Pedigree Charts

Filling in a pedigree chart can not only be a great place to start with your own family history or the history of your ancestors, but it can be a fun way to bring others into the world of genealogy. By filling out charts as part of a family night or youth activity, children especially can be given an opportunity to learn more about their heritage.

To get started, make sure you have a chart. You can make your own on a range of computer programs from Microsoft Paint to Photoshop, or you can download and print one off of the internet.

Here is a very simple one that works great:

http://www.comportone.com/cpo/genealogy/articles/pedigreechart.htm

Next, fill in all of the information you know, or help your children fill in as much as you all know. Are there still some blank spots? Perhaps it' is time to do a little research or make a few phone calls. Grandparents love getting calls from their children and grandchildren who need help completing their family trees.

Now you have your first few generations. This may be a good place to stop and talk about family stories with younger children, but adults may want to go further. Start a fresh chart with a person from the last generation on your first chart, as the first person on the new chart.

If you enjoy this and want an electronic copy of your genealogy charts, you may want to download Personal Ancestry File (PAF) from this website, for free:

http://www.familysearch.org

It is made to suit the needs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but can be adapted to suit the needs and desires of any user. As of today, the link for the download is located in the lower right quadrant of the page.