Printable Pedigree Chart

Victorian Portrait
Keep track of ancestor information with pedigree charts.

A printable pedigree chart is just a few clicks of your mouse or keystrokes away when you have a personal computer and Internet access. The pedigree chart starts with one person and shows the parents and several generations of grandparents. The chart usually shows birth, death, and marriage dates as well. Often, the pedigree chart covers at least five or six generations.

There are also pedigree charts available for race horses and show dogs. It is sometimes said the pedigree chart is like the family tree chart, tipped on its side.

History

The history of pedigrees goes back perhaps to the time when written history began. The pedigrees of monarchs and nobility have always been recorded. A narrative pedigree is given in the Holy Bible from Adam to the 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament, in the Book of Genesis, and for Joseph, Mary and Jesus in the New Testament, in the Book of Matthew.

Pedigrees in England and Wales are recorded in the College of Arms. This harkens back to the days when coats of arms began. The coats of arms were originally granted to those who had the right to bear arms, such as knights and nobility. The pedigree of English nobility and landed gentry in the United Kingdom are given in Burke's Peerage and Burke's Landed Gentry.

In Europe, noble pedigrees are recorded in the Almanach de Gotha. To conserve space in these extensive volumes, narrative pedigrees are used, rather than the traditional pedigree chart.

Online Printable Pedigree Chart

Here is a list of companies online where you may download printable pedigree charts, forms, and family tree charts:

  • Obituaries Help has a free printable pedigree chart, among other free forms and charts.
  • Wiki Tree has free printable family charts or blank diagrams.
  • Genealogy Search.org has free family charts, diagrams, and forms, including a five-generation pedigree chart.
  • U Tree.com provides a variety of family tree templates.
  • My Heritage offers a free, downloadable family tree chart program.
  • Pedigree allows you to use a free pedigree chart generator.
  • My Web provides HTML codes for the pedigree chart and the family group sheet free at this site.
  • This and That HTML Pedigree Chart is available on a sub-page of RootsWeb.com.
  • IO.com offers free downloads of pedigree charts and family group sheets in a variety of formats, including both Macintosh and Windows versions.

Creating a Pedigree

At Ancestry Lessons.com, you'll find an array of information on the proper way to construct a pedigree. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

  1. Remember that every name on the chart is given a different number: The primary person is #1, the father of that person is #2, the mother is #3, and so on.
  2. If any of the persons on your chart has their own chart, then that should be noted. It would go like this: Person #___ on this page is the same person as Person #___ on Chart ___.
  3. Give maiden names for all women.
  4. Record birth, marriage, and death dates. The proper way for dates to be recorded is day, month, and year.
  5. Give all jurisdictions, from smallest to largest. For example, Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. If the location can be further specified, such as "Lower Southwest," you would also list that in the notes.