Family Trees

Branches to the family tree can certainly get confusing.  How to picture and put together all the branches can be an interesting task.  The following figures give one example of how this can be accomplished using a variety of methods all grouped together.

First is graph paper.  Any old kind will do.  I personally like reinforced filler paper, two sided, which seems to hold up a little better to my doodles and drawings.  Double sided gives a chance to use back and front of a single notebook page which opens the view to the imagination. [ 4/sq/inch on front and 5 sq/inch on back ]

Second is "square and circles".  [The square = males, the circle = female.]  This gives a way to draw a number of generations on the same page and connect the dots.  See my blog GE-NE-AL-O-GY 101 for a discussion of this method.

Third is a chronology.  By know you must recognize that a detailed chronology is paramount in the tree climbing adventure.  The figures show my chronology (in years) placed along the sides of the pages.  This can be done in all sorts of intervals.   This gives a "time line" to the family tree.

Forth is a coding mechanism.   This allows one to give each individual a distinct place in the tree, and hopefully allow one not to get confused along the branches.  My coding method is simple and flexible, using the alphabet and numbers. [The coding methods have been discussed in several of my blogs.]

Finally, I like colors.  A color code will give a visual picture that can be followed page after page of the family tree. Each major branch is given its own color code, so that as the generations increase, they can be followed page by page.   This especially helpful when those folks married 1st cousins!

The drawings shown are done with the graph paper turned side ways.  This will also give more room to place the family branch.

Family trees...the leaves will grow and the branches get broader.

The pink side of the family had to be placed on a page all to itself.

BWP(34): A Coding System for Genealogist

A previous post describes my JONES family coding system which has served me well over the years of tree climbing. See:

http://thejonessurname.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-jones-family-coding-system.html

This coding system was also discussed in BWP(17). However, there comes a time when you will find yourself in a nest of surnames. It may be at a particular geographic area, or historical time period, or a religious group with many members. There will be multiple folks with the same names being used. How do you keep them straight? How do separate and identify which John Johnson, John Smith, John Brown, and John Jones is the path you will need to follow? The following method is a coding system I have found helpful. It is different from my family coding system, since it involves only one surname, and needs to code for multiple generations. This approach will help separate and code each individual among a large number of folks with many different surnames.

It is very simple. First you label each person identified by their surname. You take the first two letters of their surname and then assign them a number. If the first name is John Johnson, you would code "JO-1". If you have another John Johnson in the county at the same time, you would label him "JO-2". Now if you have a John Jones living next door, you would code this "JON-1", knowing that you have already used "JO = Johnson". Thus, "JON = Jones". Now if there was a John Johns in the same neighborhood, you code him "JOH-1", using the next letter of the alphabet that was not used in a previous surname group.

Any surnames that share the same letters would take the next letter to separate and code it. Thus, Saul would be SA-1, Sampson would be SAM-1, and Samuel would be SAMU-1, etc., etc.
You would then start a record of the families identified in this geographic area, coding each individual, and you would not used the same letters for a different family surname.

Start with a small number of folks that you are working. These often will be those around your brick wall. Then start a listing for the codes you use, allowing you to keep a record of the surnames. Let's get started!

BWP(17): A Family Coding System

Over time, the family tree grows. The number of folks that share the same name, and the same geographic location, begin to get confused with one another. It was evident, fairly early in my own tree climbing, that a coding system would be helpful. This system is discussed in a post titled: "My JONES Family Coding System". This was presented as a method to help those who need a simple way to keep everyone in the family tree straight. The blog is:

http://thejonessurname.blogspot.com

and the post date is January 19, 2011. If you need a simple coding system, please check it out.