How to make a family tree
- Choose how many generations to show: 3 goes back to your grandparents (7 people), 4 to your great-grandparents (15) and 5 to your great-great-grandparents (31).
- Tap a box to edit that person: their name, birth and death years, and a place or short note. Use ◀ ▶ to move through everyone in order. Fathers are on the left of each couple (blue for your father's side, pink for your mother's side).
- Add photos if you like. They are cropped to a circle and kept on this device only.
- Choose the classic tree layout with ancestors above, or a chart with ancestors to the right, which fits better on landscape paper.
- Download a PNG or SVG for a school project, a slideshow or a family group chat, or print it. Share the page link with relatives so they can fill in names you do not know.
- Use Save file (JSON) to keep a complete backup, including photos, and Open file to continue on another device.
Tips for researching your family tree
Start with what you know: write yourself, your parents and your grandparents, then ask older relatives about the generations before. Birth, marriage and death certificates, old letters, family Bibles and the backs of photographs are the best sources for full names and dates. Record women under their birth (maiden) names, as genealogists do, so you can find their parents later; you can add the married name in brackets.
When a date is uncertain, write "c. 1890" (about 1890) or a range such as "1890s". Public census records, parish registers and national archives cover many countries from the 1800s onward, and many are searchable for free. This chart, sometimes called a pedigree chart or ancestor chart, shows your direct line; siblings, aunts and cousins can be added to a written family history alongside it.
Everything is created in your browser. Names and dates are saved on your device and in the link you share; photos never leave your device.
How many people are in a 4-generation family tree?
Fifteen: you, 2 parents, 4 grandparents and 8 great-grandparents. Each generation doubles.
Is this good for a school family tree project?
Yes. Fill in the names, add photos, then print it or download a PNG to put in a slideshow or poster.
Can relatives help fill it in?
Yes. Copy the page link: it contains the names and dates (not photos). Ask them to fill in the gaps and send the link back.
What do I write if I don't know a date?
Leave it blank, write a question mark, or use "c." for circa, as in "c. 1905".