About Myself and This Blog

Welcome to Summa Genealogica!

I'm Luke Gibson, a professional genealogist based in Scotland, and the author of this blog. I am a member of both the Association of Professional Genealogists (you can find a link to my profile on the Contact Me page) and the Scottish Genealogy Network. Alongside my work in genealogy, I am also a university student of pure mathematics—my study and passion for which has helped train my analytical and logical thinking and allowed me therefore to apply it to my love for tracing family histories. One of my deepest interests is in early modern and medieval genealogy—especially where the lives of our ancestors intersect with significant historical events. To pursue and develop this passion, I’m also a member of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.

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Why Genealogy?

Genealogy is immensely rewarding for many reasons, but what captivates me most is how our family histories connect us to places, the past, and people—both our ancestors and our contemporaries. Especially for those of us with a passion for history, genealogy is not at all just a name collecting exercise; there is something deeply compelling about uncovering, where possible, the lives and personalities of the people that belie the names. We find ourselves imagining how they lived in the centuries before us—what challenges and hardships they endured, how they met and loved, what local and national historical events shaped their lives. Understanding these details allows us to connect more deeply with our past, giving us a richer sense of where we come from, and indeed, studying social history is another one of my related passions.

We often think of our family trees as distinct from one another, but in reality, they're more like intricate webs, that connect us all to each other, and in multiple ways. Modern research suggests that within the last few thousand years, we share common ancestors with nearly everyone alive today. The common ancestry point is even more recent for smaller populations. For instance, if you’re of British or Irish descent, there’s an incredibly strong possibility you are a direct descendant of King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. Beyond these statistical probabilities, millions of people can actually trace and prove a descent from Edward III—and many more from his royal forebears.

This shared connection is part of what makes genealogy so exciting—as we research the generations closer to us, we are part of uncovering our own, unique history, what makess us us - as we go further back researching our ancestors, we're also at the same time uncovering the stories and links of our ancestors that unite us all. It’s a reminder that as we trace our family histories, we’re exploring the deeper threads that bind us together across generations.

Of course, many of our ancestors before the advent of diligent record keeping about the average person are unfortunately lost to time, we will never know all their names, professions, and what they went through in life. Yet, by studying social history and the history of places where our ancestors came from, we can still get a general feel of what life was like for them.

Tracing descents and presenting them in an accessible and educational way is a personal passion of mine, and it’s one of the key reasons behind this blog. I aim to create an engaging space where genealogy and history are explored and shared, offering a place to learn and appreciate all aspects of family history. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I do!

William the Conqueror on the Bayeux Tapestry
Likely the ancestor of all British people and many others

Interesting Reading:
Chang, Joseph T. “Recent Common Ancestors of All Present-Day Individuals.” Advances in Applied Probability, vol. 31, no. 4, 1999, pp. 1002–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1428340. Accessed 13 May 2024.

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