Ancestry

Ancestry refers to the collective line of a person’s ancestors — the complete set of people from whom they are descended. It encompasses not just direct ancestors but also the cultural, ethnic, and geographic heritage that those ancestors carried.

In genealogical research, ancestry is traced through documentary evidence (birth records, marriage records, census data), genetic evidence (DNA testing), and oral history. Understanding one’s ancestry can reveal migration patterns, ethnic origins, and historical events that shaped a family.