Family tree how to make

How to Make a Family Tree Chart

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Posted by: Lucid Content Team

In 1977, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) gambled that a 12-hour miniseries based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel, “Roots,” would be of interest to the general American audience. In an unprecedented move, ABC scheduled the series to be broadcasted over eight consecutive nights.

The gamble paid off as roughly half of the Americans alive in 1977 watched at least part of the series.В

The “Roots” miniseries was a cultural phenomenon that influenced millions of viewers to research their own roots. While writing the book, Haley did a lot of genealogy research at the National Archive, and after the series aired, letters to the National Archive tripled and applications to use the facilities increased by 40%.

If you are interested in your own family history, a good place to start is to create a family tree.

A family tree is a visual representation of a person’s lineage, tracing relationships to common ancestors. Visually similar to an org chart, 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.В

A family tree diagram or genealogy chart makes it easy to record the people, places, and events that make up your family history and then share it with others. Learn how to draw a family tree (or get started faster with a few examples of family trees).

Why create a family tree?

If you are even a little bit interested in your ancestry and if you would like to gain some insight into who you are and where you came from, you may want to create a genealogy chart.

There are many reasons to make your own family trees:

How to draw a family tree chart

A family tree can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.В

A simple genealogy chart may include you, your parents, your grandparents, and your great-grandparents. A complicated family tree chart may include you, your parents, your siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, and so on.

How far you go and who you include is up to you.

Getting started

Before you jump in and start drawing your family tree, you may want to do a little planning. For example, you might ask yourself:

You also may want to determine in which direction you will draw the tree. In nature, trees grow from the ground to the sky, but on paper or the computer screen, family trees can develop from the bottom up, the top down, or horizontally. It could be a good idea to look at some examples of family trees to help you decide how your tree will be drawn.

There is not a single family tree definition that dictates what has to be included or what the family tree should look like. But note that if you simply want to chart relationships without digging too deeply, you may want to draw a simple kinship diagram instead. Kinship diagrams use basic symbols, lines, and letters to represent relationships to help you visualize your lineage.

1. Gather information about your family

Write down what you know, ask family members to fill in the gaps, and find pictures and documents. Visit libraries and online genealogy sources to search for census records, news stories, land deeds, and other documents that can verify your ancestry.

Remember that you can only go back so far because of the limited availability of reliable records. You may have heard of some people saying that they have traced their lineage all the way to Adam and Eve. But in reality, it is very hard to find accurate records older than a few hundred years because many records have been destroyed in fires, floods, acts of war, and simple negligence. Some areas of the world were better at keeping and preserving records than others, so how far you can go back will depend on where your family came from. Most family tree outlines trace ancestry back three or four generations because of the limited information.

2. Draft a family tree outline

Compile all of the information you have and create an outline. Start drawing from yourself to your ancestors, or start with the oldest ancestor you know about and trace forward to you.

You can draw your family tree freehand using pen and paper or create a family tree online using Lucidchart and our family tree diagram maker. Through this visual workspace, you can select a family tree template online and modify it with a few simple clicks.В

3. Add information to each leaf

Each family member will be represented by a shape connected by lines to represent relationships. Typically a box or rectangle is used to represent your relatives, but you can use any shape that you want to use. Each shape is a leaf on the tree. The shape you decide to use as leaves should be consistent and sized to include the information that you plan to put on your family tree chart.В

Place pictures, important event dates, and any other information you want to include in your leaf. As you put together this information, we would recommend a few additional guidelines:

Make it simple

If you want your family tree diagram to be useful to other members of your family, keep it simple so the information can be easily scanned and digested. Try to have each level of the tree represent a single generation so it is easy to trace relationships.

Don’t air your family’s dirty laundry

Who is going to be looking at this family tree diagram? There may be some family secrets that are not known to all living family members, so try to be sensitive about adding information that may not be too welcome to some of your relatives.

4. Distribute your family tree diagram

This is the fun part—once you have finished your genealogy chart or family tree diagram, share it with your family members and give them a chance to reflect on their genealogy or learn new family stories. You can also invite them to provide additional information.

If you have created your family tree diagram online with Lucidchart, click “Share” to give family members access to collaborate on the visual with you or export your family tree to a number of file formats.

Discover your family history with Lucidchart

Use Lucidchart to easily make a free family tree chart. No matter what time zone your family members reside in, everybody with the permission to share and edit the document can open it, add notes, and modify or make corrections at the same time. It’s a good way to bring your family closer without being in the same physical location.

Sign up for a free account so you can start tracking your family history visually.

How to Make a Family Tree

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Many people want to start building their family tree and researching their family history, but they have no clue as to where to begin.

Here are our the top 7 things you need to know to get started on your family tree:

1. Collect the information you already have and search for more.

Search through drawers, closets, attics and basements. Ask your parents and grandparents for whatever information they may have. Talk to other relatives and let them know you are looking for any documents related to your family. Some relatives will know exactly where to look, while others may have to search. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll find. When visiting family, bring your smartphone or camera to photograph documents on the spot. Your aunt may be delighted to show you her parents’ photograph album, but she may not trust you with handing it over completely. This is legitimate and the photograph will be good enough.

2. Discuss your project with your family.

They probably know more than you think. In addition to dates and facts, listen to the family stories. Don’t stop at your immediate family circle, but talk also to family friends. If your grandparents are alive, they will be happy to talk about their lives when they were young, and their own parents and grandparents. Make a list of open questions that cannot be answered with either “yes” or “no.” Genealogy is not only dates. Although you need facts to build a family tree, it’s a good idea to start with stories.

3. Start building your tree

Go to MyHeritage.com and create a profile with just your name, your parents and your grandparents. Then with the help of MyHeritage Smart Matching™, your tree will grow instantly. Smart Matching™ is a powerful technology that matches people that you have defined in your family tree with people in other family trees that members all over the world have created on MyHeritage.com. With billions of family tree profiles on MyHeritage, you have an excellent chance of getting Smart Matches™ that reveal valuable new information about your family. You can then review and save new information to your family tree as well as contact other family tree owners to find more connections and discover new relatives.

4. Continue to organize and backup your data.

Categorize and store the collected material properly in a safe place. To prevent loss of information, start building your family tree on MyHeritage, where you can easily share information with your family, and have them collaborate and never lose any data as it is all stored online.

5. Set a goal, but be flexible.

It is good set goals for your family history research but make sure to be flexible if you can’t reach that goal right away. Your family history is made up of a multitude of stories, and each discovery will help you piece it together. It helps to focus on a specific branch of your family tree and, if you get stuck, to try another branch. Don’t get discouraged. Patience is a huge part of genealogical research.

6. The Internet is your friend.

It’s easy and comfortable to research at home, and access a huge amount of data. Your devices – computer, smartphone, tablet – connect you to the larger genealogical world. MyHeritage SuperSearch has a large, accessible collection of historical records and family trees, making it a great place to jumpstart your research

7. Organize and backup. Again.

This is important enough to mention twice. Organize your papers and regularly back up your data on various media. Use flash drives, the Cloud, etc. Continue to add, to update, to organize your research. Without these steps, you may find yourself overwhelmed with information.

How to Make a Family Tree Chart or Book on MyHeritage

Daniella Levy

Did you know that you can generate your own beautiful, professionally printable genealogy chart or family book on MyHeritage — for free?

You’ve been working so hard on your tree, painstakingly entering names and dates, citing sources, and uploading photographs. Now you can enjoy the fruits of your labor and share them with your loved ones with a striking family tree chart or book.

All MyHeritage users can generate an unlimited number of charts or family books in PDF form absolutely free. You can then print them using your home computer or local print service, or order a high-quality printed poster from MyHeritage. Frame and display your genealogy chart proudly on your wall, bring it to your next family reunion, or give it to a family member as a personalized, one-of-a-kind gift.

Here’s how to make a family tree chart or book on MyHeritage.

1. Select a family tree format

Hover over the “Family Tree” tab on the navigation bar and click “More.” Select “Print charts & books” from the extended menu.

You can choose from 9 different formats:

Bowtie chart

The bowtie chart shows the main person at the center next to one spouse, with their ancestors branching out on either side and their children below. The symmetry and proportions of this chart make it an excellent choice for a wall hanging.

Close family chart

The close family chart displays the grandparents of the main person and all the descendants of those grandparents, including all the cousins of the main person. This is a good format for sharing with cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Ancestors chart

The ancestors chart displays all the ancestors of the main person up to the number of generations you select. This symmetrical, elegant chart is the perfect gift for a child. You can select a horizontal or vertical format for this chart.

Descendants chart

The descendants chart displays all the descendants of the main person from each of their spouses, down to the number of generations you select. The proportions of the chart vary according to the number of descendants in each generation.

This is a great genealogy chart for sharing with relatives with whom you share a common ancestor: pick that ancestor as the main person. You can select a horizontal or vertical format for this chart.

Hourglass chart

The hourglass chart combines the ancestor chart and the descendant chart for the same main person. This chart is a great choice to give to an older relative, who may enjoy seeing their ancestors and descendants together. You can also select the vertical or horizontal format for this chart.

Sun chart chart

The sun chart is a new format exclusive to MyHeritage, inspired by a traditional circular family tree format used in communities across Europe for centuries. You can select the descendants or ancestors sun chart. Unlike the fan chart, this type of chart supports photos.

The descendant sun chart is a perfect choice for a family reunion, because it can display a very large number of descendants in a relatively small space. The main person is displayed at the center, and their descendants are displayed in the outer rings.

The ancestor sun chart displays all ancestors of the main person, up to the number of generations you select.

Fan chart

The fan chart displays either all the ancestors or all the descendants of the main person (from one spouse) in a unique fan format. You can limit the number of generations.

All-in-one chart

The all-in-one chart displays all the relatives of the main person, including relatives by blood and by marriage. This is a great option if you want to capture your entire family tree in one chart.

Family book

The family book is a detailed and professional compilation of the family tree. It includes narratives on each person’s life, photographs, family tree diagrams, and useful indexes. This is an amazing way to capture all the research you’ve done in a printed book your family will cherish for generations.

Pro tip : If you select a format that supports personal photos, make sure as many as possible of the individuals who’ll appear in it have personal photos in your tree before generating the chart. This will make for a much more striking and personalized visualization. Relatives without photos will be represented by a generic icon.

2. Select a style for your chart

If you’ve selected a chart format (except the sun chart), you’ll be able to choose from 18 different styles for your chart, including different backgrounds, colors, photo shapes, and more. Scroll left and right to browse the styles and select your favorite.

3. Customize your family tree chart

Choose who the main person of the chart or book will be and enter a title. Depending on the format you chose, you’ll be able to select which (if any) facts to include and how many generations of your family tree will appear.

If you’re planning to print the chart at home, you can select “Multiple pages.” This allows you to print it in multiple pages, which you can then connect to complete your homemade chart.

For a fancier, more professional-looking option, you can select “Single page” and print the chart professionally.

Advanced customization options

You can customize your chart even further, if you like! At the top of the page, next to “Chart options,” you’ll find “Advanced customization options.” Clicking this will take you to the advanced customization page. Here you can really get specific and choose your own designs, colors, and fonts for your family tree chart:

You can always go back to the previous page by scrolling to the top and clicking “Chart options.”

When you’re done, click “Generate chart” or “Generate book.” It may take a few minutes to generate your creation. You’ll receive an email notification when it’s ready.

4. Print your creation

On the “My charts” page, you’ll see a list of the charts and books you’ve generated. There are a few options for printing your creation:

Print your chart at home

To print your chart on your home printer, click “View PDF” beneath the chart you wish to print. This will open the file as a PDF on your browser. Select the “Print” option on your browser.

Order a poster of your family tree from MyHeritage

Some types of charts can be printed professionally and in high quality at MyHeritage. We off er several high-grade paper quality options, including a matte canvas.

If this option is available, you’ll see an “Order poster” link beneath the chart.

Click this to proceed with your order. You’ll be able to select a poster size, paper quality, number of charts to order, and currency. Then enter your shipping and billing details.

Print your family tree chart with a print service

You can also print your chart or book at your local print shop or online printing service. Click “View PDF” to open the PDF in your browser.

Then, select the “Download” option to download the file to your computer.

You can then email or transfer this file to your local print shop or upload it to an online printing service for professional printing, binding, and/or framing.

Create your family tree chart using Family Tree Builder

You can also create your family chart using MyHeritage’s free desktop software, Family Tree Builder. It features all the same design and customization options (except for the sun chart), with a some added bonuses:

There are several ways to begin creating a family tree chart on Family Tree Builder. You can find the “Charts” menu in the top menu or the top toolbar, under the “Edit” menu on any profile card, or when you right-click a name on the name list.

The “Charts” menu in Family Tree Builder

You can select a chart type from the menu, or click “Chart Wizard,” which will allow you to select a chart type and then your preferred style. Then your chart will be created. Above the window with the chart, you’ll see the “Chart Options” and “Styles” buttons. Here you’ll find all the customization options detailed above.

When you’re done creating the chart, you can order a poster from MyHeritage by clicking “Print” and then “Print poster,” or print your chart at home by selecting “Print to home printer.” You can also save the chart as a PDF or JPEG file on your computer by clicking “Save.”

Making a family tree at home

Making a family tree is a fun—and educational—activity. It’s an engaging way for all of your family members to learn about their past. But how do you create one in the first place?

Read on to learn how to make a family tree at home.

What’s a family tree?

A family tree is a diagram that shows the relationships between people in your family. Family trees often span a few generations or even several generations. An astounding example is a 13 million-person family tree created by scientists.

People sometimes refer to family trees as genealogical trees.

Family tree diagrams have the same basic design. A horizontal line between two boxes shows a marriage. A bracket from a couple to a lower set of boxes shows their children.

You can position family trees vertically or horizontally. You can even draw them as actual trees. The trunk may show your direct lineage, and branches may show distant relatives. The design is up to your personal taste.

Why make a family tree?

Family trees are a popular project for kids and adults alike. There are plenty of good reasons you may want to create one.

For example, you may want to:

What should you include in a family tree?

Family trees can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. What you include depends on your goals. Focus on the basics if you just want to create wall art. Include medical history, careers, fun facts, and more if you’re writing a family history.

You might want to include:

What are some tools you can use to create a family tree?

Family trees can take a lot of work. Each part of the project has its challenges. Luckily, you can get help from various tools.

There are tools to help you with:

How can you make a family tree project fun?

Family trees are already interesting. But how can you make the project a little more fun? By adding a dash of creativity.

You might choose to:

Creating a family tree can be a rewarding and engaging activity. It’ll be all the more fun with an extra dash of creativity.

Family Tree Maker

Visualize Family History

Streamline genealogical research; collect, visualize, and analyze data to discover insight into family histories.

Over 8 Million people and 1000s of teams already use Creately

How to Create a Family Tree?

Draw Complex Family Trees in Minutes

Multiple family tree templates to start quickly on genealogy research or build presentations.

Professional diagramming tools and controls to trace family trees and organize genealogical information easily.

Simple to use drag and drop tools to brainstorm and easily capture data on family ancestry.

Automatic drawing with Plus Create and color themes to easily visualize complex family trees and update them instantly.

Infinite canvas that scales up to 1000s of items in a single view to organize and store family trees and related information in one place.

Centralize Your Research Data

Import images, vectors and more into the canvas to create more data-rich and informative family trees.

Embed documents, records, and assets with in-app previews to link information together around family genealogy for easier analysis.

Multiple access and role levels to streamline sharing, reviewing, and editing family trees.

Build Family Trees Collaboratively

Real-time cursors for any number of participants. Collaborate with family members and peer researchers on a shared canvas.

Comment with context, have discussions and follow ups on the same canvas. Async!

​​Embed family trees on any site or share with anyone via an email or link invite to collaborate on.

Video conferencing baked into the platform to feel like you are in the same room.

Export family trees as SVGs, PDFs, JPEGs and PNGs to publish, present, print, or share.

Build Data-Driven Family Trees

Extend your family trees by adding locations, dates, and other key details to each node with custom properties and additional data fields.

Create multiple perspectives of your family tree with model objects; convert family trees to ecomaps, genograms, pedigree charts, hierarchical charts, and more.

Use frames inside the infinite canvas to generate page-like layouts to organize your data, group similar content, or build a presentation flow for your research.

Universal, full-text search to easily find specific nodes and information in large, complex family trees.

Popular Use Cases for Visualizing Family History

Extensive Resources, Toolkits and Guides

1000’s of templates, guides and toolkits for multiple domains and industries.

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What is a Family Tree?

Family tree is one of the most commonly used tools to trace the genealogy of a certain person. It visually represents the person’s lineage, tracing relationships to common ancestors using a tree diagram structure. While family trees play a key role in medical and anthropological studies, many people also work on building their family tree as a common pastime or hobby.