--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone will tell you that genealogy…" description: "\"“Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes: self-knowledge and social status, some sort of pedigree divined from names, locations, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/ellen-meloy-26824_genealogy_everyone-will-tell-you-that-genealogy-se_449360.png" --- # Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes… ![“Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes: self-knowledge and social status, some sort of pedigree divined from names, locations, and achievements of eminence. However, there is nothing quite like an anomaly to suck attention away from the droning census records. A suicide hinted…” quote by Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/ellen-meloy-26824_genealogy_everyone-will-tell-you-that-genealogy-se_449360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/ellen-meloy-26824_genealogy_everyone-will-tell-you-that-genealogy-se_449360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/ellen-meloy-26824_genealogy_everyone-will-tell-you-that-genealogy-se_449360.png) > ““Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes: self-knowledge and social status, some sort of pedigree divined from names, locations, and achievements of eminence. However, there is nothing quite like an anomaly to suck attention away from the droning census records. A suicide hinted at emotion and thought. A closet door was flung open and daylight flooded a skeleton.”” [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anomalies in family history draw attention away from ordinary records, revealing deeper emotional narratives. **In simple terms:** Unexpected events highlight hidden stories. Key Takeaway Notice and explore the unusual in your lineage. Themes genealogy anomaly storytelling Mood curious reflective Type narrative analytical When to use this quote - family research - personal reflection - writing memoirs Key Concepts pedigree emotional insight historical curiosity Questions to Reflect On - How do unexpected findings reshape your view of family? - What emotions arise when confronting hidden histories? A Different Perspective Anomalies may be rare and hard to verify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genealogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genealogy/) [Social status](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-status/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [It's impossible for most black Americans to construct full family trees. Official census records, used by so many genealogy enthusiasts to piece together their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/it-s-impossible-for-most-black-americans-to-construct-full-family/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“ In genealogy you might say that interest lies in the eye of the gene holder. The actual descendants are far more intrigued with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/in-genealogy-you-might-say-that-interest-lies-in-the-eye-of-the-gene/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [If one looks into the genealogies of many 'old families,' one discovers episodes of slave trafficking, bootlegging, gun running, opium trading, falsified land claims,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/if-one-looks-into-the-genealogies-of-many-old-families-one-discovers/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [In my opinion what distinguishes the Bible from the other books is its sense of time. Its first concern is to establish a calendar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-monnier/in-my-opinion-what-distinguishes-the-bible-from-the-other-books-is/) [Adrienne Monnier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-monnier/) > [Some people are all quality; you would think they are made up of nothing but title and genealogy. The stamp of dignity defaces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/some-people-are-all-quality-you-would-think-they-are-made-up-of/) [Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/) > [In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-all-of-us-there-is-a-hunger-marrow-deep-to-know-our-heritage-to/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [The past is not dead - it isn't even past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-wolf/the-past-is-not-dead-it-isn-t-even-past/) [Christa Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-wolf/) > [“Genealogy becomes a mania, an obsessive struggle to penetrate the past and snatch meaning from an infinity of names. At some point the search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wiencek/genealogy-becomes-a-mania-an-obsessive-struggle-to-penetrate-the-past/) Henry Wiencek > [Words have their genealogy, their history, their economy, their literature, their art and music, as too they have their weddings and divorces, their successes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgilia-peterson/words-have-their-genealogy-their-history-their-economy-their/) [Virgilia Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgilia-peterson/) > [In African-American culture, there's often a family historian, someone who does the genealogy or keeps the family Bible. I became aware that might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/in-african-american-culture-there-s-often-a-family-historian-someone/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Every woman who appears wrestles with the forces that would have her disappear. She struggles with the forces that would tell her story for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-who-appears-wrestles-with-the-forces-that-would-have-her/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“All of our ancestors live within each one of us whether we are aware of it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-overmire/all-of-our-ancestors-live-within-each-one-of-us-whether-we-are-aware/) [Laurence Overmire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-overmire/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“A personal journey is part of the generational relay. Live your legacy then pass it on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-v-glim/a-personal-journey-is-part-of-the-generational-relay-live-your-legacy/) Jo Ann V. Glim > [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) ## More by Ellen Meloy > [There are people who have no engaged conversation with the land whatsoever, no sense of its beauty or extremes or limits and therefore no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/there-are-people-who-have-no-engaged-conversation-with-the-land/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Breathing, it seemed to me, was a proper attribute for the mountains... mountains that quietly functioned as a single thing with a rhythmic inhale-exhale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/breathing-it-seemed-to-me-was-a-proper-attribute-for-the-mountains/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“ Homo sapiens have left themselves few places and scant ways to witness other species in their own worlds, an estrangement that leaves us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/homo-sapiens-have-left-themselves-few-places-and-scant-ways-to/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to the natural world: sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell. As we unravel the threads that bind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/each-of-us-possesses-five-fundamental-enthralling-maps-to-the-natural/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [The complex human eye harvests light. It perceives seven to ten million colors through a synaptic flash: one-tenth of a second from retina to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/the-complex-human-eye-harvests-light-it-perceives-seven-to-ten/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [A map, it is said, organizes wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/a-map-it-is-said-organizes-wonder/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“I was a lowly puddle of plasma, trading “I am alive” for a vague “I tend to exist” and weeping for joy over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/i-was-a-lowly-puddle-of-plasma-trading-i-am-alive-for-a-vague-i-tend/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [...to slip beneath the surface and soar along the silent bottom of the sea agile and shining in water honeycombed with light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/to-slip-beneath-the-surface-and-soar-along-the-silent-bottom-of-the/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“A cavalry of sweaty but righteous blond gods chased pesky, unkempt people across an annoyingly leaky Mexican border. A grimy cowboy with a headdress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/a-cavalry-of-sweaty-but-righteous-blond-gods-chased-pesky-unkempt/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“How do I stop this misery?” I groaned, scanning the shelves for a cure. “Don’t go out there,” he said flatly. I contemplated this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/how-do-i-stop-this-misery-i-groaned-scanning-the-shelves-for-a-cure/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“ In genealogy you might say that interest lies in the eye of the gene holder. The actual descendants are far more intrigued with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/in-genealogy-you-might-say-that-interest-lies-in-the-eye-of-the-gene/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“This deranged jungle of ironies coinhabits my skull like feathers and fireworks. My heart fills with stones. I am the mad aunt who laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/this-deranged-jungle-of-ironies-coinhabits-my-skull-like-feathers-and/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Its beauty stirs the imagination, and I wonder if the last refuge of all that is truly wild lies not on earth but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/its-beauty-stirs-the-imagination-and-i-wonder-if-the-last-refuge-of/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“In the hallowed tradition of squishy doughball liberals, I believe that science, reason, kindness, and understanding—maybe a little food—can set the world right. B”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/in-the-hallowed-tradition-of-squishy-doughball-liberals-i-believe/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“My geography savors a delicious paradox: Home - a grounding - found in unearthly beauty. The predominant colors are blue, emerald, and terra-cotta. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/my-geography-savors-a-delicious-paradox-home-a-grounding-found-in/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) [Explore all 21 Ellen Meloy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) ## More Genealogy quotes > [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [“A personal journey is part of the generational relay. Live your legacy then pass it on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-v-glim/a-personal-journey-is-part-of-the-generational-relay-live-your-legacy/) Jo Ann V. Glim > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“All of our ancestors live within each one of us whether we are aware of it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-overmire/all-of-our-ancestors-live-within-each-one-of-us-whether-we-are-aware/) [Laurence Overmire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-overmire/) > [Every woman who appears wrestles with the forces that would have her disappear. She struggles with the forces that would tell her story for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-who-appears-wrestles-with-the-forces-that-would-have-her/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [In African-American culture, there's often a family historian, someone who does the genealogy or keeps the family Bible. I became aware that might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/in-african-american-culture-there-s-often-a-family-historian-someone/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Words have their genealogy, their history, their economy, their literature, their art and music, as too they have their weddings and divorces, their successes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgilia-peterson/words-have-their-genealogy-their-history-their-economy-their/) [Virgilia Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgilia-peterson/) > [“Genealogy becomes a mania, an obsessive struggle to penetrate the past and snatch meaning from an infinity of names. At some point the search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wiencek/genealogy-becomes-a-mania-an-obsessive-struggle-to-penetrate-the-past/) Henry Wiencek > [The past is not dead - it isn't even past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-wolf/the-past-is-not-dead-it-isn-t-even-past/) [Christa Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-wolf/) > [In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-all-of-us-there-is-a-hunger-marrow-deep-to-know-our-heritage-to/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Some people are all quality; you would think they are made up of nothing but title and genealogy. The stamp of dignity defaces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/some-people-are-all-quality-you-would-think-they-are-made-up-of/) [Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/) > [In my opinion what distinguishes the Bible from the other books is its sense of time. Its first concern is to establish a calendar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-monnier/in-my-opinion-what-distinguishes-the-bible-from-the-other-books-is/) [Adrienne Monnier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-monnier/) > [If one looks into the genealogies of many 'old families,' one discovers episodes of slave trafficking, bootlegging, gun running, opium trading, falsified land claims,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/if-one-looks-into-the-genealogies-of-many-old-families-one-discovers/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-you-don-t-recount-your-family-history-it-will-be-lost-honor-your/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [In 1650 Bishop Ussher dated the creation from the genealogy given in the Bible at 4004 B.C.; for a long time (even for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-page/in-1650-bishop-ussher-dated-the-creation-from-the-genealogy-given-in/) Leigh Page [Browse all 99 Genealogy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genealogy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes: self-knowledge and social status, some sort of pedigree divined from names, locations, and achievements of eminence. However, there is nothing quite like an anomaly to suck attention away from the droning census records. 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