Books
3 min read
Family History Book Layout and Typography: Making Genealogy Readable
Typefaces, page sizes, margins, running heads, captions and index design for a family history book that is pleasant to read and easy to navigate.
Blog
Guides on GEDCOM files, chart types, research methods, old records and family history books.
Charts
3 min read
From GEDCOM File to Printed Family Tree Chart in Five Minutes
A walkthrough of turning a .ged file into a clean, printable family tree chart: uploading, choosing the central person and chart type, checking the layout and exporting.
GEDCOM
2 min read
Free vs Paid Genealogy Tools: What Do You Really Need?
An honest guide to genealogy software and websites: what is free, what is worth paying for, and how to combine a desktop program, an online service and a printing tool.
Books
2 min read
Preserving Family Photos and Documents: Scanning, Naming and Storing
How to digitise old family photographs and documents properly: scanner settings, file formats, naming, identifying people and long-term storage.
Books
2 min read
Privacy and Living People in Family Trees: What to Share and What to Hide
Practical rules for handling living relatives in family trees, charts and books: what to record, what to publish, how GEDCOM privatisation works and what the law expects.
Research
2 min read
Surname Origins and Spelling Variations: Why Your Ancestor's Name Kept Changing
Where surnames come from, why the same family appears under different spellings in the records, and how to search and record surname variants in your tree.
Research
2 min read
Reading Old Handwriting and Latin in Church Records
Practical techniques for deciphering old handwriting in parish registers, plus the essential Latin vocabulary for baptism, marriage and burial entries.
Research
2 min read
Polish and Eastern European Genealogy: Getting Started
A starter guide to genealogy in Poland and neighbouring countries: partitions and borders, church versus civil records, the main online archives and language tips.
Research
2 min read
Tracing Immigrant Ancestors: Passenger Lists, Naturalisation Records and the Village of Origin
How to find where an immigrant ancestor came from using passenger manifests, naturalisation papers, church records and clues in the destination country.
Research
3 min read
DNA Testing and Traditional Genealogy: How the Two Fit Together
What autosomal, Y-DNA and mitochondrial tests can and cannot tell you, how to use DNA matches with a documented family tree, and where the limits lie.
Research
2 min read
12 Common Genealogy Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The most frequent errors in family trees, from same-name confusion to copied online trees and impossible dates, with practical ways to catch and prevent them.
Charts
2 min read
How to Prepare a Family Tree for a Family Reunion
Ideas for using a family tree at a reunion: which chart to print, how to collect corrections on the day, name badges with generation numbers and a follow-up plan.
Charts
3 min read
Printing a Large Family Tree: Paper Sizes, Resolution and Poster Tips
How to print a big family tree chart: choosing between A3, A2, A1 and roll paper, PNG versus SVG and PDF, resolution, fonts and where to get a poster printed.
Books
2 min read
What to Include in a Family History Book: A Chapter-by-Chapter Checklist
A checklist of the sections, charts, photographs and appendices that make a family history book complete, readable and useful for future generations.
Books
3 min read
How to Write a Family History Book: A Step-by-Step Guide
From a pile of records to a printed book: how to plan, structure, write and produce a family history book that relatives will actually read.
Research
2 min read
The Core Genealogy Sources: Vital Records, Census Returns and Church Registers
An overview of the three record types every family historian relies on: civil vital records, census returns and church registers, with what each contains and how far back it goes.
Research
2 min read
Dealing with Missing Dates and Uncertain Information in Your Family Tree
How to record approximate, calculated and unknown dates in a family tree so that your charts and books stay honest, sortable and useful.
Charts
3 min read
How to Record and Draw Multiple Marriages, Step-Families and Adoptions
Second marriages, half-siblings, step-children and adoptions confuse many family tree programs. Here is how to record them correctly and how a good chart should draw them.
Books
2 min read
Genealogical Numbering Systems Explained: Ahnentafel, Register, d'Aboville and Henry
How genealogists number people in books and charts: the Ahnentafel system for ancestors, and the Register, NGSQ, d'Aboville and Henry systems for descendants.
Research
2 min read
Organising Your Genealogy Research: Files, Names and Citations That Scale
A simple system for organising genealogy research: file naming, folder structure, source citations and a research log that still works when your tree has 2,000 people.
Research
3 min read
How to Interview Relatives About Family History (With 40 Questions)
A practical guide to interviewing older relatives about family history: how to prepare, how to record, and a ready list of 40 questions that open up memories.
Research
2 min read
10 Tips for Starting Your Family History Research
Ten practical tips for beginners in genealogy: where to start, what to record, which sources to trust and how to avoid the classic early mistakes.
Charts
3 min read
How to Read a Family Tree Diagram: Boxes, Lines and Symbols
Learn to read any family tree diagram: what the boxes, colours, marriage lines, dashed boxes and dates mean, and how to follow a line of descent.
Charts
2 min read
Family Tree Chart Types Explained: Pedigree, Descendant, Hourglass and Fan Charts
Not sure which family tree chart to print? Compare pedigree, descendant, hourglass, fan and all-relatives charts and learn which one fits your goal.
GEDCOM
2 min read
How to Export a GEDCOM File from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch and Desktop Programs
Step-by-step instructions for downloading your family tree as a GEDCOM (.ged) file from the most popular genealogy websites and desktop programs.
GEDCOM
3 min read
What Is a GEDCOM File? A Beginner's Guide to the .ged Format
GEDCOM is the universal file format for family trees. Learn what a .ged file contains, who created it, and how to use it to move your tree between programs.
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