What is a Family Tree?

A family tree is the most common form of visually documenting one's ancestry. Most family tree charts include a box for each individual and each box is connected to the others to indicate relationships. In addition to an individual's name, each box may include dates, birthplace, and other information, depending on the desired complexity of the family tree diagram.

Typically, a generation is organized into a single level so it's easy to see at a glance which ancestors preceded which generation because they are physically above them on the tree.

A horizontal line between two boxes indicates a marriage. A bracket from a couple to a lower set of boxes indicates the children from that marriage. Although most family trees grow vertically, they are occasionally drawn sideways, as well.

How to Make a Family Tree

The easiest way to draw a family tree is start with a family tree template. SmartDraw's family tree template starts you with a basic family structure already on the page. You can use this to build on. There are easy-to-use buttons to add descendants, ancestors, spouses, and siblings. You'll want to decide what generation you want to start with. You can start with yourself and build backwards or start with an older generation like great grandparents and build downwards.

• Decide how many generations you want to show.
• Start drawing from yourself backward or from the oldest generation downward.
• Each invidivual in your family will be represented with a box connected to others with lines that indicate relationships.
• Add descendants, ancestors, spouses, and siblings by clicking on the corresponding SmartPanel buttons to the left. SmartDraw automatically connects the boxes that are added or moved.
• In addition to names, you can also add birth dates as well as pictures, or anything else that would enhance your tree.
• To make your diagram easy to understand, each layer should represent a single generation.