Beginning genealogy part 3 – basic genealogy forms
Paperwork goes hand in hand with genealogy. Once you start, you find paper multiplying exponentially. There are pre-made family trees, documentation of family facts (birth certificates, marriage records, etc), letters, interview notes, and much more.
The foundation of your tree should be documentation. And the best way to record that information is with more paperwork: family tree charts.
There are many types of charts available free online, some common, and some less so, but all useful in helping organize your search. The two basic forms are Family Group Sheets and Pedigree Charts.
Family Group Sheets are used for one family (father, mother and children) and all information about them. There are many on the web, both on the big sites and well as others. A nice one is posted on the Ancestors site here. They also have other good charts to look through.
Pedigree Charts show one individual’s ancestors, usually four to six generations, and have spaces for other info on each person. There’s a particularly nice chart here on this site, Misbach Enterprises, which also has some other interesting charts.
Beyond those two charts, every site has a different offering. Some of particular interest:
* Censustools.com has spreadsheets to keep track of the US and State Census information.
* Ancestry has many forms. Of interest is the Individual Data Sheet, allowing you to record a person’s timeline, and a nice Reasearch Checklist.
* Family Tree Magazine has an individual Military Service Record form to list a person’s military record details, and an Online Search Tracker to help you keep track of how you’ve searched for the people in your family tree.
* The Mid-Continent Public Library has a genealogy section that includes many worksheets, including an Individual Worksheet for recording information you have on a person and a Research Checklist to record sources you’ve checked for a person.
One final site for charts is About.com. They have their own forms for printing out and links to other sources. They also have one of the best versions of the Genealogy Relationship Chart online, which helps determine two individuals’ exact relationship. Not to mention an excellent guide on filling out Genealogical forms.
Whichever charts you use, always make sure to have a few on hand when you go to the library, or to family gatherings. You never know what you might need to record.
Good luck, and happy hunting!
