How to Build a Family Tree Chart

Get creative and learn how to make family tree chart.

A family tree chart helps you organize your genealogy information. Much like a tree in nature, a chart of the family tree branches outward and upward, tracing your family tree history. When you create a family tree, you visually map out the connections between generations like a genealogist. There are software programs and genealogy websites that can help you create a family tree. But you can do one without the aid of a computer, using a poster board, a ruler, a pencil and a marker.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Marker

Research Your Family Tree History

1. Organize the information you want to include on the chart. Using index cards, write the name, birth date, marriage date and if applicable, date of death, for each person you are going to put into the chart. A basic chart will include the following: you, your parents, all four grandparents and all eight great grandparents. You can go back as far as you like, depending on how much information you have.

2. Put the index cards in order. Your card should be on top, followed by your father’s card, then your mother’s card. Next will be your grandfather’s card and then your grandmother’s card. Continue until all your cards are in order.

3. Lay your poster board on a level work surface with the longer sides as the width. Using a pencil and a ruler, draw a rectangular box at the bottom center of the poster board. Pencil in your name at the top of the box.

4. Draw another box above and to the left of your name box. Pencil in your father’s name. Draw another box to the right of your box, level with your father’s box. Pencil in your mother’s name.

5. Connect your box to your parent’s boxes. Do this by drawing a line from the top center of your box. Turn the line left and continue until you reach the point below the center of your father’s box and turn the line up to connect to the box. To connect to your mother, start at the point where you turned left from the line from your box. Make a line from there to the right, turn upward at the center of your mother’s box and connect to it.

6. Draw two boxes above your father’s box. These will be for his parents. In the left box of these two, pencil in your grandfather’s name. In the right box, pencil in your grandmother’s name. In genealogy, it is standard practice to keep the males to the left and the females to the right as you branch out and up.

7. Draw two boxes above your mother’s box. These are for her parents. Her father’s name goes in the left box and her mother’s name goes in the box on the right.

8. Draw a line from the top center of your father’s box. Turn left and up to connect him to his father. Turn right and up to connect him to his mother. Repeat this process to connect your mother to her parents.

9. Use the same process to create the fourth row, which will have eight boxes. Each of your grandparents will be connected to two boxes above them, representing their parents. This is the fourth generation back, starting from you.

10. Once you’ve sketched out your tree in pencil you can trace it over using the marker. Within each box, list the information relevant to that person. The name is first, followed by birth date, marriage date and date of death. Use your index cards to ensure you enter the information in correctly. This is a basic family tree chart. You can include such information as birthplace or burial location in more detailed charts. The process of connecting boxes to build up and out remains the same.

Tips & Warnings

• Learning how to make a family tree chart is easy, but researching your ancestors is tricky. Genealogy websites can help, even if you want to make your own paper version.

Resources

• Genealogy.com