Family trees
Just like any great detective, tracing your family’s historic roots takes clever investigative skills
How to trace your lineage back through the ages to find a royal ancestor in your past
Everyone knows what a family tree looks like, with its branches growing out and upwards, further back in time. Although there are different forms of family tree, the most familiar arrangement displays a map of your roots and how your ancestors are related to one another.
Family trees are read from bottom to top, with each group of people on the same horizontal line representing a separate generation. Your parents’ names will be above you, your siblings will be written either side of you and any children you have will be below you. If your children have a baby, your grandchild will be added beneath them. Your mother’s parents will be above her and your father’s parents will be above him, showing all four of your grandparents. Any siblings that your parents may have – your aunties and uncles – will be written alongside them, just as your siblings are displayed beside you. Gradually, the branches spread further out and the roots further downwards as each new generation is born.
The most famous family tree is that of the British royal family, and it’s fascinating to see how they are related to other royal families around the world. As each family tree becomes bigger and more complicated, many branches merge with other trees, and that is why nearly all Europeans can trace their family ancestors back to royal lineage via Charlemagne or William the Conqueror.