Genealogy is the study of family history and ancestry, tracing who your relatives were going back through the generations. When you create a family tree showing your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and beyond, you're doing genealogy.

People who practice genealogy (called genealogists) investigate birth certificates, marriage records, census data, and old documents to discover their ancestors' names, where they lived, and what they did. They might learn that their great-great-grandfather was a blacksmith in Ireland, or that their family moved from Poland to America in 1892. Some genealogists trace their family lines back hundreds of years.

Genealogy can answer fascinating questions: Where did your family come from? Why did they move? What challenges did they face? You might discover relatives you never knew existed, or learn that you're distantly related to someone famous.

Today, DNA testing has made genealogy easier because it can connect you with distant cousins and reveal which parts of the world your ancestors came from. Many families keep genealogical records as treasured documents, passing down stories and connections that help each generation understand where they came from.