How to build a family tree
5 min read
A family tree is simply a map of how your relatives connect — parents, partners and children, generation by generation. You don't need to finish it in one sitting or know every name; you build it outward from yourself, one person at a time. Here is how to start.
Start with yourself and work outward
Put yourself at the centre, then add your parents, your siblings and your own children. Beginning with the people you know best gives every later branch something solid to connect to.
Add each person's key facts
For everyone you add, record their full name, birth date and the places that mattered — born, lived, married. Even a rough year or a single place is worth keeping; you can sharpen the details later.
Connect parents, partners and children
Link each person to their parents, their partner and their children. These relationships are what turn a list of names into a tree, and they let the layout draw itself as the family grows.
Work back one generation at a time
Once your closest relatives are in, move up a generation: grandparents, then great-grandparents. Going one layer at a time keeps the tree accurate and stops you from guessing across gaps you can't yet fill.
Keep it in one place and keep adding
Hold the whole tree in a single place you can return to, rather than scattered notes. A tree you keep open and keep adding to grows steadily, and there is always room for the next name.
Build your tree on a living map
RootsLore draws your family tree for you as you add people and their relationships — no layout to fiddle with — and pins every birth, marriage and move to a real place, so the tree and the map grow together. Start free with only the names you know, no account required, then share one link so relatives can add their branches too.