How to Construct a Generation Family Tree

Create your own family tree.

Genealogy is a popular activity for many people. Tracing your family tree can give you a better sense of how you came to be who you are. The most common way of representing your direct ancestors is to create a generational family tree. While some people often turn to professional genealogists to create a family tree, there is no reason why, if you have the pertinent information about your ancestors, you can't do it yourself. The process for making a family tree is actually quite simple.

Instructions

1. Gather your resource materials and notes. You will want the names of your ancestors as well as the dates for births, marriages and deaths. Adding the locations for each of these events would also be a good idea.

2. Use index cards to create one information card for each ancestor. Maintain a consistent method for doing this. The order should be last name/first name, date and location of birth, marriage (or marriages) and death.

3. Place your index cards on a poster board. Arrange them so that your information is on the middle right side of the poster board with your parents next over from you and their parents just over from them. Continue this until you have placed your most distant ancestors on the other side of the poster board.

4. Use a marker to write the information from each card directly on the poster board. Once you have transferred all the information to the poster board, draw lines that connect descendants to ancestors. Once you have your direct lineage in place, you can now add spouses, siblings and cousins, drawing in connecting lines for them as well. Keep in mind that in this right to left arrangement, vertical lines are used for marriage while horizontal lines show descent.

References

• Knowing the World: Creating a Family Tree