Creating a family tree is a key stage in researching family history. If it seems like a complicated process to you—good news: everything is much simpler than you imagine. This guide will help you take your first steps and avoid common mistakes.
What is a genealogical tree?
A genealogical tree is a visual diagram that shows family connections between several generations. Each “branch” of the tree represents a new family line—children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Even a few generations can form a large, branching structure that encompasses dozens or hundreds of people.
Why create a family tree?
A family tree helps organize knowledge about ancestors and better understand your own origins. If you’re researching your family’s history, a visual diagram will help avoid confusion and preserve data for many years. Moreover, it’s a wonderful way to record family stories, traditions, and unexpected facts—from war participants to ancestors who emigrated or changed their surname.
How to create a genealogical tree?
Any tree starts with you. Enter your name, date and place of birth, add your brothers and sisters. Next—parents, then grandmothers and grandfathers. This is the “skeleton” of the tree, which can be supplemented with new data, including cousins, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.
At this stage, it’s important to record not only names, but also dates, places of events, photographs, archival copies, even stories from relatives’ words. And, of course, sooner or later comes the moment when you need to turn to historical records.
Where to look for information?
Start with family: talk to parents, grandmothers, grandfather. Write down everything they remember. Next—work with documents: birth certificates, marriage, death. Use state archives, church books, military records, emigrant lists.
The Internet today opens access to millions of records. You can find your ancestors’ migration routes, old photographs of places where they lived, or even information about their profession. In particular, useful sources include population censuses, ship passenger lists, naturalization documents.
Useful tips from experienced researchers
Use all available records—don’t limit yourself to just birth and death certificates. Also study court cases, travel documents, army archives.
Always check originals—scanned copies often have more details than brief extracts.
Don’t research alone—join researcher communities where you can get advice or a tip.
Bring the tree to life—add photos, interesting facts, family stories. This will make the tree not only useful, but also emotionally valuable.
How to format your tree?
You can use online platforms (for example, Findmypast, Ancestry, MyHeritage), which allow you to build a tree, store data, share with relatives, and even receive hints based on other trees.
Or create a tree offline—using a template that can be filled in by hand or electronically, and then printed for storage in the family archive.
The best time to start is now
Researching your origins is not just an interesting hobby. It’s a way to connect with the past, preserve the memory of those who came before us, and leave this history to future generations. The first step is the simplest: start with yourself.
🔔 Create your family tree—and discover a history worth knowing.
