Free Family Tree

Family Tree

There are several ways to obtain a free family tree. Begin by interviewing parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Write down as much information as they recollect from memory. You can get several generations just from this oral history.

Sources

Document each ancestor with original records such as:

  • Birth certificates
  • Emigration records
  • Marriage certificates
  • Probated wills
  • Death certificates

The above documents are known as primary sources to genealogists. That means they are the best evidence you can get. As you get further into your family tree, finding primary sources is a little bit harder. You may have to resort to secondary sources (like deeds or newspaper mentions) to prove your ancestor's lineage. In genealogy, there is also something known as the "preponderance of evidence." That means you have a variety of sources (none of which are primary) that prove an ancestor's lineage beyond reasonable doubt. When you cannot verify an ancestor with primary sources or DNA technology, then the "preponderance of evidence" rule is your best choice. Accumulate as many secondary sources and references as you can to achieve proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Free Resources

A variety of Internet and local resources make it possible to create a free family tree. You might even tie one or more of your family lines into an existing family tree that someone has kindly already researched and documented for you. There is one caveat to getting free genealogical information from the Internet, from family history books, scrapbooks or any other secondary sources: Be sure to always go to the original records to check for accuracy. Never accept at face value what someone else has recorded, unless it can be verified. This is because many genealogies are compiled by amateurs who perhaps did not research the data thoroughly or made an honest mistake.

The IGL

Search for ancestors in the IGL, a project of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). It's available for search in Mormon Family History Centers, at the main Family History Library in Utah and at Family Search.org.

Local Societies and Libraries

Other sources for genealogical records include local or national historical societies and the genealogy room of your local library. Your state archives is an excellent resource as well.

Databases

Search your ancestors using online databases. These are a tremendous boon for genealogists and the family historian. While most online databases require a membership fee, some offer a free trial and still others offer free access. Here are two of the leading genealogy databases with millions of family trees already constructed:

  • Ancestry.com offers a free trial, but you must purchase a membership to keep using it. Their database is a goldmine of information for the historian.
  • RootsWeb.com WorldConnect Project has more than three billion names within 300,000 family trees in GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication) format, the accepted file format for exchanging data between genealogical software programs. Search their records, and then add your own family tree information for free.

Free Family Tree Software

  • Family Tree Builder is free downloadable software from My Ancestry.com. Supporting 35 languages, this software is in use by more than six million people according to My Ancestry.com. Smart Matching Technology™ matches your tree with millions of other online trees, helping you to find lost ancestors. Search features allow you to search the leading online databases.
  • Personal Ancestral File (PAF) is a free genealogy software program offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at Family Search.org.

Blank Family Tree Diagrams and Forms

Blank family trees are available from a variety of online sources; most are free or very inexpensive. Just a few places to get free downloadable charts, forms or diagrams are:

Family Tree Templates

Family Tree Templates.net provides 40 family tree templates from which to choose at no cost. There are also several customizable versions. They include a four-generation family tree in color.UfTree.com offers free templates to print out your personal family tree. Use the helpful charts to organize your research.

Creating a Family Tree

Utilizing all these resources, along with free access to public information in libraries, courthouses, emigration records and census records, it is possible to construct a free family tree. Imagine the pride of being known as the family historian and the "go to" source for information on your family's heritage. Have fun as you preserve your family legacy for generations to come.