Descendancy Research




Feel like you are at a dead end searching your family tree?
Then give descendancy research a try.

A descendant is a person who is related to someone and who lives after them, such as their child or grandchild. Descendants have a common ancestor.


“I remember, as a grandfather, having a picture taken of our family.  Like other grandparents, I did not want a single descendant left out.  What a task it was to arrange everyone’s schedule so we could all be in the same place at the same time.  But it was worth it.”[1]

“The goal of descendancy research is to find all the descendants of an ancestral couple.  While ancestral research starts with you and goes back in time, descendancy research starts with an ancestral couple you have identified and comes forward to the present time.’[2]

“Descendancy research can lead you to important clues, contacts, or records you might not find if you researched only direct ancestors.  These clues and contacts can often help you get past dead ends in your ancestral research.”[2]

Sources:
[1] Durrant, George D.  “Branching Out on Your Family Tree”, Ensign April 2007, pages 44-47.
[2] familysearch.org/eng/lessons/L1_Descendancy_Research.pdf

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