A simple template for making a family tree?
March 31, 2020 4:50 PM Subscribe
I want to help someone create a family tree. Can you recommend a simple free resource. I'm looking for a basic template or something else no-frills and easy to fill in. A google search turns up lots of sites that may or may not be free and more involved than I need. I'd just love a quick recommendation from someone who can point me to something free and basic. Thanks.
I've been using templates from Canva.com for simple design projects and they have a family tree template.
posted by spamandkimchi at 5:34 PM on March 31, 2020
posted by spamandkimchi at 5:34 PM on March 31, 2020
If you're conversant in editing Wikipedia, its Help:Family trees page describes several different ways you could create one in a Wikipedia sandbox page. (Note, though, that if you saved a family tree in any page on Wikipedia it would of course become public... you'd probably just want to preview it and take a screenshot or copy and paste it into an HTML editor.)
posted by XMLicious at 6:03 PM on March 31, 2020
posted by XMLicious at 6:03 PM on March 31, 2020
I'm not sure if you're looking to do this in the computer or with pen and paper. Here are two free print-on-paper, fill-in-with-pencil forms.
Fan chart
This one shows a lot of generations in one place. (For this one, put yourself in the circle and then your parents in the next ring out, grandparents in the ring outside that, and so on)
Pedigree chart
This one shows fewer generations, but with space for more info on each person. I think if you download this one it might be fillable on the computer, not sure. (For this one, put yourself in the middle of the left side as person 1, your father above you as person 2, his parents are above and below him as persons 4 and 5, your mother is below you as person 3, and so on. It's a little confusing at first.)
There are a bunch of simple forms like this collected at the familysearch.org page of genealogy research forms.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:44 PM on March 31, 2020
Fan chart
This one shows a lot of generations in one place. (For this one, put yourself in the circle and then your parents in the next ring out, grandparents in the ring outside that, and so on)
Pedigree chart
This one shows fewer generations, but with space for more info on each person. I think if you download this one it might be fillable on the computer, not sure. (For this one, put yourself in the middle of the left side as person 1, your father above you as person 2, his parents are above and below him as persons 4 and 5, your mother is below you as person 3, and so on. It's a little confusing at first.)
There are a bunch of simple forms like this collected at the familysearch.org page of genealogy research forms.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:44 PM on March 31, 2020
Draw.io is a free web-based chart drawing application that can do trees and org charts. I didn't see any templates specific to family trees, but I think it could do the job.
posted by condour75 at 5:05 AM on April 1, 2020
posted by condour75 at 5:05 AM on April 1, 2020
The free online family tree maker that finally made it easy for me to do this is FamilyEcho.
What I like about it is that it is entirely visual – creating boxes on a visual tree. It's not like GRAMPS where you spend all your time in forms, and then have to choose visualisation options.
It's quite limited in its features, but it can export in standard GEDCOM format, so can be used as a starting point for a more serious genealogy project.
If your main goal is for something that looks beautiful visually, it might not be your best option as we're just talking about plain-looking boxes and lines, with no visual customisation and limited print options. But it's definitely the one I found easiest to fill in.
posted by snarfois at 7:55 AM on April 1, 2020
What I like about it is that it is entirely visual – creating boxes on a visual tree. It's not like GRAMPS where you spend all your time in forms, and then have to choose visualisation options.
It's quite limited in its features, but it can export in standard GEDCOM format, so can be used as a starting point for a more serious genealogy project.
If your main goal is for something that looks beautiful visually, it might not be your best option as we're just talking about plain-looking boxes and lines, with no visual customisation and limited print options. But it's definitely the one I found easiest to fill in.
posted by snarfois at 7:55 AM on April 1, 2020
https://gramps-project.org/blog/
Free in Linux, don't know about Windows or Mac.
posted by dustpuppy at 5:38 PM on April 1, 2020
Free in Linux, don't know about Windows or Mac.
posted by dustpuppy at 5:38 PM on April 1, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
For a word processor template: 41+ Free Family Tree Templates
posted by blob at 5:16 PM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]