The Limits of Reality in Genealogical Research

The Bible, in 1 Timothy 1:4, warns against speculative, non-scriptural family histories and myths that distract from true faith and promote arguments over godly teaching. Today, an overabundance of such "mythical" genealogies exists on the FamilySearch.org Family Tree and other websites. Historically, the earliest genealogically valuable records in Europe vary by social class and region; while royal lineages may occasionally reach the 8th century, documentation for "ordinary" families typically begins in the 16th century or later.

Below are the primary categories of the oldest surviving records.

1. Royal and Noble Lineages (8th – 12th Centuries)2. Land and Taxation Records (11th – 15th Centuries)3. Church Records: Parish Registers (14th – 16th Centuries)

For the ruling class, genealogies were matters of state, and records were maintained much earlier than for the general population.

• The Carolingians (c. 750s): Charlemagne is often cited as the "ancestor of Europe" because his is the oldest unbroken, documented lineage that can be proven with contemporaneous records.

• The Domesday Book (1086): Commissioned by William the Conqueror, this is one of the most famous early records. While it focuses on land and assets in England, it names many landholders and tenants, providing a foundation for Anglo-Norman genealogy.

• Cartularies (10th – 13th Centuries): These were volumes containing copies of charters and title deeds for monasteries.¹  Because they often mention donors and their families to prove land ownership, they are vital for tracing early medieval nobility.

Before the church began tracking births and deaths for everyone, the government tracked property and taxes.

• Inquisitions Post Mortem (1236 onwards): In England, these were local inquiries into the lands held by a person at their death. They are "genealogical gold" because they explicitly name the heir and their age to determine the Crown’s rights

• The Florentine Catasto (1427): This tax census of Florence and its domains is one of the earliest and most detailed records for "common" people in Italy, listing every member of a household, their ages, and their relationships

• Manorial Records (13th Century onwards): For many in the UK and Western Europe, manor court rolls recorded the transfer of tenancies (land) from father to son, often providing names and dates for families who didn't own land but worked it

This is where modern genealogy truly begins for the average person.

• Early Exceptions (1300s–1400s): A few parishes in Italy (e.g., Sicily and Sardinia) and Spain have registers dating back to the late 14th century. One parish in Slovenia (Strunjan) has records starting in 1458

• Standardization (1500s): * Germany: The Reformation (1517) triggered better record-keeping. Records in Nuremberg and Zwickau date to the 1520s

  • England: Thomas Cromwell mandated that every parish keep a register of baptisms, marriages, and burials in 1538.

  • Catholic Europe: The Council of Trent (1563) made it a requirement for all Catholic parishes worldwide to keep standardized registers, which is why the mid-1500s is the most common "brick wall" for many European researchers.

Summary Table of Earliest Records

Region	Record Type	Approximate Start
England	Domesday Book (Land/Tax)	1086
Italy	Notarial & Church Records	1300s – 1400s
Slovenia	Parish Registers	1458
Germany	Protestant Parish Books	1520s
France	Ordonnance de Villers-Cotterêts	1539
Spain	Council of Trent Mandate	1563

Any records on a family tree that go back before these dates are highly suspect with some royal and noble exceptions. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temple ordinances for royalty and nobles and most of the prominent ancient historical people have already been done. 

Other major factors for doing research past these dates are language and handwriting challenges. Copying names out of a book or an online royal website is not genealogical research.

Now, the exceptions: Asian family records can go back thousands of years. Many other cultures with oral records may also go back many years past the above limits.