Free Guide to Drawing Your Family Tree

What a Family Tree Is and Why People Create Them

A family tree is a visual diagram that shows how people in your family are related to each other. It typically displays names, birth dates, marriage dates, and sometimes death dates. The structure branches out like an actual tree—with a trunk representing earlier generations and branches spreading out to show descendants and relatives.

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People create family trees for many reasons. Some want to understand their ancestry and where their family came from originally. Others create them to preserve family history before that information is lost. Many people discover that researching their family tree becomes a rewarding hobby that connects them to relatives they never knew existed. Genealogy—the study of family history—has grown significantly over the past two decades, with millions of people worldwide now researching their roots.

Family trees serve practical purposes too. They can clarify inheritance and property matters, help identify genetic health conditions that run in families, and provide children with a sense of belonging and family identity. Some people use family trees for legal reasons, such as proving citizenship or heritage for immigration purposes. Others create them simply to have a record of family connections to share with younger generations.

The size of a family tree varies greatly. Some people trace back only three or four generations, while serious genealogists have documented family lines going back 10 or more generations. A typical family tree starts with you and expands backward to include parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and sideways to include siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Practical Takeaway: Before you begin, think about your purpose. Are you researching for personal interest, family preservation, legal documentation, or a school project? Your goal will help you decide how far back to research and which relatives to include.

Gathering Information From Your Own Family

The easiest place to start building a family tree is with information you already have or can gather from close family members. This foundational research requires no special tools—just conversations and document review. Begin with yourself and work outward and backward, recording what you learn.

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Talk to your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Ask them basic questions: What are their full names (including maiden names for women)? When and where were they born? When did they get married, and to whom? Do they have siblings? Who were their parents? Many older family members enjoy sharing family stories and can provide details that aren't written anywhere else. Consider recording these conversations, with permission, so you don't forget important details.

Search your home for documents that contain family information. Birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, and divorce decrees all provide official records with dates and locations. Look through old photo albums—the back of photos sometimes has dates or names written on them. Check family Bibles, which traditionally recorded births, marriages, and deaths. Old letters, wedding announcements in newspapers, graduation programs, and military discharge papers all contain useful information.

Ask relatives if they have family documents stored away. People often keep boxes of old papers, photographs, or genealogical research that previous family members started. You might find that someone in your family already researched part of your tree. Create a simple list or spreadsheet as you gather information, recording names, dates, and the source of each fact. This organized approach prevents confusion and helps you spot gaps in your knowledge.

Practical Takeaway: Start a simple document with three columns: person's name, key dates (birth/marriage/death), and where you found this information. This creates a foundation and shows you what information you still need to find.

Using Free Online Resources and Databases

Several websites offer free genealogical information that can expand your family tree beyond what you know personally. These databases contain millions of historical records, including census data, birth and death records, ship passenger lists, and military records. Learning to search these resources effectively is a key skill in family research.

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FamilySearch.org is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is completely free. It contains over 4 billion historical records from around the world. You can search for ancestors, build a family tree on the site, and access digitized documents. The site is particularly strong for records from the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Ancestry.com offers a free basic search function, though full access to their records requires a paid subscription—however, many local public libraries offer free Ancestry access to cardholders.

Other free resources include USGenWeb, which provides links to genealogical information by county and state; HeritageQuest Online, available through many public libraries; and state-level vital records databases, which vary by location but often allow you to search birth, marriage, and death records. The National Archives website (archives.gov) provides free access to census records, military records, and other government documents.

When searching these databases, try different spelling variations of names—historical records often contain spelling errors. Search with just a first and last name first, then narrow results using birth year and location if you have many results. Record where you found each piece of information, including the database name, record type, and date accessed. This documentation is important if you need to verify information later or if someone questions your research.

Practical Takeaway: Start with FamilySearch.org for free, comprehensive records. Check if your local library offers free access to Ancestry.com or other paid genealogy sites. Make a bookmark folder of helpful websites so you can return to them as you continue your research.

Creating Your Family Tree Document or Chart

Once you have gathered information, you need to organize it into a visual family tree. You have several options, ranging from simple paper diagrams to digital formats. The choice depends on how much information you have, how many relatives you want to include, and what format works best for sharing and storing your tree.

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The simplest approach is drawing your tree on paper. Use a large sheet of paper or poster board. Place the oldest generation at the top or bottom, depending on your preference. Write each person's name in a box, and draw lines connecting parents to children and showing marriages. For a small family (3-4 generations, fewer than 50 people), this approach works well and requires no technology skills. You can make copies to keep with family members or photograph it for digital storage.

For larger or more complex family trees, digital tools are more practical. Microsoft Word and Excel both work for creating family trees—Word has built-in templates you can customize, while Excel allows you to create a spreadsheet listing family members and their relationships. Google Docs and Google Sheets offer similar free options with the advantage that you can share files and collaborate with family members in real time.

Free dedicated genealogy software exists for more serious researchers. Gramps (Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Program) is open-source software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It allows you to build detailed family trees, attach documents and photos, and organize large amounts of information. Other free options include MyHeritage's free tier and Familyecho, which creates interactive family trees you can share online.

Standard formats for family trees include the pedigree chart (showing your direct ancestors in a tree format), the family group sheet (showing one couple and their children), and the descendant chart (showing one person and everyone who descended from them). Choose the format that matches your research goal. Include birth dates and places, marriage information, and death dates when available. Adding photographs and brief biographical notes creates a richer historical record.

Practical Takeaway: For your first tree, use a simple spreadsheet or paper chart. Focus on accuracy and including source information for each person. You can always transfer this to a more sophisticated format later as your research grows.

Organizing and Verifying Your Information

As your family tree grows, organizing and fact-checking becomes increasingly important. This prevents errors from spreading through your research and ensures that what you document is accurate. Several strategies help maintain quality as you add more people and information to your tree.

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Create a system for tracking sources. Every fact—birth date, marriage location, parent-child relationship—should have a source. When you find information in a document, note the exact source: "1920 Census, Cook County, Illinois, page 5," for example, rather than just "census." This allows you to return to the source if you need to verify information or find additional details. It also shows others that your research is based on evidence, not guesses.

Be cautious about information from online family trees created by other people. While these can point you toward useful information, they often contain