Find Your Family Tree – Basic Genealogy Charts
Pedigree Charts, Family Group Sheets, Research Logs for Ancestors
Jul 17, 2009
Genealogy research is a hobby that can create stacks of scribble-filled papers and unorganized notes. Beginning genealogists can take heart – there are charts and forms created especially to organize ancestors' information.
Pedigree Charts Show Ancestors
Pedigree charts (sometimes referred to as ancestral charts) show lineage and basic information for four or five generations. They begin with one person, then branch to parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Basic information is included: where and when an ancestor was born, married and died.
A genealogist's own name should be in the number one position of one pedigree chart. The family tree can be extended, with each end person (i.e. great-grandparent) also being entered in the number one position on a new pedigree chart.
Family Group Sheets Expand a Family Tree
While pedigree charts only show direct lineage, the branches on a family tree can be expanded with family group sheets. These show full vital statistics for a couple, sometimes noting additional marriages. Below the couple's information are lines for each of their children, their birth and death dates and places, plus marriage information, including the names of spouses.
If an ancestor is married twice, he or she will have two family group sheets – one for each marriage and the children belonging to that marriage.
Research Logs Save Time
The third vital genealogy form is a research log. Genealogists use these to track what information they have searched for, and in which locations. For example, they won't need to search the state archives for a birth certificate when they can see they did it two years earlier, but they could readily see that they haven't searched the county courthouse.
Additionally, and just as important in this age of internet databases, researchers can record what spellings they used when searching for a family name. Transcription and indexing errors are common, and looking for Paffen won't give the same results as Passer.
Where to Get Genealogy Forms
Pedigree charts, family group sheets, and research logs are available in several formats.
- Paper Forms: While modern stationery stores don't usually stock them, the website for the PBS television program Ancestors has PDF files of blank forms, available freely to the public. Genealogists who like to work with paper copies can print these and fill them out by hand, which is often the easiest first step for beginners.
- Genealogy Computer Programs: Each program can print information in pedigree chart or family group sheet form, as well as several other choices. Some have particular places to enter research log information; it may also be entered in the "notes" field for each individual or family. Blank forms can always be printed for working by hand.
- Online Genealogy Websites: Ancestry.com and others like it have the capability for genealogists to enter and store their information online, keeping it private if so desired. Just like a genealogy program on a home computer, an online site will print information in various formats. Blank forms are generally available for non-members to print as well, but it may take some digging to find them.
Family tree researchers who use genealogy forms will have the information they need at their fingertips.
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