Create Your Family Tree

A family tree is a graphic representation of the relationships between all the members of a particular family line. Creating a family tree is good way to visually sort out all the information you gather about how each member of your family is connected to each other. Many people like to create a fancy and artistic family tree, and display it in their home, like a piece of artwork.

There is more than one way to create a family tree. For some examples of different formats and designs you might want to use, go here: Family Tree Templates and download whatever form you like. If you don’t find any you like there, you can also do a quick google search for “family tree template” to find more. Or, you can create one of your own designs.

First, gather together the information you already know about your family. You may want to create a rough draft of where to put each person on the family tree before you begin a larger and more decorative version. This way, if you need to change anything, it will be much easier. As you can see from the template examples located in the link above, a family tree basically consists of names all in a row, to separate the different generations.

There are certain things you will see in a family tree that are universally understood. Two people that are married are connected by an equal sign. The symbol = is what that looks like. The word “birth” or “b.” followed by the day, month, and year indicates a person’s birthday. Deceased individuals will have the word “death” or “d.” and the day, month, and year of their death listed by their name. Leave a blank space for a person who is not deceased. Some people will also include the date a person was baptized, “bapt.” Or, that may be listed as christened, “c.” If you feel it is noteworthy, you may include the location a person is buried. This is abbreviated as “bur.” Listing locations of people’s births, deaths, and where they got married is acceptable.

Some family trees will use color. Females could be recorded in pink, and males might be written in blue. If you want even more detail, you could include a small gem to represent the birthstone of each person in the family tree. Customize your family tree however you want it.