A Complete Guide to Building Your Family Tree with Templates

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Building a family tree can reveal so much about your family history. You can make new connections, uncover illuminating facts about your heritage and learn more about where your ancestors came from. That said, getting started may be challenging. Maybe you are not sure what information goes where on a family tree template or you are unsure what template you should use. Here is a guide to building your family tree, using family tree templates and charts that match your individual needs. We also provide examples of many family tree templates and how they are filled out.

What is a Family Tree?

The term “build a family tree” may sound complicated and labor-intensive on the surface. In truth, to build your family tree simply means to create an illustrative diagram that shows how the people in your family are related to each other, across generations. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about completing the diagram part from scratch; you can fill out a template or chart that displays all the relevant details.

That said, building your family tree does not necessarily happen all in one day. You may be able to fill out a lot of information when you are just getting started, about yourself, your parents and grandparents. You may even know plenty of information about your great grandparents. However, the further back you go, the more likely you are to come across brick walls. For this reason, you may also benefit from coming up with a sound research plan to guide you as you build.

Why Use a Family Tree Template?

The short answer is that family tree templates streamline the process of building your family tree. You don’t have to draw it out, just fill in the blanks. Some other benefits of using family tree templates include:

• A Family Tree Template Promotes Legibility: With a family tree template, you don’t have to worry about drawing out the diagram yourself and ensuring that all of the boxes align and that the line drawn illustrate clear relationships. The template has already done that for you.
• A Family Tree Template Helps Tell a Story: You could verbally explain to others how your ancestors are related to you, but the details can get confusing. A family tree template allows you to condense all the facts in one place, with the help of a clear visual guide.
• A Family Tree Template is a Great Conversation Starter: Once you have filled out your template, you can share it with your family and get them excited about genealogy.

Information Needed to Fill Out a Family Tree Template

As you will see below, there are many different family tree templates, and not all of them require the same information. All family tree templates, for example, typically call for the first names and surnames of your ancestors (remember to record women with their maiden names). Here are some other facts you will want to have on your side as you fill out your family tree template:

• Birth dates
• Death dates
• Marriage dates
• Marriage places
• Birthplaces
• Death places

Types of Family Tree Templates

When you think of the typical family tree, you might visualize the standard chart that consists of many boxes, lines and names. There are many different types of family tree templates to choose from. The right one for you will depend upon the information you wish to record and display. Are you just looking to record direct ancestors, or do you also wish to include cousins and distant relatives? Below are some of the most common types of family tree templates, as well as examples of how they might be filled out.

1. Pedigree Chart

The pedigree chart shows an individual’s ancestors back several generations–for example, five. All the people listed on the pedigree charts are direct relatives. When you fill out a pedigree chart, you will start with yourself and then your parents. After that, you will record your parents’ parents and then their parents. That format continues for as far as you can go!

2. Vertical Pedigree Chart

The vertical pedigree chart shows an individual’s direct ancestors. Ancestors are displayed above the individual, or in a vertical order.

3. Horizontal Hourglass Chart

The horizontal hourglass chart displays not only direct ancestors but also descendants, siblings and spouses. When you record your genealogy using this chart, your ancestors will be shown to the right and your descendants to the left.

4. Bow Tie Chart

The bow tie chart is unique in that it makes a clearer distinction between paternal and maternal ancestors. The paternal line is displayed to the left and the maternal line to the right.

5. Fan Chart

The fan chart looks exactly as its name suggests. The chart displays your ancestors in a neat half-circle. This format is handy for viewing multiple generations at just a glance.

Family Tree Magazine Downloadable Templates

There are many different templates and charts designed to help you record and gather important information about your family. Best of all, you can download many of them for free here on our website Below are some examples of these templates available for download and how you can use them in your genealogy research.

1. Five Generation Ancestor Chart

Also known as the pedigree chart mentioned above, the Five Generation Ancestor Chart lives up to its name and allows you to chart five generations of your family–starting with yourself. Be sure to include full names, birth dates, marriage dates and death dates, as well as the place at which each of these major events occurred.

2. Family Group Sheet

When it comes to genealogy research, sometimes even those who aren’t related to you directly can reveal important information about your heritage–think aunts, uncles and spouses. The Family Group Sheet allows you to create a full portrait of such individuals.

3. Adoptive Family Tree Template

The Adoptive Family Tree template is perfect for those who have been adopted who wish to record information about their adopted family while also learning more about their biological family’s genealogy. You will find adequate space to record information about both families on the template.

We also have a template for step-families!

4. Ancestor Research Worksheet

Have you completed a lot of research about an ancestor and need a place to record all the information? The Ancestor Research Worksheet can come in handy. Write down valuable information about your ancestor’s name, birth, marriages and divorces, death, children and more to create a full portrait of who they were.

Tips for Filling Out a Family Tree Template

Family tree templates provide you with the framework you need to build your family tree. All of the boxes and lines will have been drawn; all you need to do is fill in the blanks. With that in mind, there are some tips you will want to keep in mind when filling out a family tree template. How you fill out your template will depend upon whether you are filling out a form by hand or if you are using an online platform (like Ancestry) or family tree software. We offer tips for both scenarios below.

First, however, you might want to review some tips that apply to filling out a family tree template in all cases:

General Tips for Filling Out a Family Tree Template

• Start with Your Own Information: So much of genealogy involves jumping to the past. When it comes to building a family tree, the past begins with you. You’ll want to start by writing down your full name, your birth date and birthplace. From there, fill any blanks that you know you can fill, such as your parents’ birth dates, your grandparents’ places of birth and so on.
• Follow Consistent Conventions for Dates: Recording dates in your family tree may differ from how you write out the date in your personal calendar or on everyday documents. The proper date format for family trees is day, month, full year (as in, 14 October 2024).
• Familiarize Yourself with Genealogical Numbering Systems: Genealogical numbering systems make it easier to manage all of your ancestors, which is especially handy when you have an extensive family tree. By numbering your ancestors, you can easily refer back to them as you research.

Filling Out a Family Tree Template by Hand

• Write Out Names Legibly: This perhaps goes without saying, but you want to make sure that you easily read all of the information presented on your tree. Be sure to provide adequate spacing between words; make it clear where first names (and middle names) end and surnames begin. This especially makes a difference for ancestors with very long names. You might even want to write surnames in all caps.
• Opt for a Pencil Over Pen: Pencils allow you to “undo” any errors with just a swipe of eraser. That isn’t as easy to do with a pen. If you do prefer to write in pen, consider writing out all of your information in pencil first and then tracing back over it in ink.
• Keep Your Sources Within Reach: As you fill out your family tree template, you may need to refer to your sources for information and may not want to spend too much time leafing through lots of paper. Consider creating a source reference list to make referencing and managing sources more effortless.

Using the Big Four Genealogy Websites

All of the Big Four websites–which include Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage–allow users to build their family trees for free. Some may have limitations as to what features you can access with just a free account, but they all offer several different options for viewing your tree (for example, in fan chart mode versus pedigree chart mode).

All of the sites will ask you similar questions as you start your family tree, and the information asked mirrors much of what you might write down on a paper template, so you will want to have it ready. This includes birth dates, marriage dates and death dates. Here are some other tips to keep in mind:

• Ensure That You are Typing the Correct Information: As you type out the names of ancestors, double-check that you are spelling them correctly; make sure that the names match the ones listed on records and other documents. Ensure that dates are correct as well. This is not important only ensuring the accuracy of your family tree but also in helping ensure that you can relevant hints that guide you in building your family tree.
• Don’t Feel Pressured to Accept Every Hint: Naturally, you will get excited when you see that there’s a hint in your family tree. For example, I feel a rush of excitement every time I see that little green leaf appear next to one of my ancestors’ names on Ancestry. However, you will want to review it carefully to ensure that it is relevant to you before accepting it and saving it to your tree. Verify that the details provided in the hint match those listed in your own records.
• Invite Other Family Members: The great thing about technology is that it allows us to connect with others with just a click of a button. This is true even with genealogy. The Big Four websites allow you to invite others to collaborate, which is a great way to fill in blanks and learn more about your ancestors! You never know what information relatives have that you do not.

Using the Family Tree Software

Many of the family tree templates displayed above were generated thanks to family tree software, specifically Family Tree Maker 2019. Family tree software is a great tool not only for building your family tree but also for preserving it digitally and allowing you to access it whenever you desire. Many of the principles that apply to filling out a template via the Big Four also apply to filling out a template using software: ensure that you are transcribing accurate information and review hints carefully.

Beyond these steps, you should also be careful to cite your sources. Citing your sources makes it easier for you to return to them later; you can simply look at a piece of information and know that it came from a specific document and know instantly that you should look in that document. Fortunately, many family tree software programs make citing your sources a painless process. For example, Reunion requires you to enter the source just once. From there, you can cite the source in any record.