Although the terms genealogy and family history (mostly used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints culture) both relate to connecting descendants to ancestors and visa versa, they also have a subtle difference.
Genealogy according to dictionary.com is "a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family or group". The focus is on the "record". It is about the paper trail. What do the sources, documents, data say about your ancestor (the date of birth, the date of death, the date they were married, etc.) and who they were related to.
Family History can be familiar to those who have had to fill out a form at the doctor's office noting any history of family members with particular medical problems. Although that could be interesting to find out, family history is a little more than that. Family history is the "stuff" of a family or person. What was the ancestor like? What types of tragedies did they face? What was their family like? What was their occupation? What was going on in the world or the country during their time period and how might it have affected them.
I like the way someone once defined it to me: "Genealogy links charts. Family history links hearts."
You need genealogy in order to get the facts right. You need to make sure that the "John Smith" listed is the "John Smith" related to you. The paper trail is important in keeping the history organized and easy to manage. Geneology is the starting point or the framework. Next comes the family history. Family history is the bloodline or the "cream of the crop". Geneology is about dates, names, places, and facts. Family History is about stories, histories, personalities, and discovery.
Vital records (as an example) can give us birth and death dates and the names of the parents or spouses. However there may also be some family history that can be pulled from it. For example on a death certificate it will tell the cause of death. On my mother's death certificate it shows that she died from heart and lung failure. It also said that it was due to complications from COPD. What can this tell me about her history? COPD is chronic. Those who suffer from COPD had other complications with the lungs while growing up. It can tell you that she was most likely on oxygen in order to help her breathe which would affect her lifestyle. This can lead to questions of what was her lifestyle like growing up? What kind of life did she live before she died? These types of questions will connect you to your ancestor. Without the genealogy you would not have a starting point to go on. But family history pieces it all together like a puzzle. Family history fills in the blanks.
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