As mentioned at http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1372/104 (please read first) we need agreed overviews of the combined meaning of "Genealogy and Family History" to form an umbrella for our definition of on-topic questions. I'm aware there have been various discussions on this in various places, but I'm hoping we'll use this question as a place to consolidate discussions in one place for easy reference and finalising our conclusion.

For reference, the [US Board for Certification of Genealogists][1] defines Genealogy with:

> Genealogy is the study of families in genetic and historical context. Within that framework, it is the study of the people who compose a family and the relationships among them. At the individual level, it is biography, because we must reconstruct each individual life in order to separate each person’s identity from that of others bearing the same name. Beyond this, many researchers also find that genealogy is a study of communities because kinship networks have long been the threads that create the fabric of each community’s social life, politics, and economy.

The [UK Society of Genealogists][2] defines Genealogy with:

> Establishment of a Pedigree by extracting evidence, from valid sources, of how one generation is connected to the next. (In essence, this means the discipline of the construction of a valid family tree)

and Family History with:

> A biographical study of a genealogically proven family and of the community and country in which they lived. (In essence, this means the writing of a biography of a series of related ancestors of common genealogy. Family History incorporates Genealogy)

Related questions:

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1374/104

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1387/104

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1399/104

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1403/104

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1410/104

http://meta.genealogy.stackexchange.com/q/1418/104


  [1]: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/faq.html#5
  [2]: http://www.sog.org.uk/education/gandfh.shtml