How Do We Make a Family Tree?
Creating a family tree is a way to neatly present all of your research on the history of your family in one place. You can make copies of your tree and give it to your relatives or make just one and pass it down through future generations. The trickiest part about making your own family tree is the research you will need to do beforehand so that you'll have plenty of information to fill in your tree. Once the research is done, the creation of the actual tree is a simple process.
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Instructions
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Gather information on your family. Start with yourself and go back through your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond; your tree can cover as many generations as you'd like. Discover as much as possible about everyone in your tree; basic dates like births, marriages and deaths are most important.
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Examine the methods for creating a family tree -- by hand or by using computer software. Each method has its own benefits; a tree made by computer is perfectly laid out for you and will often look neater and be easier to read, but a handwritten one can become a treasured family heirloom.
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Purchase software such as Family Tree Maker or Legacy Family Tree if you choose to make your tree on a computer. These programs allow you to input the information that you've gathered about your family members and will arrange it all for you into a neatly organized family tree, which you can then print out. Depending on the size of your tree, it may print onto several sheets of paper. Tape these pages together or take them to a copy shop and have them transferred to one large poster.
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Draw an outline of your tree on a piece of scrap paper if you decide to make it by hand. This will help you to get a feel for how the tree will be laid out. Most family tree templates start with one person and branch out to the left in brackets. Others branch out to the left and right, while some branch out toward the top, just as a real tree does.
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Begin drawing your tree onto the final sheet of paper once you've determined the layout. Enter your information in pencil to make sure it will all fit in the areas allotted before going over it with pen. If you'd like to preserve your family tree for your descendants, use acid-free paper and pens, which can be purchased at any craft store.
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Tips & Warnings
Download and print out a free template from FamilyTreeTemplates.net to get started if you doing your tree by hand.
References
Resources
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