I know of some Filipino friends and relatives who have allegedly traced their genealogies to biblical characters that naturally went back to Adam and Eve. While I understand that the intent and cause were well-meaning and noble, the simplest answer to this is – no. It is not true. Not just yet. Read on.

People who were careful about their record-keeping and pedigrees were mostly of royal descent. And to be descended from the gods or biblical characters would make them appear powerful and divinely-favored in the eyes of their subjects. Some of them had these pedigrees fabricated and had them disseminated for public consumption. These compiled genealogies do not cite sources and lack evidence. In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs trace their lineage to the god Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis – two of the primeval gods of the Egyptian Ennead. Another example is that of George Washington’s ancestry written by 19th-century genealogist Albert Welles who postulated that the first American president was actually descended from the Norse-god Odin. In England, Queen Elizabeth’s ancestors trace their ancestry which goes back through the kings of Wessex to one Sceaf, “a son of Noah born in the Ark,” and thence to father Adam.

Renowned Genealogist Robert C. Gunderson, who was the first supervisor of the Royalty Identification Unit of the Genealogical Society of Utah said the following:

“In thirty-five years of genealogical research, I have yet to see a pedigree back to Adam that can be documented. By assignment, I have reviewed hundreds of pedigrees over the years. I have not found one where each connection on the pedigree can be justified by evidence from contemporary documents. In my opinion it is not even possible to verify historically a connected European pedigree earlier than the time of the Merovingian Kings (c. A.D. 450–A.D. 752).

“Every pedigree I have seen which attempts to bridge the gap between that time and the biblical pedigree appears to be based on questionable tradition, or at worst, plain fabrication. Generally these pedigrees offer no evidence as to the origin of the information, or they cite a vague source.”

François Weil, Chancellor of the University of Paris wrote in his book Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America (2013):

“Genealogy was originally the prerogative of kings and princes. The oldest surviving royal genealogies in Europe go back to the sixth century A.D. for Gothic sovereigns, to the seventh century for their Irish, Lombardic, Visigothic, and Frankish counterparts, and to the eighth and ninth centuries for Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian kings. (pp. 10-11)”

Both Gunderson and Weil share the same position that European royal ancestries cannot be verified beyond 500 A.D. Consequently, that goes to say that if you ever traced your Filipino lineage to Europe, it is not possible to have a verified ancestry to biblical figures.

How do we ensure that our researched genealogies and family histories are up to the standard?

Genealogists today use a guide called the Genealogical Proof Standard or GPS to ensure that all researched and written genealogies are credible and are nearest to the truth. It is used to ensure that the quality of research remains high and that even when presented to scrutiny, the resulting conclusions will hold because it was based on elements that raise the research standards.

The GPS has the following elements: 

1. Reasonably Exhaustive Research – One source is not enough. If we are looking for how and when a certain Miguel Ortega travelled from Spain to the Philippines in the early 1800s, we should check passenger lists, cedulas, birth records, marriage records, death records, probate records etc. We do not rely on common stories of Filipino clans that “three brothers travelled from Spain to the Philippines and they got separated. From them came our family and hence our Spanish last name.” Oral history is not a standalone source. It may guide is in finding evidence and should always be backed-up by established contemporary records and sources.

2. Complete and accurate source citations – Organized and professionally written source citations help other researchers verify the veracity of our work by giving them information on where we found those information and how it is connected to the evidence we presented.

3. Thorough analysis and correlation – Analysis is when we scrutinize documents and extract information for evidence and correlation is when we compare different documents and consolidate the information as one.

4. Resolution of conflicting evidence – When pieces of information from the documents we found do not agree, we resolve the conflicting evidence.

5. Soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence. – A soundly written conclusion is a professionally written document reporting how the pieces of information made sense and how we resolved the conflicting evidences. It will include the conclusion the genealogist has arrived at and possible recommendations for further research.

We hope that all who are engaged with genealogical research follow the GPS. It is a great tool in measuring accuracy and provides confidence to us as well. We can confidently pass the report to our children because we followed a strict standard of excellence.

This author’s faith is Christian and firmly believes that we are indeed sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, and that the human race is one big family. In due time, when more records are revealed that would provide evidence of our connection to biblical ancestors, it would be joyous to rewrite these genealogies and have ourselves connected to Father Adam and Mother Eve. But until then, we should not dwell on genealogical pursuits that would be time-consuming and yet will only become unproved.

“Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions. …” (1 Tim. 1:4.)

Sources:

1. “I Have My Family Tree Back To Adam and Eve”, Familysearch, accessed March 18, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/i-have-my-family-tree-back-to-adam-and-eve
2. “I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve Part 2”, Familysearch, accessed March 19, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/i-have-my-family-tree-back-to-adam-and-eve-part-2
3. “I’ve heard that some people have extended their ancestral lines back to Adam. Is this possible? If so, is it necessary for all of us to extend our pedigrees back to Adam?”, Churchofjesuschrist, accessed March 18, 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1984/02/i-have-a-question/ive-heard-that-some-people-have-extended-their-ancestral-lines-back-to-adam-is-this-possible?lang=eng
4. “In my family records I found an interesting genealogy that ties us into one line of European royalty going through Charlemagne back to one Antenor, King of the Cimmerians, then to Judah, and thence through Abraham and Noah to Adam. Can you tell me how reliable lineages such as these are?”, Churchofjesuschrist, accessed March 18, 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1977/01/i-have-a-question/how-reliable-are-lineages-back-to-adam?lang=eng
5. “Can You Trace Your Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve?”, The Handwritten Past, accessed March 18, 2022, https://thehandwrittenpast.com/2015/04/21/can-you-trace-your-genealogy-back-to-adam-and-eve/
6. “British Royal Family Genealogy To Adam And Eve”, Jesusevidence, accessed March 18, 2022, http://www.jesusevidence.org/gen.html
7. “Egyptian civilization – Myths”, The divine family, accessed March 19, 2022, https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr10e.html
8. “Can Anyone Trace their Lineage Back to the Bible?”, Genealogypals, accessed March 18, 2022, https://genealogypals.com/can-anyone-trace-their-lineage-back-to-the-bible/
9. “George Washington: A Descendant of Odin? – The Public Domain Review”, Publicdomainreview, accessed March 19, 2022, https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/george-washington-a-descendant-of-odin
10. “The Genealogical Proof Standard (National Institute) • FamilySearch”, Familysearch, accessed March 19, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/The_Genealogical_Proof_Standard_(National_Institute)
11. “(17) An Introduction”, Genealogical Proof Standard, accessed March 19, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfR2yLsXu88
12. “The Genealogical Proof Standard”, Ngsgenealogy, accessed March 19, 2022, https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/going-to-the-next-level/understanding-genealogical-proof/