A Nation of Descendants: Politics and the Practice of Genealogy in U.S. History

by Francesca Morgan

From family trees written in early American bibles to birther conspiracy theories, genealogy has always mattered in the United States, whether for taking stock of kin when organizing a family reunion or drawing on membership-by blood or other means-to claim rights to land, inheritances, and more. And since the advent of DNA kits that purportedly trace genealogical relations through genetics, millions of people have used them to learn about their medical histories, biological parentage, and ethnic background. A Nation of Descendants traces Americans' fascination with tracking family lineage through three centuries. Francesca Morgan examines how specific groups throughout history grappled with finding and recording their forebears, focusing on Anglo-American white, Mormon, African American, Jewish, and Native American people. Morgan also describes how individuals and researchers use genealogy for personal and scholarly purposes, and she explores how local businesspeople, companies
like Ancestry.com, and Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots series powered the commercialization and commodification of genealogy.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Francesca Morgan begins her history of American genealogy by discussing its roots in elevating persons of European ancestry above others. She argues lineage societies favored English ancestry over descent from other populations. While some small gains were made before Alex Haley's Roots captivated audiences both in print and on TV, the work became a turning point in genealogical studies. She discusses the impact of the work on genealogy and the rise in genealogical research among non-white populations. She also discusses the impact of direct-to-consumer DNA testing. The book's academic tone will turn some readers off. Long sentences abound, making it necessary to re-read some sentences multiple times to fully comprehend the author's point. It becomes less tedious to read as the history moves into portions of history witnessed by the reader. Morgan did research her topic thoroughly, and although I may not agree with all points she made due to philosophical differences, it is not because she failed to include certain key points. Her bibliography should provide genealogists plenty of "book bullets" to study as they delve further into the history of American genealogy. She made some interesting points about the disconnect between professional genealogists and recreational ones. She also made some interesting comments regarding genealogy's commercialization in the post-Roots years. I am anxious to see how the book resonates with genealogists active in the 1970s or earlier, especially one genealogist mentioned multiple times whom I consider a mentor. I think Morgan's work will provide fodder for discussion within the genealogical community.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitated to write a review for this book, as I knew it would be largely negative. While this work provides a good foundation for the history of genealogy research in the US, I see this work as a missed opportunity by the author to highlight progress and development in the field of genealogy in a positive way.

I hold a master's degree in genealogy and have extensive experience with much of the content of the book, so it was easy to spot the numerous errors, both in data and in interpretation. The book is riddled with factual errors, some of which would be extremely obvious even to the most casual genealogist (e.g., Y-DNA tests are NOT the least expensive tests available) or member of any of a number of ethnic, religious, or other groups mentioned in the book. (I belong to several of those groups.) Factual errors undermine the trust any reader could otherwise place in content with which the reader might be less familiar. Additionally, the work cherry-picks the facts and provides an interpretation of those facts only to suit the narrative--one that interprets the history of genealogical research through the lens of racism and gender issues with very little meaningful discussion of alternative interpretations or points of view. The section on DNA research was particularly odd--with the word "fetish" used frequently to describe the interest an individual might have in their genetic inheritance.

Several key studies recently have highlighted the usefulness of genealogy and family history in helping instill a sense of belonging, an understanding of multi-generational "grit" in overcoming life's hardships, and preventing recidivism in juvenile offenders. This can be particularly important for those from diverse backgrounds, immigrants, and religious minorities. A colleague of mine at the university where I teach owns a non-profit that provides free genealogy reports (including DNA testing) for homeless women--which has helped many to develop a better sense of self-worth and connection. It is a shame that Morgan's work rarely touched on these positive aspects of genealogical research as they are the core experience for the overwhelming majority of those who are engaged in the work.

As groundbreaking as this work is for those in the field, I cannot recommend it.

[Jessica Layman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little intimidating to review because as of today I'm only the fourth review for this book.

I thought the concept of this book was fascinating, and I was looking forward to a deep dive into how genealogy came about, and how we can honestly discuss eugenics and racism in relation to the genealogy field to try to get more people interested. Pedigree charts can sound a little ominous for some.

What I found was a pretty academic text that spelled out some interesting information, but wasn't necessarily what I was looking for. I liked learning about some pieces of the genealogy field I wasn't aware of previously, and I did think the concepts brought up by DNA testing were interesting. In particular, the idea that DNA testing could be used to further identify in-groups and out-groups rather than democratizing genealogy more.

I think this makes sense to read in a college class where there could be some really good discussion and well-researched critique. I think for my casual reading, it helped me a little for my day-to-day work in genealogy but not a ton.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading if you work with genealogy researchers, especially the first couple of chapters.