Lesson #3 Pedigree Charts

Pedigree Chart

Your Genealogy Road Map lesson # 3

In order to get a sense of where you have been and where you need place your research efforts, a 12 or 15 generation pedigree chart is essential. Most computer programs limit their pedigree charts to no more than six generation. This is nowhere near the information you need to successfully plot your research objectives.

Rules ~

1. Only record in pen a record information which is accurate and documented. Use pencil for all other information.

2. Use only fine tip ball point, archival quality ink, and non-smear pens ( no felt pens as they bleed to the back of the chart and fade or smear if moisture gets to your record)

3. Update you pedigree as you discover new and valid information.

4. Use correct data recording practices- (see handout How to correctly record data on Family Group Record)

5. Record in four colors;

Paternal (father’s line ) -Black

Paternal-maternal ( father’s mother ) -Red

Maternal-paternal ( mother’s father)- - Blue

Maternal-maternal - ( mothers’s mother ) -Green

Dividing your lines in four colors facilitates your research objectives and creates a baseline for organizing and preserving your research records into coordinating folders or files. Even if you don’t use this filing system it helps define your lines for research purposes.

Correctly Recording Information

On Pedigree Charts And Family Group Records

1. Only record proven records on pedigree charts ( use pencil until you know this name is correct and sourced.

2. Name field~ write as spoken first, middle, last. Capitalize last name.

 Last name unknown: Henry/ /

 First name unknown / Smith/

 Wife’s first name is known Elizabeth / / Do not put husband last name in her surname field. Mrs Joseph Jones is acceptable

 Titles such as; Jr, lll, are recorded after surname slash. John /Jones/ Jr.

 James K. Jones is correct - do not put quote marks around initials

 Jim Smith or Smyth is correct if spelling varies ( you can also put the other spelling in notes)

 Hyphenated names Oliva /Newton-John/ is recorded this way.

 Do not put descriptive titles in name field, such as infant, stillborn,Miss, Mr. Dr. twin, Reverand, carpenter etc..

3. Gender field if you are not sure of gender put unknown if you have a gender neutral name such as Ardrian record as male for ordinance purposes, make a note of uncertainty in notes.

4. Date fields ~

 Day Month ( first three letters) year full year 1995.

DO NOT USE NUMBERS FOR THE MONTHS, OR LIST ONLY PART OF A YEAR !

 For calculated dates ( dates estimated from census records for example) record ca 1850 for estimated dates abt 1850 . Note try to find better records for calculated and about dates

 A calculated date is considered a guess date helps you look in the right timeframe when searching for that person. Important when guessing a woman married between 17 to 20 a man 20 to 25 a first child was born a year after marriage, a subsequence children every 2 years.

 Christening field is not for LDS blessings. Put these in notes.

 More than one date note the second date in notes with a tag NFR ( Needs Further Research)

Key words for death dates; stillborn, infant, Child, infant,or child

5. Place Field ~

 Write/spell all localities out in FULL, from smallest to largest jurisdiction Record city, county, state, country for United States example: Salt Lake city, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, each jurisdiction is divided by a comma and a space behind the jurisdiction.

 Calculated places listed as “of” example; of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. ( In PAF if you don’t guess the program will and these places are seen in brackets < > ). The first child was probably born where parents married. If a person was born and died in a jurisdiction they were probably married there and all the children born there.

 Use the "English" version of the country name, but do record the native language spelling of the locality name and list the source in the notes/documentation for the problem. For example:

The birthplace of a European born grandmother should not be listed as, "Albrechtsflor, Torontal, Urn", but rather as "Albrechtsflor, Torontal, HUNGARY".

6. Death Place Field

 Death place field Do not put name of cemetery here. Put political jurisdiction. Record cemetery in notes or sources.

 Unknown death date put Dead, Deceased, Child, Infant or stillborn.

 Missing city record , Wayne, North Carolina, United States

 Missing name of county record Seven Springs, , North Carolina, United States.

 Do not put the word county or co after a county the commas designate the position as a county.

7. Christening Field ~ do not put LDS blessing dates in this field

8. Ordinace fields

 Baptism date; day, month, year. For child who died under eight record infant, child or stillborn. They will still need to be sealed to their parents if not born in the covenant.

 Baptism place is the temple where ordinance was preformed or LVG if it was done while living

 Endowment same guideline for adult day, month, year

 Sealings - BIC if parents were sealed before child . If a sealing should not occur, type DNS. F sealing occurred in life and was then cancelled, type CAN in sealing date field.