important to your health than most people think. It is the reason why every doctor or medical institution keeps records of their patients for as long as they can.

You share your DNA with your ancestors meaning you share many characteristics. You will react to external stimuli including reacting to disease causing pathogens in largely the same way.

If you want to know if you are prone to certain diseases, then you should definitely research your genealogy. It can help you prevent those diseases or alter your lifestyle to negate their effect.

Faith Based Organizations Provide a Lot of Information

Genealogy is about finding as much information about your ancestors as possible. Though medical records are the predominant source of information, faith-based organizations produce a surprisingly high amount of data.

Your ancestors probably belonged to some faith-based organization at some point in their lives. If they did, the organization probably has some of their records.

Few archives can match the records of such organizations epitomized by the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, you can use such records to find out more about your ancestors or to add to the accuracy of the search.

It Can Provide You with an Heir

Researching your genealogy can have a multitude of interesting effects. One of them is to lead you to a long-lost relative of yours who might be older or younger than you.

For those who have developed a fortune in their lifetimes without someone to leave it to, genealogy can give them an heir. You can go and conduct a search at RecordClick.com if you are in the same situation. On the flip side of that coin, researching your relative can result in finding an ancestor of yours who has a great fortune. If you can find them, you can be privy to a significant inheritance.

Occupation and Service Matters

Humans have had jobs and been of service to others for centuries. The occupation in which your ancestors were involved can offer a lot of information as far as genealogy is concerned.

Knowing your ancestor’s occupation will help you find a lot of information about them. It is especially so if they served their country in some way for example in the military, as a priest, a government official or as a doctor.

The search will be skewed towards male ancestors in this regard because women were not allowed to have occupations for a long time. Therefore, you will have to account for that in your search.

Geology Reigns Supreme

When it comes to genealogy, one fact you should know is the importance of geology. It is probably the single most important factor in establishing your genealogy.

It will pertain to where your ancestors lived for the vast majority of their life. If and where they migrated to throughout history will also matter significantly.

The history of those areas will definitely help to put your genealogy into a sharper perspective. If you can take the time to learn where your ancestors lived, worked and travelled, you can find out a lot about them. You may even find your family crest or coat of arms during your research

There are many other things you should know about genealogy. If you want to research your family history, you should know as much as you can. However, if you can know the above, you should have a strong foundation for finding out your genealogy.