How to make a family tree
You can draft a three-generation tree in an evening. A deeper tree takes longer, but the method is the same: start with what you know, ask relatives, check records, then lay it out.
1. Write down what you already know
Begin with yourself, your siblings, parents and grandparents. Note full names, birth years and places. Leave a question mark rather than guessing — it tells you what to ask next.
2. Interview older relatives
Grandparents, great-aunts and great-uncles often know names nobody wrote down. Ask about maiden names, where people lived, and who appears in old photos. Record the conversation (with permission) and scan photos while you are there.
3. Check records
Birth, marriage and death certificates, census returns and parish registers confirm dates and add new names. FamilySearch (run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) offers free access to many indexed records; national archives such as the US National Archives and the UK’s National Archives publish guides for their holdings.
4. Choose the kind of chart
- Family tree — everyone: partners, siblings, children, cousins. Best for gifts and reunions. Use the family tree maker.
- Pedigree chart — direct ancestors only, compact and research-friendly. See the pedigree chart maker.
- Descendant chart — everyone descended from one couple; ideal for a reunion handout. Try the descendant chart template.
- Genogram — adds standard symbols for relationships and health. Use the genogram maker.
5. Follow the drawing conventions
- Oldest generation at the top (or in the roots, for a tree that grows upward). Each generation on its own row.
- A horizontal line joins a couple. A single line drops from the middle of that line to a bar, and each child hangs from the bar.
- Siblings in birth order, eldest on the left.
- Write dates as years or in day–month–year order with the month as a word (12 Mar 1931) so nobody confuses US and European formats.
- Record women under their birth surname; mention married names in notes.
6. Build, check and share
Enter the tree in the builder, then use How related? to spot mistakes — if two people come out as “not related” when they should be, a parent link is missing. Download a PDF to print, a PNG to send to relatives, or a GEDCOM file to continue in a genealogy program.
Not sure what to call a relative? The cousin calculator explains second cousins, once removed and the rest.
Questions
What information goes on a family tree?
At minimum each person’s full name (women usually under their birth surname in genealogy), and birth and death years. Many trees add places, marriage dates and photos.
Where should I start a family tree?
Start with yourself and work backwards one generation at a time. Record what you know first, then interview older relatives before looking up records.
What are the symbols on a family tree?
A horizontal line joins a couple; a vertical line drops from the couple to their children; siblings hang from a shared horizontal line in birth order. Genealogists often write b. (born), d. (died) and m. (married) before dates.
How do I show divorce or remarriage?
Draw each marriage as a separate couple line, earliest first, and hang each set of children from the right couple. In the builder, add a second partner and set the first couple’s status to divorced.