Descendant family tree template (printable)
A descendant chart starts with one couple and follows the family down: their children, then their grandchildren. It is the chart to make for grandparents, anniversaries and family reunions, where everyone wants to find their own place.
Updated
If your family has more branches
This sheet has room for 4 children and 8 grandchildren, two under each child. For larger families, print a second copy and give each child's branch a separate sheet, with the original couple written at the top. At a reunion, put a large copy on the wall and let people add their own names with a pen, which also fills in the spellings and birth dates nobody remembered. Add spouses by writing their names in the same box as their partner.
What is on this template
- 2 boxes for the couple, joined by a marriage line
- 4 boxes for the children and 8 for the grandchildren
- Classic style with a double border
- Landscape page, Letter or A4
How to fill it in
- Print at 100% ("Actual size"). A plain-paper draft first saves spoiling the good copy.
- Write the couple at the top, then their children from oldest to youngest, left to right, and each child's own children underneath.
- Add the years of birth and death under each name, like 1931–2005.
Want to draw your direct ancestors instead? The family tree maker prints a family tree, fan chart or pedigree chart from the names you type.
Who a descendant chart is for
A pedigree chart looks back from one person; a descendant chart looks down from one couple, so a whole branch of the family can find its place on one page. That makes it the favorite chart for grandparents' anniversaries, birthday cards from the grandchildren, reunions and a family history book.
Numbering a larger family
On a big descendant chart, genealogists number the children so each person can be found in notes and books. Two common systems are the Register System, used by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and the NGSQ System, from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. For a family chart on the wall, simply list the children oldest to youngest from left to right.
Questions
What is the difference between a descendant chart and a family tree?
A family tree or pedigree chart starts with you and goes back to your ancestors. A descendant chart starts with an ancestor couple and comes forward to their children and grandchildren.
What if there are more than 4 children?
Print one copy per child's branch, with the couple written at the top of each, or draw extra boxes in the margin. Each child's family then gets a sheet of its own.
Where do husbands and wives of the children go?
Write the spouse's name in the same box as the child, joined with an ampersand or on a second line.
