Finding people is easy. Keeping track of them requires charts!
Finding people? Sure you are! Loads of them! But after interviewing a dozen or so relatives, you discover napkins, matchbook covers and yellow sticky notes are not the best ways to record your family history findings. Don't fret! There are a variety of standard genealogical forms like pedigree charts and family group records that can help keep your data in its proper place. Finding people like your Great Aunt Gertie has never been easier! Pedigree Charts The pedigree chart (also known as a family tree or lineage chart) provides you with a bird's-eye view of where your research is at. For example, a quick lookover may reveal that work still has to be done on finding great grandma Gertie's birth date. Or, maybe you still don't know who your paternal great great grandfather was. A pedigree chart is an ascendant chart. This simply means that you begin with yourself and work back in time filling in each blank box with your parents, great-grandparents and so on. Your goal is to try and reach as far back in time as possible. Download this sample file to see what a completed pedigree chart should look like: Download a sample Pedigree chart Begin a blank family tree chart by recording the following information in the upper-left hand corner: Prepared by: _____________ Address: _________________ City and State: __________ Date Prepared: ___________ Next, on line #1, record your complete name and vital statistics.The upper level of the pedigree chart is where you record information regarding your paternal line. This simply means information about your father and his ancestors. He is assigned number two. You maternal line (your mother's information) appears in the lower portion of the pedigree chart. She is assigned #3. By now you've probably noticed that all of your male ancestors are given an "even" number and your female ancestors an "odd" number. Sooner or latter you'll run out of space on your chart. Grab a new chart and number it #2. Choose a subject from your first chart (maybe your great great grandfather who is #8). He now becomes #1. Make sure you indicate the following: "No. 1 on this chart is #8 on Char #1. Confused yet? Tips for completing a Pedigree Chart Use a pencil. After a few errors, you'll understand why. Print and do it neatly. I can't even read my own handwriting sometimes. Always note maiden names for women. Write all dates in this format: 21 January 1898. Dates written like 02/03/1898 lead do confusion. Does it mean February 3, 1898 or March 2, 1898? Family Group Records In the course of finding people like your great great grandparents you discover that the pedigree chart doesn't provide space to record their children. Briefly, these folks are called collateral ancestors. This is just a fancy word for people who don't make it onto the direct line you've been tracing. The family group record is a specific chart designed to hold information about one couple and their children. Download the following file to see what a completed family group record should look like. (You'll need a free copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view the file). Download a sample Family Group Record Now that you have some charts to make things easier you can now move on with again with finding people for your family tree. Genealogy Numbering SystemsA good numbering system will help keep your ancestors sorted out as well as help organize your filing system. Click on this link to read more about the various systems you can choose from:
Genealogy Numbering Systems
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