Use Appropriate Forms: Difference between revisions

Begin by carefully <ref>[[Start Family History by Writing What is Known]]</ref> recording and organizing your information so important facts and clues will not be lost. To help record the information you already know about family members, you may want to use standard genealogical forms such as family group records, and pedigree charts. These forms are familiar to other researchers and assure that your findings will be understandable to others. The forms, used by most researchers, can be purchased at genealogical stores, the Family History Library, Family History Centers, and most genealogical libraries.  

You could also use computer programs to generate these forms. After you type genealogical information once, these programs can generate many kinds of forms such as completed family group records and pedigrees. For example, the Personal Ancestral File computer program makes it easier to cite the sources which document events, and allow you to even add customized events to a family group record. Computer programs allow you to make frequent updates and share information with others while limiting the mistakes caused by redundant typing or writing of information. For further details see <ref> [[Organize the New Records#Using_a_Computer_for_Genealogy]] </ref> Using a Computer for Genealogy. The 2009 edition of the book "Secrets of Tracing Your Ancestors" by W. Daniel Quillen recommends creating forms that work for your unique research goals. Templates can be easily created by anyone familiar with common everyday programs such as MS Office applications. When designing such a template be sure to keep it simple and universally applicable to all researchers needs with emphasis on including blocks for key source information so that research can be duplicated by others who may later rely on it to proof a familial relationship.  

[[Image:Family Group Record blank side 1.png|thumb|right|Family Group Record blank side 1.png]] Family Group Records (also called family group sheets) are forms with space to record information about the parents and children in one family. Good family group records show names, dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths (see the example to the right). You can enhance their value by citing the sources that document these events in the lives of family members. If you use computers to generate family group records, you also can easily display additional events such as censuses, change of residence, land purchases or sales, wills proved, and any other events in the family members' lives. The most useful family group records display as many events and sources as possible. Recently there has been a trend of amateur researchers creating photographic family group record templates which requires that source and possibly other information be transferred to the reverse of each group record to make room for small portraits of each family member. Family portraits are being incorporated into many form templates to help researchers increase the preservation efforts of priceless family images right along side the key vital statistics of their ancestors and other relatives. Click on the link above to print or download a family group record. <br><br>  

[[Image:Pedigree Chart Blank.png|thumb|right|Pedigree Chart Blank.png]] Pedigree charts , sometimes called “Ancestor” or “Lineage” Charts, have space for four or five generations (parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.) There is space for full names, dates and places of birth, marriage, and death. See the example at the right. Ancestral lines can continue onto other charts. Some pedigree charts display fewer generations for simplicity and, in doing so, allow plenty of room to include whatever researchers may value most; ancestor portraits, ancestors' siblings in birth order, source information, or customized compiler comments to aid the other researchers in verification or overcoming their next brick wall relative. Click on the link above to print or download a pedigree chart.  

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