Help drawing a family tree

sterling10 · 08-11-2020 6:59pm #1

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone can help, maybe the following doesn’t exist because it’s isnt easy?

My father in law has spent the lock downs tracing his family tree and has got some brilliant info (gone back to 1823) he is writing out the family tree on an A3 sheet with pencil and the more the finds the more he adds but depending what he finds he might have to redraw the entire thing due to available size on the sheet.

Is there anything out there that can assist him drawing the family tree?

And once he gets to the end or close to the end, is there anything out there that can produce a poster or nice display of the family tree?

pinkypinky · 08-11-2020 7:03pm

It's very difficult to draw out a whole tree on paper.

My advice would be to only draw the direct ancestor tree. Places like Etsy will also have some nice printed up ones that you can just fill in the names.

Lots of services will print up a poster. Have a search on the forum for "print family tree" as we've discussed this a good few times.

sterling10 · 09-11-2020 10:03am

pinkypinky wrote: »

It's very difficult to draw out a whole tree on paper.

My advice would be to only draw the direct ancestor tree. Places like Etsy will also have some nice printed up ones that you can just fill in the names.

Lots of services will print up a poster. Have a search on the forum for "print family tree" as we've discussed this a good few times.

Thank you, a good starting point for me

KildareFan · 09-11-2020 11:05am

Familysearch.org allows you to do a family tree online; they have options of how to present the tree, including a fan chart. That might be a good place to start.

I've done a pictorial family tree using Powerpoint - I used a background photo of a tree and overlaid it with text boxes with the names & dates and photos where available. I had photos of my siblings, parent and grandparents and just names of the 1x and 2xgreat grandparents. I printed out A4 versions of the chart & gave framed copies to my siblings for Christmas - I'm sure they were delighted (or maybe not - I don't think everyone shares my enthusiasm)

pinkypinky · 09-11-2020 12:21pm

Just a word of warning though: you can't delete a tree on Familysearch ever. I tried to delete mine and couldn't.

Mick Tator · 09-11-2020 2:26pm

Several of the 'pay' sites have basic tree software available free of charge. I would use one of those first, even were I preparing a hand-drawn version, just to get an idea of the spacing.

Hermy · 10-11-2020 7:12pm

I use Excel spreadsheets to create family trees.

Attached is a simple four generation chart of the Windsor's.

I find these charts very useful when I want to show someone else what I'm working on.

I just wish I had access to a large format printer to reproduce some of the larger charts I've created.

pinkypinky · 10-11-2020 10:28pm

I stumped up to get an A3 printer at home so I could at least print that size. But I can see that for bigger trees, you might need to take it somewhere specialist.

otis · 10-11-2020 10:31pm

Hi, I've a large format printer (A0) in my office, I'm quite happy to assist with prints for whoever wants them.

My late uncle drew up my mother's family tree shortly before he passed away, it's an excellent reminder of where we all came from.

Hermy · 10-11-2020 10:38pm

otis wrote: »

Hi, I've a large format printer (A0) in my office, I'm quite happy to assist with prints for whoever wants them.

That's a wonderful thing to have - thanks for the offer.

Earnest · 11-11-2020 12:14pm

Hermy wrote: »

I use Excel spreadsheets to create family trees.

Attached is a simple four generation chart of the Windsor's.

I find these charts very useful when I want to show someone else what I'm working on.

I just wish I had access to a large format printer to reproduce some of the larger charts I've created.

You say Excel, but it comes across as a .png. As an Apple user, I have been looking out for a simple program like this for a future project. Where is the starting point?

helsbells · 11-11-2020 12:17pm

Hi,

https://www.ancestry.com/ Is how my family record it. It’s all online. It links people together easily.

Worth a look

Cheers

jayzee · 11-11-2020 12:23pm

Smartart in Excel could be useful
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/create-an-organization-chart-9b51f667-11b7-4971-a757-a08a36684ee6

Hermy · 11-11-2020 9:46pm

Earnest wrote: »

You say Excel, but it comes across as a .png. As an Apple user, I have been looking out for a simple program like this for a future project. Where is the starting point?

It's a screen grab of the chart from Excel.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by starting point but below is what it looks like before I apply a bit of formatting to improve the appearance.

Hermy · 12-11-2020 12:11am

Here's a link to a website I'd forgotten all about for creating family tree charts that's free and simple to use.

https://www.familyecho.com/#edit:START

Earnest · 12-11-2020 12:16pm

Hermy wrote: »

It's a screen grab of the chart from Excel.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by starting point but below is what it looks like before I apply a bit of formatting to improve the appearance.

Thanks, that's exactly what I meant by starting point. Tried this method on Numbers, which is Apple's equivalent to Excel, and I expect it could be done with difficulty, but Hermy's suggestion of familyecho seems easier.

jayzee · 13-11-2020 9:58am

I would still advocate usign SmartArt in Excel or Word.
The attached image took about 2 minutes to create.

Hermy · 13-11-2020 10:36am

Earnest wrote: »

Thanks, that's exactly what I meant by starting point. Tried this method on Numbers, which is Apple's equivalent to Excel, and I expect it could be done with difficulty, but Hermy's suggestion of familyecho seems easier.

When I first began mucking about with Excel a long while back I didn't know I could merge cells allowing me to centre names above or below the vertical lines.
It all came together after that.

Mick Tator · 13-11-2020 4:02pm

I've no wish to start a row.

Excel is a most useful programme despite its growing complexity. I use it on a daily basis but would never use it for genealogy when better tools are available free. (Why take soup with a fork?) Here are a few.

Hermy · 13-11-2020 6:36pm

Maybe I like eating soup with a fork!

Seriously though, when I started using Excel to make charts about ten years ago it was because I couldn't find anything else that did what I wanted to do. It may seem tedious but I really like manually creating each tree and I now have a series of templates figured out which I can apply to any new family tree project at the drop of a hat.

Though I should add I also have duplicate online trees at Ancestry.

mindhorn · 14-11-2020 9:03am

You could look in to Gramps (free software) as you're able to generate numerous trees and reports. Takes a little bit to get used to but worth it imo.

Jellybaby_1 · 14-11-2020 8:06pm

I've always used Excel. As the tree grows you have to be pretty good at manipulating the cells, rows and columns. I learned a lot about that when once upon a time I had a job, but I taught myself a lot as I went along. So far it has worked well for me. I have several private trees on Ancestry. I also have a free download of Legacy which I've begun but haven't really kept up with.

brownangel · 17-11-2020 2:33pm

Like KildareFan I use PowerPoint as my default family tree chart-maker. I like to include spouses' parents if I have the information, and being freeform, complications like cousins marrying cousins are quite manageable. You can also add notes with ad hoc bits of information. I have not seen any package that can print as much information on A4 pages. I put a numbered heading on each page (usually consisting of surnames near the top of the chart) and I use the numbers to cross reference the pages. There is a great sense of achievement in being able to disseminate this - either the whole file or selected sheets as appropriate.
There are cons. It is quite time consuming. When you discover a new line of descendants or a missing sibling, or adding a new generation, there can be quite a bit of re-organisation to do.

If you are happy with descendants charts, RootsMagic does quite a good job - in RM it is called a Descendants list with box style, with option to include spouses. Again it packs a lot of information into a few pages. RM has a learning curve but when you get to know it, it is very friendly.

Help drawing a family tree

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