Arranging Family Tree

[Jack Blair]

After endless genealogical research and tons of paperwork, you are
finally ready to sit down and complete your own family tree. But how
to assign each relatives relationship with you? Surely, not everyone
of them can count as that general entity "cousins." That's why you
conducted the research in the first place, isn't it? To avoid
generalizing, know exactly the nature of your relationship to your
other relatives. Setting the relationships in your own family tree in
order is easy with a few simple tips.
First, separate your relatives by generations. A generation is defined
as a stage of descent. For example, you and your cousins make up one
generation. Likewise, your parents plus their cousins make up another.
Separating your data by generations will make it easier to track how
many generations you have managed to traced. The generations will also
determine how extensive your personal family tree will be. Label each
generation starting from the earliest. If you managed to trace your
parents' grandparents and they are the oldest in your book, label them
as the first.
Second, identify from each generation who are your blood relatives
from those who are connected to you by virtue of marriage. Blood
relatives are those that are also of the same descent. These are your
immediate family, your cousins, your parents' siblings, your
grandparents, your grandparents' siblings -- you get the picture.
Relatives by marriage, simply put, are people who became your
relatives just because they married a blood relative of yours. These
include the aunts who married your uncles and your spouses relatives.
Some people become your relatives through subsequent marriages. If you
have them, you should also include your stepparents and step-siblings
in your personal family tree. Be alert in making these distinctions.
In the course of your research, you may have somebody in your list
referred to as an uncle with no apparent relation to you. It is a
common practice in the past for people to use these distinctions very
loosely. A close friend or a benefactor may be called a brother,
cousin, or uncle even without the necessary conditions such as blood
relation or marriage. They should not be included in your genealogical
tree. However, if these people made significant contributions to your
family or treated like family by your older relatives, include them.
Place your great grandpas best friend near your great grandpa but
indicate that he is only a close friend.
Third, connect each member of your own family tree through appropriate
symbols. Connect parents to their offsprings through vertical lines.
Use horizontal lines to indicate sets. If you are unsure how a person
is related to somebody, use dotted lines. The equal sign generally
indicates marriage. The plus sign or the cross symbolize death. For
more detailed symbols, consult a family tree website or a guide book.
With these simple tips, you're on your way to completing your own
genealogical chart.

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