Family Tree Maker (FTM) is a known genealogy software that makes it easier to build your family tree, add records, and share your unique ancestry story. Owned and operated by MacKiev, genealogists have been using Family Tree Maker for over 30 years.
One of the top features of Family Tree Maker is the Publish section.
It automatically pulls information from an individual in your tree into a chart or report. Once generated, a chart or report allows you to customize them to add whatever information you want.
There are a number of predetermined charts within the software for you, including:
- Pedigree Charts
- Descendant Chart
- Relationship Chart
- Hourglass Charts
- Extended Family Chart
Each chart has its pros and cons and to be honest, sometimes I cycle through a couple of them before deciding which one I like best, depending on what itâs for. For detailed information, such as in a family history book, a pedigree chart works well. If you’re just listing names for a family reunion, an extended family chart might be better for including more people. Play around with all the charts until you determine your favorite!
Pedigree Charts
Probably the most commonly visual family tree depiction, pedigree charts show a personâs direct line ancestry by generation. These charts are great for printing as giant posters, putting in family history books, or tracking how much you know about each ancestor through the generations.
Horizontal Pedigree Chart
On Family Tree Maker known as just the âPedigree Chartâ – The horizontal pedigree chart begins with an individual. The parents are directly to the right of the individual. From each parent, the branches depicting their parents (grandparents of the original individual) are shown, continuing on for as many generations as needed.
Vertical Pedigree Chart
Similar to the Horizontal Pedigree Chart, the Vertical Pedigree Chart the individual starts at the bottom of the page while the parents, grandparents, and so on are above them.
Fan Chart
Very similar to the Vertical Pedigree Chart, this chart shows the individual at the bottom and their direct line ancestors above. However, the Fan Chart rotates the image so all individuals are spread out evenly (creating the image of a fan!).
This chart is great for creating a beautiful family tree display.
Bowtie Chart
The Bowtie Chart separates the paternal and maternal lines more clearly than the pedigree or fan chart. The paternal line of an individual extends to the left and the maternal line to the right.
This chart highlights the paternal and maternal lines and shows how many individuals are known on each side.
Descendant Chart
As the name describes, the Descendant Chart shows an individualsâ direct line descendants. At the top of the chart is the specified individual with each descendant via their generation and parentage.
This type of chart is excellent for showing a direct line immediate family or how many children, grandchildren, etc. an individual has.
Relationship Chart
This is a really cool chart thatâs not frequently used! This chart is a visual presentation of the relationship between two individuals in your tree. At the top is the shared relative and then below shows the direct line to each individual.
This chart is excellent for showing how distant a cousin is or how many generations between two individuals.
Hourglass Charts
Named for the figure it creates, Hourglass Charts combine the depictions of Pedigree and Descendant Charts by showing both ancestors and direct descendants.
These types of charts are excellent for highlighting all generations surrounding an individual instead of just focusing on ancestors or descendants. These are great family gifts, displays, or can be the focus for a chapter in a family history book.
Vertical Hourglass Chart
Simply known as the “Hourglass Chart” on Family Tree Maker – this chart shows the individual in the center. Ancestors are spread above the individual while their descendants extend below.
Horizontal Hourglass Chart
Rotated 90° from the Vertical Hourglass Chart, the Horizontal Hourglass Chart shows descendants extending to the left of the individual while the ancestors are on the right.
Extended Family Chart
The Extended Family Chart is the mega-family tree chart. It shows generations of individuals aligned horizontally with the oldest ancestors at the top and the youngest descendants at the bottom. This chart shows all individuals related to the identified individual. This chart can show siblings, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, step-families, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone!
The Extended Family Chart is one that I reach for on a fairly regular basis. My family is fairly large with many generations of grandparents, great-grandparents, granduncles, grandaunts, and immediate to distant cousins. Most are very close and actively involved in family events so a single ancestry line is usually very limiting when at a family reunion because so many 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and beyond cousins attend. It was pretty obvious early on that I needed to include as many branches of the tree as possible so this Extended Family Chart became my go to. But I made sure I understood how to create and customize the others as well for the times where I wanted to focus on a single family line.
Family Tree Maker is a great resource for developing beautiful and functional family tree charts. Whether you want a chart that you can make notes on while conducting research or can reference as you find distant family members or print a visual to show off at a family reunion, there are plenty of templates and customization options within Family Tree Maker.
I highly encourage you to play around with the various charts and see which ones work for you. Some youâll come back to again and again, Iâm sure, but the more you know about each of them, the better youâll be at recognizing which format is going to help visualize your hard work!
Happy Chart Making!