| Have you realized that you need to have some | | | | your line comes down from a celebrity or |
| organization techniques to manage your | | | | important figure, or a group such as the |
| ancestors? Your family tree can become | | | | Mayflower ship passengers, or one particular |
| confusing and/or your research strategies | | | | religious community. |
| become random, rather than focused, when you | | | | Once you have your 5-generation chart(s) filled |
| do not have some kind of Master List. Here is | | | | out as much as possible, look for gaps in your |
| how to use a 4 or 5-generation-chart for your | | | | knowledge. Take another piece of paper for any |
| research. | | | | individual, and write down what you do know. Also |
| In this chart, you fill in the first line on the | | | | write down those details you need to find out. |
| extreme left side with your name and details. I will | | | | Brainstorm where you may find those details, to |
| assume that you will be the #1 person. However, | | | | the best of your ability. Pick one ancestor to |
| if you wish, you might use your mother as the | | | | search at a time, or one family group (mother, |
| first person, or your father, or one of your | | | | father, children), and do this preliminary work. I |
| grandparents as the first person. Regardless of | | | | use a highlighter for a family or individual I am |
| whom you start with, you will fill in the known and | | | | researching, and switch to another colour when I |
| estimated dates and places of their birth, | | | | am ready to move on to another individual/family. |
| marriage, death, burial. Then you move on to the | | | | Use a system that works best for you as there |
| right, filling in the name of their parents, and their | | | | is no one best system - we are all so individual. |
| details. Always use the maiden name of the | | | | Start as you mean to continue and write down all |
| women in your tree, if known to you. Repeat | | | | the source materials you have that provide proof |
| with each person - move to the right again, with | | | | of details about your ancestors. The best sources |
| their parents and their details. In this way you will | | | | are those documents which were made at the |
| end up with 32 different surnames on the | | | | time of an event - such as a birth registration or |
| extreme right side of your chart, of a | | | | parish register of birth and baptism, or a death |
| 5-generation form. | | | | registration or burial certificate, or a marriage |
| Some people color-code the father's side of the | | | | registration, or other such original event |
| family one color, and mother's side a second color | | | | document. If you do not have such proof, what |
| as a way to help keep the surname lines | | | | DO you have? Perhaps birth, marriage, or death |
| separated clearly. Of course, you also have | | | | details are found on military papers, or |
| numbers for each person since ancestor charts | | | | naturalization records, or on an education record, |
| such as these always have a unique number | | | | or a pension application form, or in an obituary |
| printed for every individual. You are #1; your | | | | published in the local newspaper. Any of these |
| Father will be written on the top as #2, Mother | | | | documents may be very useful to help prove |
| below as #3; Father's Father on top (one column | | | | details, so add those details right away. Use a |
| over) as #4, Father's Mother just below as #5, | | | | guide as to how to write down the document - |
| and so on. This is a standardized method of | | | | called how to Cite your Sources. |
| numbering ancestors in this "pedigree" format for | | | | Writing out your 5-generation chart, you will have |
| recording your family and details. | | | | a basic Master List of your ancestors, and you |
| You may find you are able to go back 6 or 8 or | | | | can begin to organize your research. Many people |
| more generations, but the chart only goes to 5 | | | | begin to search from the people closest to them, |
| generations. How to go further back than that? If | | | | moving to generations further away. Others |
| the 5th generation ancestor on your chart is #32 | | | | prefer to pick one line only, perhaps their |
| (an example only), then a second chart will start | | | | mother's surname line, and research that as far |
| with #32 in the #1 position, and you will note that | | | | as possible, then pick another line and do the |
| information on the new chart. At that point, this | | | | same. There is no best way to do this, simply |
| second chart will be all about #32's Father, | | | | look at your list of ancestors and decide where to |
| Mother, and their parents. You may be able to | | | | start. Remember also to look for stories or |
| only fill in 2 generations before you are blocked | | | | historical events which may have impacted on |
| by your lack of knowledge. For other ancestors, | | | | your ancestor(s). These personal and social details |
| there may be significant research done in the past | | | | will enrich your family tree. One person at a time, |
| which details the lives of their parents and more | | | | one detail at a time, you will build a fascinating |
| ancestors. This is particularly true if you find that | | | | look into your past. |