family history / family story
Loading your saved state.
family history
The history and development of a family over several generations, often in the sense of genealogy.
Er erforscht seit Jahren seine Familiengeschichte und hat einen Stammbaum erstellt.
He has been researching his family history for years and has created a family tree.
The word combines 'Familie' (family) with 'Geschichte' (history/story). Since 'Geschichte' in German can mean both 'history' (m01) and 'story' (m02), the compound word also has these two meanings.
Jede Familie hat ihre eigene, einzigartige Familiengeschichte.
Every family has its own unique family history.
You can recognize the meaning from the verb: if the 'Familiengeschichte' (family history/family story) is being 'erforscht' (researched) or 'recherchiert' (researched), it means the history (m01). If a 'Familiengeschichte' is being 'erzählt' (told) or 'gehört' (heard), it is an anecdote (m02).
Sie erforscht die Familiengeschichte ihrer Vorfahren aus dem 19. Jahrhundert.
She is researching the family history of her ancestors from the 19th century.
In the sense of genealogy, 'Familiengeschichte' (family history) is often combined with verbs such as 'erforschen' (to research), 'recherchieren' (to research), and 'rekonstruieren' (to reconstruct), or nouns such as 'Stammbaum' (family tree) and 'Archiv' (archive).
Für ihre Familiengeschichte hat sie viele alte Dokumente im Archiv gefunden.
For her family history, she found many old documents in the archive.
When an anecdote is meant, 'Familiengeschichte' (family story) is often combined with adjectives such as 'eine lustige' (a funny), 'eine traurige' (a sad), 'eine berühmte' (a famous), or 'eine peinliche' (an embarrassing) family story.
Das ist eine alte Familiengeschichte, über die wir heute lachen können.
That is an old family story that we can laugh about today.
descent / ancestry
'die Abstammung' and 'die Familiengeschichte' can both say something about a person's origin. 'Abstammung' mainly means which ancestors, family, or group someone comes from. The focus is on the line of origin. 'Familiengeschichte' is broader: it tells what happened in a family over several generations, or it can also mean individual stories from the family. The words can be confused because both have to do with family and the past. When it is about origin and ancestors, 'Abstammung' fits. When it is about events, stories, and the development of a family, 'Familiengeschichte' is more natural.
Für ihr Buch sammelt Maria alte Fotos und schreibt ihre Familiengeschichte auf.
For her book, Maria is collecting old photos and writing down her family history.
Bei der Anmeldung wurde nach der Abstammung der Familie gefragt.
During registration, they asked about the family's ancestry.