A pedigree chart is used to record the names of your ancestors. The first chart completed always starts with you. You start other charts by starting a new chart for every person  that appears at the far right of the chart, placing that person in the starting position of the new chart. As you continue this process, the number of pedigree charts in your file will continue to grow as you find more and more direct ancestors. Everyone on these charts (assuming you were the starting person) will be a direct ancestor (grandfather/grandmother)

In the illustration above, you will notice that at the far left there is a line with a line under that doesn’t connect anywhere else. This bottom line is for you spouse – your ancestors are not your spouse’s. The next column with two lines is for your parents, the next column has four lines (your grandparents), the next eight (great-grandparents), etc.

Most pedigree charts have room for either five or six generations. However, you can purchase big wall size charts that contain as many as fifteen generations.

Any genealogy computer program will have the ability to print blank pedigree charts or will print completed ones based on information you input into the program.  

If you do not have a genealogy program, consider downloading a free program.  Google “free genealogy programs” or you can go a page in this book where you can open the websites of several popular programs  Just click on:  Choosing Genealogy Programs