Genealogical Trees (also known as Genealogical Databases or DB's) are the main cataloguing method used by genealogists in their pursuit of family history. Such a tree or DB uses individuals that are then linked into families. Facts and Events can then be attached to the individuals (or families) to embellish the knowledge about and links between them. Facts and Events contain place and date annotations to thus further help add meaningful content. Often media objects and reference sources are attached to any of these items. A good genealogist will source every piece of information added; even if simply to tag it as a verbal attestation by a particular individual at some point in time. Individuals are often identified by a name and BMD (birth, marriage, death) facts.
Historically, genealogists used filing systems to catalogue and keep their data. And developed annotations (like the various forms used by NEHGR in their publications) to document family lines. Such lines are documented from an earliest known ancestor and then all their descendants. Thus forming a tree of individuals connected through the (biological) linkages that start with the oldest ancestor as the root (or trunk). Almost exclusively a spanning tree (if only biological relations are captured and intermarriage of close relations do not exist). Sometimes the tree may be from an individual up through their ancestors. So it can either be ancestral or descendant in nature.
While the trees are a very visual way to display a lot of data, they are always just a subset of the overall data usually known or collected. Thus it is more proper to call these genealogical databases (or DB-s for short). As they really represent a web of interconnections. The use of descendant trees coincides with the concept of "blood relatives". In todays world with the ability to DNA test, more formally a biological descendant tree.
Often, these DBs can be exchanged between individuals, or merged, or even simply compared. Soon after stand-alone home computers were available, programs to catalogue the genealogists work were developed. With the trees being one form of projection of that data. Shortly after that, there was a need to exchange the DB between individuals. Or even simply to merge or compare the data. So a format termed the GEnealogical Data COMmunication (or GEDCom) was developed. This was mainly led by FamilySearch in support of their program Personal Ancestry File (PAF) — a mainstay for many years starting in the late 1980's.
Historically, genealogists used filing systems to catalogue and keep their data. And developed annotations (like the various forms used by NEHGR in their publications) to document family lines. Such lines are documented from an earliest known ancestor and then all their descendants. Thus forming a tree of individuals connected through the (biological) linkages that start with the oldest ancestor as the root (or trunk). Almost exclusively a spanning tree (if only biological relations are captured and intermarriage of close relations do not exist). Sometimes the tree may be from an individual up through their ancestors. So it can either be ancestral or descendant in nature.
While the trees are a very visual way to display a lot of data, they are always just a subset of the overall data usually known or collected. Thus it is more proper to call these genealogical databases (or DB-s for short). As they really represent a web of interconnections. The use of descendant trees coincides with the concept of "blood relatives". In todays world with the ability to DNA test, more formally a biological descendant tree.
Often, these DBs can be exchanged between individuals, or merged, or even simply compared. Soon after stand-alone home computers were available, programs to catalogue the genealogists work were developed. With the trees being one form of projection of that data. Shortly after that, there was a need to exchange the DB between individuals. Or even simply to merge or compare the data. So a format termed the GEnealogical Data COMmunication (or GEDCom) was developed. This was mainly led by FamilySearch in support of their program Personal Ancestry File (PAF) — a mainstay for many years starting in the late 1980's.