One of the most cherished gifts you can give your child is a sense of her history. Who is her family? Where are they from? And, what have they accomplished? A family tree can help put faces to names as well as help sort out the confusion of aunts, uncles and cousins and will give a new meaning to the word “family.” Starting a family tree is not too complicated, and may lead to a lifelong passion for genealogy.
Begin with your child, writing down her full name, date and place of birth. Beneath the child’s information, list your and the father’s names and the dates and places of birth. We’ll use the father’s information as an example.
Add as much information on the father’s family as you can, using a list format and adding the relationship to the basic information. For example, if the father has two siblings, write “Brother: Thomas Michael, 02/18/1978 Greensboro, NC married Julie Horton 02/02/2002 Las Vegas, NV” then “Sister: Mary Lisa, 03/03/1980 Raleigh, NC married Ronald Butler 12/13/2003 Raleigh, NC.”
Fill in the father’s parents next, as well as any aunts and uncles. Remember to try and list both maiden and married names for the females. This will be handy if you decide to delve deeper into your family tree at a later date.
Call or visit as many family members as you can, asking them what information they may have that will help you fill in any blanks that you may have. For example, your mother or an uncle may have the names of your great grandparents or at least the town they lived in. The mare generations you add to your tree, the scarcer the information might get so write down everything you learn (even if you’re skeptical of the reality).
Draw your tree in pencil, starting at the bottom with your child and two main branches above his name. This will be each parent’s side. You and your partner are usually connected by a dotted line to designate parenthood.
Complete each side by drawing in two boxes for the father’s parents and four boxes above them for their parents (the father’s grandparents), adding in the significant information for each person. Do the same for your side. Once your grandparents are added, your child will now have a four-generation family tree.
- Genealogy can be very addicting.