Free Printable Family Tree Templates [PDF, Word, Excel] +Editable

We’re sure you have been told about your forefathers during your childhood. Did you know that there are varied historical sources that can help you learn about the ancestry of humans? This will help you understand the relationship between your family members and give you an insight into the history of humanity.

What is a Family Tree?

A family tree is a chart that shows people who belong to a family or lineage. This chart is prepared according to a certain hierarchical order, not in a complicated way. As its name suggests, a family tree, which is a concept formed by combining the word’s lineage and tree, lists family members from the past to the present. The words family tree and genealogy are also used for pedigree.

Let’s consider a tree. Just as the root, then the trunk, branches, and leaves are formed, the logic is the same in the family tree. So if we think of a family tree as a real tree, The root is our grandparents, the trunk is our parents, the branches are us, and the leaves are our children.

The young and new generations are usually at the bottom of the family tree, and the oldest ancestors are at the top. These types of pedigrees narrow from the bottom up. If you put the oldest individual at the bottom and place the new individuals upwards, you will have a family tree that expands from the bottom to the top.

The size of the family tree depends on how far back it started. So if you want to go back a few generations and research your family, the more comprehensive the pedigree chart will be. At the top of the family tree is the ancestor of the family.

Family Tree Templates

Family tree templates are pre-designed charts that help individuals document their family’s ancestry and relationships. These templates are available in various formats and styles, including traditional and modern designs. With the help of family tree templates, individuals can easily input information about their family members, including their names, dates of birth and death, and their relationships with one another. They can also add photos and other details to make the family tree more visually appealing. Family tree templates are useful for genealogy research, family reunions, and preserving family history.

History of the Family Tree

The concept of a family tree dates back to ancient times. In the Christian book of Isaiah, the word tree is used when describing the lineage of Jesus. Genealogia Deorum Gentilium, which was written in 1360, included the genealogical relationship between gods and humans. The oldest known family tree in history is; It is a tree belonging to Confucius, spanning 80 generations. This family tree includes 450 branches and 2 million individuals.

When we look at our culture, we see that the family tree concept was also present in the Ottoman Empire. However, the family tree tradition in the Ottoman Empire bound only the dynasty members. At that time, members of the dynasty or important persons were recorded in a family tree record.

Today, the situation is very similar. If you are not a very famous and important person, you can only go back 3-4 generations when you want to reach the family tree. You may see phrases such as find your family tree on the internet; let’s extract your family tree from time to time. Here, you can reach your ancestors who lived a few generations ago at most.

Benefits of Knowing Your Family Tree

Family trees are an excellent method for organizing and documenting your genealogical research. Using a family tree website is an easy and inexpensive way to create a family tree online with just a few clicks of the mouse.

A family Tree can be used by people who are interested in the history of their family, those who are trying to reconstruct their family tree, and even by people searching for information about a relative they never met but would like to know more about them. Here are some reasons and benefits of the family tree;

It brings you closer

Family trees provide you with a great knowledge of understanding, bringing you closer to your ancestors. You can get insights and lessons from your ancestors. Not only this, you tend to learn from your ancestors’ stories and likely follow their positives and neglect the negatives to avoid the mistakes they made.

Sense of Peace

Families in the 21st century have very little time to spend with each other, making those precious moments even more valuable. When someone’s knowledge is developed and shared, you can gain a sense of peace. People learn a lot from others who experience similar ideas and emotions. It is easier to hold a dialogue with someone of the same age group and ideologies.

Whether it be of the same culture or social class, there is a similarity in values that are demonstrated through the interactions between two people. There is not much conflict or acceptance; instead, many people look for friends who demonstrate similar personalities.

Sense of Unity

Every once in a while, there are hurdles we have to overcome, but these are meant to make us stronger. When two people part ways, this is when they need support from all their family and loved ones. These are the same people who can encourage them to keep on pushing forward and facing the difficulties that life has to offer.

Increased Love

Growing up in a particular family has its ups and downs. You get to know each person as you spend more and more time with them. You go through bad patches, but the good times make all the difference. That’s because, in those good moments, you become at ease with each other; you remove those obstacles that stopped interacting with one another.

Finding Distant Relatives and Cousins

While you might not expect it when you start exploring your family tree and history, you may soon find distant cousins and relatives you never knew existed. Because of the numerous branches that come with every new generation, it is easy to lose track of everyone, making it tough to identify who each person might be. A family tree template makes it easier for you to trace your mother’s or father’s lineage at the next family gathering.

Types of Family Tree Templates

Ancestor Chart

An ancestor chart is a pictorial representation of the lineage of an individual dating back to the past. It is usually referred to as a family tree(s) when it is up to four generations starting from the time of an individual’s birth.

Thus, an individual knows their complete lineage based on their parents and grandparents. The structure, design, and organization present on this type of chart are typical but not always fixed, as every institution tends to develop its own set of charts to achieve more accuracy.

Descendants Chart

Descendants charts were created to show how one person or family line influenced the genealogy of other persons or families. Aside from being a primary tool for genealogists, this chart is also used to show relationships between people, countries, or historical events.

Sandglass Diagram

The Sandglass Diagram is perfect for showing a suggestion or proposal without much detail and also in a diagrammatic form. This diagram is organized into two parts – the ancestors, descendants, and brothers and sisters all around.

How to Make a Family Tree?

The first thing you need to do to make a family tree is to find the oldest person living in the family and reach him. You should definitely take a paper pencil or a sound recording with you to write down what you said. He will probably not give you clear information; he will talk about the nicknames of the people in your family, the region he lives in, his profession, etc. Considering that the memory also weakens over the years, it should be considered very normal that the information given by the oldest person in the family is missing.

Apart from this, when defining the people you ask, They use expressions such as the time of plum was born, so and so died while in the army, while living with the French, when there was an epidemic of tuberculosis. For this reason, you should record the conversations and not write that name in your family tree list without being sure of its accuracy.

You talked to the oldest person in the family, had long conversations, and noted down the keywords you needed. Now we move on to the research phase. To do this, sort all the names you find by date of birth. Then, you should use title deeds, addresses of residence in the past, tombstones, and letters, if any. You should also get help from the population directorates and archives, but since these works are with official institutions, you will not be allowed to access all the documents you want.

After you reach the necessary names and make sure that they are correct, you start to create the chart by writing the new generation individuals on the bottom line. The chart you will prepare from the bottom up should be from the youngest to the oldest. On the other hand, your tree will narrow towards the top and will end in a single point, the oldest ancestor of the family.

Having a family tree chart is something that most families endeavor to do independently. They find tracing their lineage and staying in touch with relatives easier this way. But what many people don’t know is that there are different types of family trees, too. These include horizontal, vertical, and triangular trees and combination charts that include images and text.

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