Making a family tree sounds daunting, but it's really just a disciplined way of writing down what your family already half-remembers. Do it in the right order and it almost builds itself. Here's the approach genealogists actually use — and how to turn the result into a chart you'd be proud to hang on the wall.
The golden rule: known to unknown
The single most important habit in genealogy is to work backwards from yourself. Start with facts you're certain of and let each generation lead you to the next. It's tempting to leap straight to the great-great-grandmother who supposedly came over on a famous ship, but every unverified jump is a chance to graft the wrong branch onto your tree. One link at a time keeps you honest.
What to collect for each person
A family tree is only as useful as the details behind each name. For everyone you add, try to record:
- Full name — including a married woman's maiden surname, which is the key to finding her own parents.
- Dates — birth, marriage and death years. Approximate is fine; note "about 1890" rather than leaving it blank.
- Places — town and country for each event. Place names unlock the right records and distinguish your John Smith from the thousand others.
- Sources — even "from Grandma's letter" turns a claim into evidence.
Talk to your elders first
Of all your sources, the one with an expiry date is living memory. Your oldest relatives hold names, nicknames, family stories and the location of the shoebox full of photos that no archive will ever have. Visit or call them early. Record the conversation if they're comfortable, and ask to photograph documents and photos on the spot — originals have a way of vanishing.
Pick the right chart for your depth
How you display the tree depends on how far back you've reached:
- Pedigree chart — a clean left-to-right ancestor chart, ideal for three to four generations. Formal, familiar, and easy to read at a glance.
- Fan chart — a radial layout that fans your ancestors out in colored generation bands. Once you pass four generations, this is the format that stays elegant instead of sprawling across the page. It's also simply beautiful framed.
Kindred draws both from the same data, so you never have to choose up front — switch layouts whenever you like.
Build it free, export when it's ready
Open the editor and add your people one at a time, or skip straight ahead by importing a GEDCOM file from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, Gramps or RootsMagic — your whole tree appears in seconds. Pick a theme, set the number of generations, and preview your chart on screen, all for free and with no account.
When it's ready to frame, a one-time $29 export unlock gives you a print-quality, watermark- free PNG or PDF — including large poster sizes — plus the premium themes and a portable GEDCOM export so your data is always yours.
Keep it growing
A family tree is never really finished, and that's the joy of it. Leave blanks where you're unsure, revisit your elders with new questions, and extend a generation whenever a new fact turns up. Start with the people you know today, and let the chart grow with you.