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Aug 2, 2024, 7:24:54 PM8/2/24

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Click simple commands and SmartDraw builds your family tree for you, automatically. Add or remove a box and SmartDraw will realign and arrange all the elements so that everything continues to look great. No need for manual adjustment. Just focus on building your family tree.

Share your family tree with other family members. They can help you build it or share their input in comments. You can also share your tree with anyone who doesn't own SmartDraw by emailing them a link.

Family trees are powerful genealogy charts that organize and retain historical data related to genealogy by illustrating ancestry, descent and relationship of all members of a family or other genealogical group. Family trees are commonly presented with the oldest generations at the top and the newer generations at the bottom.

Here's how it works. Browse the examples to get an idea of the style of family tree you would like to make and how it might look. Open your selected family tree template and start entering information. SmartDraw guides you through the process of adding new family members and making sure they are positioned correctly in the tree.

To make sure your family tree chart always look good, SmartDraw keeps all the boxes properly aligned and connected, automatically. Apply professionally designed themes to give your family tree a custom look. Easily add photos of family members, too.

Come this Saturday, three of my sisters will have married within seven months (!), and each celebration has served as a lovely way to reconnect with extended family. Which has prompted me to revisit my life list item about creating a family tree. Why? Because I've always found my family history (with its large and complicated branches) confusing (the levels of cousins are particularly puzzling), and it's been challenging to attempt to explain these relations when Laurel (invariably) asks.

Strangely enough, as I've been reuniting with family and mulling the family tree project, HomeAway approached me about writing a post related to modern day family reunions. And I thought, awesome! This is the perfect inspiration to think about my previous faulty starts with this project and do some research on design. So today, thanks to the support of HomeAway, I wanted to share my tips on how to create a family tree, as well as some visual inspiration.

Whether it's at the data collection stage or the design phase, let go of perfection. I have literally started and stopped this family tree project at least a half dozen times in the last 8 years (I started having a strong urge to understand my family connections better when Laurel was born) because I got frustrated by the imperfections (and time consuming nature) of the data collection process I was envisioning.

Obviously, the deeper you go, the more research you will need to do. If you dig research, then go for it, but if you find that making the project too ambitious is making it not happen, then reduce the number of generations. I feel that for my own purposes and for the benefit of Laurel and Violet, I want to go as far as the people I knew. Meaning, my family tree will go four generations (from my kids to my grandparents). Also, remember that you can always go deeper later.

This has been another stumbling point for me. My data oriented nature has wanted to include everything -- birth, death, marriage, etc. dates and full names. I have let go of this and decided to simply get the names and connections down. If you do want to get detail oriented, you'll probably need to engage in some family interviews and on-site or database research.

I think it's wonderful to use a family reunion as a data collection opportunity (I'm envisioning a huge sheet of kraft paper and everyone can jot down the info they know). Or take advantage of social media to collect photos and information.

This fan chart from Martha Stewart has a traditional look and tracks an impressive number of generations. This design is good for those who want to go deep historically and map out the connections accurately in a visual format.

Disclosure: This post was inspired by both my personal experience and a bizarrely well timed sponsored opportunity by HomeAway.com. (From the sponsor: HomeAway offers the world's largest selection of vacation home rentals that provide travelers with memorable vacation experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. Make memories where you stay, not just where you go. HomeAway.com - let's stay together)

I just got a job to do a very large family tree with 170 entries. I would really like to use InDesign but I am struggling to figure out the best way to create all of those little boxes. Has anyone made a family tree with InDesign or does anyone have suggestions on the best way to do it.

If this is a one-off project, then I too would use Family Tree Maker to make the pedigree charts. InDesign is great for most layout purposes, but not in this instance. InDesign can be used for the rest of the project (i.e. tales and anecdotes from the family etc) but the pedigree charts will be easier to do in FTM.

For making lots of boxes, experiment with both Gridify and also Step and Repeat. Delete boxes in the middle that you don't need, and move others over if necessary. A majority of them will fit into a grid.

Thanks for the quick response. I haven't used any of the things you mentioned in InDesign so I would need to play with those. I do use Illustrator, but I am definitely not as good at Illustrator as I am with InDesign.

I always keep changing my mind as to which application is better for creating charts like this. Most recently, I've been creating them in InDesign and I think it's actually easier. Mostly because I like to center the text, top to bottom, in the Frame and you can't easily do that in Illustrator. Beyond that, I think Paragraph and Character Style are far superior in InDesign.

Another point for doing it in InDesign: If I have multiple charts in my InDesign layout, and the charts are Placed from Illustrator, I have to make sure they are all placed at the same scale percentage or the type sizes within the charts will vary from one chart to the next. Creating the charts directly in InDesign, the type will be a consistent size following a Paragraph Style I set up.

Have you ever made a family tree? If so, I'd love to see how you went about it. I have 170 entries to create. We are looking at a 36x48 size page. I am worried about manipulating all these boxes moving them around and the lines connecting them. How did you handle that?

My employer has an application especially made for it that takes a GEDCOM file and transforms it into text that is easier to manipulate in InDesign. This software is not off-the-shelf, it was created by a family tree enthusiast and is a bespoke application. That said, the software is running in DOS and we're looking to find an XML-based solution before the software can no longer run. However, every expert I've asked at the conferences I've attended in the last three years say the same thing when I mention this issue: "What's a GEDCOM file?". If anyone from Ancestry.com is reading this, I'd be interested in a PM.

I am working on a 6 generation fan chart. I have found a really easy way to get started! Use the polar grid tool. Put in the number of concentric rings (for each generation) and the number of radial dividers for the number of ancestors. there are many charts online that will tell you how many ancestors you have for each generation, i.e. 5 generations you have 32 ancestors.Click create compound path. Then select all, Use outline instead of divide, give stroke then ungroup, then click segments and delete the sections you don't need! I went further to duplicate the rings, and make individual paths for each of the name that followed the curve.

Try to locate a variety of wedding poses. We found formal portraits, cake cutting, and beautiful brides to show off on our tree, and included parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It would be fun to add brothers and sisters if you have younger newlyweds.

I ordered a selection of small inexpensive plastic and wooden frames online from Etsy and other sellers. Frame sizes ranged from an opening 3-inches square to 5 x 7-inches. To minimize weight, remove glass from the frames and use lightweight cardstock as the photo backing.

Decide which frame to use for each photo and print the pictures close to the size you need. I inserted the photos to a Word document and then adjust to the photo for size before printing to glossy photo paper. It took a little trial and error to get it just right.

The Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner makes it easy to scan large photos with its unique Flip and Scan feature and included stitching software. Take care to overlap your scans by 1/2 to one inch and move the scanner in the same direction (horizontal or vertical).

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