All About Ancestor Charts

 Ancestor Charts

Ancestor charts, family trees, pedigree charts, lineage charts...

 Whatever you call them...

 ...and however they look...

...ancestor charts are an important tool in organizing your family history research.

Today, we are going to look at:

• What are Ancestor Charts?
• Why are they important?
• How do you properly fill them out?

What is an Ancestor Chart?

An Ancestor chart records the direct line of individuals from whom you descend - those for whom you intend to compile a complete and correct family history.

 OR

As the Dictionary Genealogical and Archaic Terms from Rootsweb would define it:

"ANCESTOR CHART -  report or chart that shows a person and all of their ancestors in a graphical format."

If you're new to genealogy, you may have heard about ancestor charts and may have even seen a few of them, but still don't understand why they are important to your research.

Here's WHY ancestor charts are important to your research:

• They organize  the known information on multiple generations of a family line in one place.
• They reveal what information is missing and what still needs to be researched.
• They are easy to share with others.
• They serve as aids when asking other for research help.
• They can be a decorative display of your family history.

Five Generation Ancestor Chart for Theodore Roosevelt.

Chart found on the Famous Kin website. Notice  the red box?
Some information is missing and would need further research.

A decorative ancestral chart

This is a decorative antique Nantucket Family Tree. 
Image from Boston Rare Maps

When a genealogy team staff member helps a patron research their family history, we start by filling out an ancestor chart. It focuses the client on what information is needed to complete the research and quickly reveals what they don't know and need to yet discover.

How to properly fill in an Ancestral Chart

Four Generation Ancestral Chart - This is a simple  ancestral chart that we will be using this to explain the basics of how to fill in an ancestor chart.

This chart is available on the Library's web site at: Ancestral Chart

But first...

Some Guidelines for Filling in the Chart:

• Use a pencil to fill in the information so that it can be corrected as new information is discovered.
• Last names, also called surnames, are written in ALL CAPS to make them easier to pick out when browsing a document.
• Women are always listed under their maiden names.
• Dates are entered from smallest unit to larger, day/month/year, as in 23/7/1979 - this looks strange to Americans who use the format month/day/year 7/23/1979
• I prefer writing out or abbreviating the month as 23 Jul. 1979 or 23 July 1979
• ALWAYS use four digits for the year. As you work back in time, you work in multiple centuries. 2000's, 1900's 1800's and so on.
• Places are also listed from the smallest unit to the larger unit; city or township/county/state/country as in Seville, Guilford Township, Medina County, OH, USA.
• Use standard abbreviations for state names, etc., or provide a key to what abbreviations you use.
• U.S. Postal State Abbreviation List

Filling in the 4 generation Ancestral Chart

First, fill in the chart number. Start with number 1.

The individual whose ancestral line is being researched puts their name on the line to the far left.

Moving to the right on the chart moves you back one generation. Next, you add the father's name.

Then the mother's name is added...

Notice the father's name is listed first and then the mother's name. This is a pattern you will see repeated throughout the chart, the father's name and then the mother's.

Moving to the right again, you reach the third generation, the grandparents.

You start with the father's father, the paternal grandfather. 

Then the father's mother, or paternal grandmother.

Next is the mother's father, or maternal grandfather, and then the mother's mother, the maternal grandmother.

Moving again to the right, we reach the fourth generation, the great-grandparents.

Next, let's take a look at the data fields listed below each person's name.

The fields "Born", "Married" and "Died" are for the dates for those events:

Not surprisingly the place is for location for those events:

 

What does this look like on a filled-in chart?

Did you notice that some of the information is missing?

The marriage information for John MASON and Sarah TANNER is missing. This event needs further research before it can be added to the chart.

Lastly, did you notice that the great-grandparents have a line "Continued on Chart ___"

Your research keeps working its way into the past. Once you move into the great grandparents, you'll need to create another ancestor chart. From the example above, George JOHNSON is continued on Chart No. 2.

You can use ancestral charts to organize and document as many generations as you need to.

Start filling out your ancestor charts today!

If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment for help on your family history, contact the Library's Genealogy Team at:

• me-team.genealogy@mcdl.info  OR call
• 330-725-0588 ext. 5017

Don't forget to bring an Ancestral Chart with you! We can work on filling it out together.

Watch for future instructional videos from your

 Medina County District Library's Genealogy Team.