What Is A Family Tree

A family tree is a visual representation of a person’s lineage, tracing relationships to common ancestors. Visually similar to an organizational chart used in business, this diagram is usually presented in a tree structure starting with one individual as the root. From the root, lines representing branches terminate in boxes representing leaves. Each leaf represents individual family members with information such as birth, marriage, and death dates. 

A family tree diagram is also referred to as a genealogy chart. It is intended to make it easy to record the people, places, and events that make up your family history and then share it with others. It is generally used to illustrate an individual’s ancestry and highlight the different relationships between generations of a particular family.

Why Build A Family Tree

You will find there are generally 4 types of Family Tree builders on DNA testing sites like Ancestry.com. You may have DNA matches with many of them and your ability to easily trace the Ancestors you have in common will vary based on the tree they have or have not built.

1. Those who don’t bother to build a tree at all because their purpose for taking the DNA test was to find out their genetic makeup or to verify paternity
2. Then there are those who just don’t have the time to work on the tree or get discouraged when the find out they will have to pay to see any records on the Ancestry site. Many people new to Genealogy searching are not aware that most of the databases used by Ancestry.com are available for free if you go to your local Genealogy section of the state libraries. The largest supplier of this free information is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also known as the Mormons. They have a not for profit organization called Family Search that offers free access to a variety of public records through their online portal. We’ll talk more about that later.
3. Then you will find those who do take time to build their tree at least out a few generations. Often they are interested in locating close relatives to re establish lost family connections of a grandparent or other close family relation. Sometimes they just hit a brick wall and stop looking, as in the case of many descendants of previously enslaved persons. Because their ancestor was not listed by name in any census prior to 1870, many new researchers just don’t know where to go from there.  
4. If you’re lucky you will have a few die hard researchers in your DNA match list. You will know them by the size of their publicly available tree. These people are not only interested in where their genetics came from, but they also want to know who it came from. The extent of their research into these matters will vary considerably depending on their interest in a particular ancestor. Everyone wants to descend from the family of someone famous. 

You can use a family tree to trace your lineage which includes generations of ancestors like your parents, grandparents, etc., or to show your descendants or the descendants from a particular ancestor, including children and grandchildren. As the name suggests, it can be structured like a tree with one individual as the root. Branches or lines are drawn to represent relationships and each branch will have leaves representing family members.

Your family tree diagram can be extremely detailed or it can simply be a basic diagram with a flowchart-like structure. Typically, each leaf in the tree will contain at least basic details like name, birth dates, marriage, and death dates. Sometimes they can contain more information depending on the purpose of the tree.

When used as a genealogy chart, the family tree can be combined with family history information to provide details on different branches that stem from the same ancestor. These genealogy charts are usually in more of a narrative format, because of all of the information they contain. They can also be used for discussions related to inheritance. 

You can create a family tree to track all of the descendants or ancestors of a specific person or to track everyone with the same surname. They also make for great history projects to track a dynasty, such as has been done with the British royal family.

A simple family tree diagram may include you, your parents, your grandparents, and your great-grandparents. A more detailed family tree chart may include you, your parents, your siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, and so on. How far back you go and who you include is up to you.

There is no standardized family tree definition that dictates what has to be included or what the family tree should look like, but there are several that are in common use. If you simply want to chart relationships without digging too deeply, you may want to draw a simple Kinship Diagram. Kinship diagrams use basic symbols, lines, and letters to represent relationships to help you visualize your lineage.

Simple family tree diagrams are a great way to engage other family members, including young adults and children, in genealogy so they can learn about their relatives. Building a family tree together is both fun and educational as you all learn to understand your roots and how you connect to the world. Additionally, children benefit from a family tree chart since it shows them relatives that they don’t see regularly and It helps them see beyond their day-to-day lives and understand their place in a family structure.

Family trees are also useful for tracing genetics and identifying potential hereditary health concerns. Many diseases can be passed on genetically, and your family could have a hereditary health issue that you’re unaware of. Identifying these concerns early could lead to early treatment and a better prognosis.

Some confuse a family tree with a pedigree chart. But, a pedigree diagram is a slightly different chart that outlines genetic traits rather than family relationships. The Pedigree or Ancestral Chart is a summary of your family at a glance. It contains basic information about each maternal and paternal generation of your family. Whether you are just beginning your family history or reviewing your research, your pedigree chart is the guide to your family tree.

Most families have some interesting stories about a distant relative that were passed down orally through generations. Often this information is forgotten over time as families grow and distance from each other. Creating a family tree is the perfect opportunity to record and relive unforgettable moments, historical achievements, and entertaining family anecdotes.

One great thing about family trees is that you can customize them however you want to. Its a perfect chance to let your creativity out, especially if you’re creating one with your child. Add as many colors as you’d like, and use lots of different shapes or include unique drawings or symbols to make the process fun and the final chart captivating.

Since you can take your family tree back as far as you wish, its an excellent way to learn about your distant ancestors. As you research older generations you will learn more about the experiences they lived through, locations they lived in and even occupations they may have held. This information can be fascinating and open up dialogue with older generations and connections with other relatives from branches you may not have been aware of. Its even possible that the further back you can build your family tree, you'll uncover information that connects you to well-known historical icons or even royalty.

Overall building a family tree or genealogical chart is not only a great personal project that can be both rewarding and informative, but it can also be a fun group project that brings the whole family together. You can ask your children and older relatives for help creating it, or invite everyone in the family to contribute to the creation of an online family tree with their own research and stories. The family tree is the perfect addition to family reunions where family history and stories can be shared amongst different branches of the family.

Collaborating on a family tree is a perfect way to reconnect with distant or estranged family members and to meet new ones. The one thing you all have in common is the family bond and working together on a family tree is a great reminder of that.

The different types of family tree diagrams

There are four common types of family trees:

• ANCESTRAL CHART: An ancestral family tree shows an individual’s ancestors. 
  
  
• DESCENDANTS CHART: This type shows the descendants of an individual. There are two people on the left (the parents), followed by all their children and grandchildren.

• SANDGLASS DIAGRAM: This shows a person’s ancestors and descendants. Typically, the individual is at the center with the ancestors on top and descendants below.

• TIMELINE CHART: This type is used to see which family members’ lives overlapped. Bars represent each person’s life span.

While the 4 types mentioned above are the main types of family trees, there are also many other types that you can use to track your relatives and research about them. In addition to your Genetic and Genealogical family, many people have unconventional or extended family they may also want to chart. The following lists some of the family trees that are available for that. :

• Five Generation Ancestor Family Tree: This is the form of family tree that highlights the statistics of the ancestors on the five generations of your family.
• Stepfamily Tree: This is again another type of family tree that highlights the information about the step family members in your ancestry.
• Biographical Family Tree: This form of family tree is also a source of learning for the current generation. It highlights the education, marriage, children and military services.
• Family Group Sheet: Next in the line comes the family group sheet which is especially designed to record all the necessary information about a nuclear family.
• Relationship Chart: This chart helps you figure out and understand how one is linked to the other.
• Adoptive Family Tree Chart: This form of family tree chart provides information about the person’s adoptive and biological parents.

The type of family tree you choose to make is dependent on your specific project and the purpose of the tree, you can choose any type mentioned above and customize them as needed.

There are many online sites that provide free or very affordable family tree templates that can make creating a family tree easy and fast. All of the online genealogy sites offer their own printable versions that you complete online and download.

Here are the steps you need to follow in building your family tree:

STEP 1: Decide how far back you want to trace your ancestry. Do you want to go as far back as your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents? After you’ve decided, you can represent them by using boxes at the top of the diagram. You can always add more boxes to your online family tree to go back farther.

STEP 2: Add their names, birthdates, and date of death within the boxes. You could also add other details like the date of a wedding or their birthplaces. Use brackets to depict marriages.

STEP 3: In each bracket or marriage, create branches and boxes to represent each child. Add details to these boxes.

STEP 4: Repeat the above two steps for every generation until the tree reaches you and any siblings.

STEP 5: Your family tree can continue into a sandglass diagram and include your children and any grandchildren.

Best practices for creating a good family tree diagram

There are no concrete rules to follow when creating a family chart. However, it’s best to keep the following tips in mind:

1. Plan the size and shape of your family tree

The size of your family tree largely depends on its purpose. If you want to print it out and showcase it, your tree needs to be fairly compact. Larger charts are more suited for online sharing.

Your chart can be in multiple shapes, as explained above. Linear flow charts are best for printing, while a Waterfall chart or a Sandglass diagram is easier to create and share online.

2. Limit complexity through your design

Your design dictates the complexity of your family tree. For example, a straightforward ancestral chart usually only requires names, date of birth, and death. But, if you decide to create a more detailed chart, you’ll need to do more research and maybe even change your design.

If you’re just creating a family tree diagram for fun, a top-bottom ancestral or descendants chart is the way to go.

3. Do your research to get your family tree right

Research is key to a good family tree diagram. Contact individuals within your family to make sure all the details are correct and collect any unknown information.

A poorly-made family tree defeats the purpose. You want a chart that can help you or your children understand their roots. For this, you need to do your research.

4. Plan out who will view the family tree, and create the tree accordingly

Decide which relationships to depict and how by thinking of the viewers. If you’re going to share your family tree with many relatives, you want to be cautious enough not to release any secrets or cause tensions unintentionally.