How to Make a Genealogy Timeline
A genealogy timeline is a combination of world events, local events and your ancestors' life events. Some ancestors can easily be placed in world events. For example, a Civil War soldier can easily be matched to world events. Others may have immigrated because of a world event, be it war or famine or oppressive regimes. A historical timeline set next to your ancestor's lifeline may add some insight.
Things You'll Need
- your ancestor's information (just pick one ancestor)
- historical facts - local, state, national, world
- a spreadsheet (Excel or Works)
Instructions
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Creating a Timeline for Your Ancestor
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Open your spreadsheet program. Using Row 1, label the top row with years by decade from birth to death. You can always add more years as you need.
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Using Row 2, include ancestral facts such as birth, death and marriage.
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Include residence information from the censuses and city directories.
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Go through your documents and include all other facts. This information essentially tracks your ancestor through his or her life.
Adding a Historical Timeline
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Using a new row, include major world events like World War I (1914-1918).
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Include other historical facts relevant to your ancestor. For instance, if your family has diabetes, include 1922 when insulin was first administered to diabetic patients. (reference 2) Seek out facts relevant to your ancestor's occupation. A farming family might include the invention of a cast iron plow share in 1830. (reference 4)
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Include local facts as well. If your ancestor was from Chester County, Pennsylvania, include Gilbert Cope and Judge Futhey's "History of Chester County, Pennsylvania," published in 1881. (reference 3) or that the Diamond Rock Octagonal School House was built in 1818 near Valley Forge. (reference 4)
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Tips & Warnings
If you need to add a year to your spreadsheet, right click on an existing column. Click "Insert Column." This will add a column in front of the one you chose.
