Pedigree Charts: Not Just for Animals Anymore

When most people hear the term “pedigree chart,” they think dogs or horses. Genealogists, like me, think family tree.

http://genealogy.lovetoknow.com/Blank_Pedigree_Chart

A genealogy pedigree chart is a map of family lines. I use it to keep track of a client’s main lines, e.g., from the client ® their parents ® their paternal and maternal grandparents ® their paternal great-grandparents and maternal great-grandparents, etc.  Siblings and cousins are not included in the main line pedigree chart, so I put them on a separate chart. 

Begin with the individual whose line you want to research in the box that says “You.” Then fill in his or her parents, using the mother’s maiden name for her surname, and their birth and death dates (at least the years). Next, if you can, fill in the names and birth and death dates of the grandparents and the great-grandparents.

You don’t have to track your whole family on one chart; you can concentrate on following just your mother’s line or your paternal grandmother’s line, or follow one family—mother, father, children, children’s spouses, children’s children, etc., as far back as you can. Following a family requires a variation of the main line pedigree chart.

I usually start following the main lines because for me it’s a critical guide back in time: surnames, maiden names, birth dates, death dates, etc.  It’s extremely helpful in finding related census, military, birth and death records.

Many families have first names that are passed down generation after generation; for example, in one German line of my family, grandfather, father and son were all named Ernst (and the grandfather and son both married women named Fredrika—mind-numbing). When I discover documents or newspaper references, the pedigree chart helps me determine which Ernst I’m looking at by their birth date and death date; e.g., it can’t be the grandfather if he’s already passed, or the son if he’s only five years old at the time.

Interested in researching your family tree?  Send me an email at pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com and I will send you a Word doc pedigree chart.


LLet me help you find out what parts of Minnesota history your family played a role in.

Discover your roots and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.

pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com

For more information on my Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on Family History Research in the left-hand column.