Family Group Records (National Institute)

Forms
Family Group Record

Remember that your pedigree chart records your direct-line ancestors. The family group forms or charts show the most vital pieces of information for a husband, wife and their children—this is what we mean by family group.

Complete this form for every family you have located. The head of the family and his wife have full information about birth, marriage and death. Some forms will add a place for baptism or christening, burial and cemetery, occupation and/or residence. Then each child of this couple has the same information: date and place of birth, marriage, death. Reference numbers will lead to the birth family charts for the husband and wife as children. Reference numbers will lead to a separate chart for each child who married or had their own family.

The space for each child usually has a double-line entry for birth and death dates and locations. This is so you can enter the spouse’s name under each child who married. It is more “all-inclusive” to be able to see, at a glance, which children did marry and what the spousal surname was.

The family group records are important work sheets. We have made suggestions on the back for questions to ask living relatives.

Your family history will come alive with stories and anecdotes from the past. The pedigree chart and the family group form are merely the foundation to build on. Additional information can be written in appended note form as your research progresses. Genealogy software also usually provides a place for adding all the extra, interesting information you will find. As you make and add these notes, you must be recording their sources

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online courses offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about these courses or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

We welcome updates and additions to this Wiki page.