Exploring the origins of a family: a complete guide to creating family genealogy

Each of us has been curious about the origin of our family. Although elders may oral some family stories, this information is often incomplete.

Drawing family genealogy is an excellent way to record stories passed down from generation to generation and consolidate research on family origins. Even if you are not interested in complex family genealogy drawings, a simple family genealogy can be a convenient reference and share with others.

This article will discuss how to make family genealogy, where to start studying your family history, and some excellent family genealogy making apps and services that will help you trace family history.

Getting started

The first step in the journey is to look at examples of family genealogy. Consider the size of your family and how big you expect the family to expand after completing the research. Consider some uncertainties, for example, parents may be adopted, and tracing their origins may reveal numerous relatives you didn’t know about before.

Start with known information

Your visual guide should start with data you already know. Parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other family members should all be listed in your early sketch. Remember to create a family tree map showing generational growth; your parents should be above you and their parents are above them.

Also leave enough space for new information. For example, parents may also have siblings they are not close to. If a long-lost uncle has many children, then there will be a lot of room on your chart!

Consider the size of your genealogy

You may want to go back as long as possible—or be limited to your great-grandparents. There are no wrong answers. The data you want may not be available because migrations are often not well documented, so generations who may have left their ancestral homeland for a new territory will leave gaps in the research you can get.

Pay attention to kinship

Family relationships can be complex, and family genealogy maps are an excellent way to track relationships and ancestry without having to worry about who is who is who.

Generation is a level

You are your favorite child for parents. It doesn’t mean you have a priority on the chart! All siblings and cousins ??of the same generation should be listed on the same line in the chart. Just like family tree images of a blooming tree, generations should be considered like rings in a tree trunk.

How to make family genealogy diagrams

After completing the basic investigation and research, you can start drawing charts. When you start drawing a chart, it is wise to create a legend. In the following example, we have developed some common guidelines. First, the male icons have sharp lines and the female icons have soft lines.

Second, each generation has a specific color. We also connect all relationships with double arrows and connect all father-son relationships to father.

These are all style considerations, and none of them is the "correct" way to make family genealogy. The advantage here is that you can quickly view the generations and gender makeup of your family, even the ages of current generations. We only see my "sister" having children, which shows that the current generation is still quite young.

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What is the best procedure for creating family genealogy?

Online tools such as Family Echo are available, but are usually simpler. Many online tools require you to register for a service or to continuously push ads to you.

Diagrams is a great option if you want to create a more visually engaging chart. In fact, the above chart is made with Diagrams! The app is easy to use, easy to master, and can create charts of large or small you need without returning and editing generation requirements like Family Echo.

Diagrams depend on objects; in this case, family members. From there, you simply drag from one object to another to create a relationship. You can choose from a variety of colors, shapes, and relationship types such as dotted lines and single arrows.

When Diagrams is opened, select Add Element from the top menu to select the color and shape of the object. Once you make your choice, you can name the object and drag it into the application window for placement. You just keep adding objects and creating relationships between them and you can sketch a family tree map right away!

Remember when we said that family relationships may be a little confused? If this sounds like your home, an application like MindNode is probably exactly what you need. It is a fairly simple mind map application with many powerful features for creating large, diverse family genealogy maps. MindNode keeps the relationship lines in the background so that you can focus on creating detailed family genealogy diagrams. In the example below, we see that the user's parents divorced at some point and the father remarried. We are also able to better show both grandparents and still see tangible kinship, but they are not at the forefront.

We can also show companions on the family tree map branch on one side and the parents' blood relatives on the other side. Each branch (such as the mother's child) can also be folded, and each main object can accommodate the person's photo. You can also select one of dozens of icons available for the object if you prefer.

One thing we really like about MindNode is its ability to create to-do lists for each object. This makes it very convenient for family genealogy still in progress. Here we might want to add a to-do list item to study a grandfather’s legacy, or a grandmother’s sister.

in conclusion

Remember that family genealogy maps are constantly evolving. Even if you go back as long as you can, a new generation will keep popping up. Your own children, as well as your nephew and nieces. Also remember that future generations may be as curious as you are about your family’s origins, so updating family genealogy is useful for future generations as new members enter the world.

There is no universal application that creates excellent family tree maps. Since every family is unique, the needs of each user are unique.

One of the three applications mentioned here today – XMind, Diagrams and MindNode – is undoubtedly suitable for your needs. On top of that, you can try all three apps for free with the seven-day trial of Setapp, a platform with over 240 incredible Mac, iPhone, iPad and web apps. During your seven-day trial period, you can download and use as many apps as you like for free.

After the trial period, keep accessing the entire Setapp suite for only $9.99 per month – an incredible offer for so many incredible apps!

So, why wait? Try Setapp today!

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