Family tree guides
Practical guides on building, charting, printing, and growing your family tree — written for real, messy family histories.
- July 13, 2026 · Guide
How to Make a Family Tree: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
A practical, start-to-finish guide to building a family tree — what to gather, how to organize generations, and how to turn it into a chart you can print and share.
Read guide - July 12, 2026
The Best Free Family Tree Maker (No Subscription Needed)
What to look for in a free family tree maker, where paid tools trip you up, and how to build a complete tree online without paying a subscription.
Read guide - July 11, 2026
Printable Family Tree Templates: How to Make One That Actually Prints Well
Blank templates are limiting. Here is how to build a printable family tree that scales to any number of generations and prints cleanly for framing or archiving.
Read guide - July 10, 2026
How to Open a GEDCOM File (and What It Actually Contains)
GEDCOM (.ged) is the universal format for family history. Learn what is inside a GEDCOM file and how to open and view one online in seconds.
Read guide - July 9, 2026
How to Chart a Blended Family Tree (Step-Parents, Remarriages, Half-Siblings)
Most family tree tools assume a tidy nuclear family. Here is how to accurately chart blended families — multiple spouses, step-parents, and half-siblings included.
Read guide - July 8, 2026
Free Alternatives to Ancestry for Building Your Family Tree
You do not need an Ancestry subscription just to build and keep a family tree. Here are the free alternatives — and what each is actually good for.
Read guide - July 7, 2026
How to Make a Family Tree for a School Project
A simple, kid-friendly walkthrough for building a family tree school project — how many generations to include, what to ask relatives, and how to print it.
Read guide - July 6, 2026
How Far Back Can You Trace Your Family Tree?
How many generations can you realistically document, what records run out and when, and how to keep a large multi-generation tree readable.
Read guide - July 5, 2026
Types of Family Tree Charts (and Which One to Use)
Ancestor charts, descendant charts, hourglass, fan charts — a plain-English guide to the main types of family tree charts and when each one works best.
Read guide - July 4, 2026
How to Print a Family Tree That Looks Good on Paper
Printing a large family tree is where most tools fall apart. Here is how to get a clean, print-ready chart sized for a single page or a framed poster.
Read guide