It is a graphic representation that allows the identification of the ancestors and descendants of an individual, this schematization is carried out in an orderly manner in a system that will be represented or implemented in the form of a tree or tables. This genealogical tree can be described in ascending order to identify the ancestors of our birth, or otherwise, in descending order to identify our descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren).
What is a family tree
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A genealogical tree is a pictographic scheme in which the ancestors and successors of an individual are arranged. It is called "tree", since in this way it is represented, and the ascendants will go at its peak or point. Their direct descendants will follow them in linear order, the brothers extending sideways.
Depending on the technique and skills to carry out these diagrams, a creative genealogical tree can be obtained, which outlines in a striking way the members of that family and the connections that exist between them. Simple trees can be made, in which only the parents and children appear, even those more complex and intricate that span multiple generations, and even connect with other trees. The study to carry out these schemes is genealogy, also known as family history, which consists of the study, registration and monitoring of the consanguineous or genetic members of a family.
This can have several purposes, among which it stands out to carry out a genetic family history to determine why they suffer from some diseases or some inherited genes that may increase the risk of suffering them. Likewise, a doctor can with this information recommend to the person what changes in their lifestyle should be made and determine what risk an individual has in transmitting these conditions to their children, among many other uses.
It should be noted that these images are not only limited to the human family genealogical tree, since it can be used to capture the roots, evolution and families of the species and be able to categorize them for study.
The etymology of the word "genealogy" comes from the Latin genealogĭa; from the Greek γενεαλογία (genealogy), made up of γένος (genos) which means race, caste, family, descent. Its meaning in this sense would be family tree or descent.
What is a family tree for?
- Know the ancestors of an individual.
- Determine what type of illnesses or diseases they suffered and how they can affect the person. This would help to make accurate diagnoses when investigating genetic syndromes that have remained in the family for generations. For example: if several members of a family have cancer, their descendants may be at high risk for it as well.
- In the case of animals, for example, in dogs, it is applied to know their ancestry or pedigree (pedigree in English, whose original term is pedigree); and in the study of animals in general, to know the existence of new species, among other applications.
- A family tree drawing can be used to capture family diagrams with anthropological utility, with which, carried out exhaustively, the first civilizations of the world can be studied.
- For a person, knowing their origins and roots is very important, so a thorough investigation of an individual's family tree will allow them to identify and get in contact with members of their family with whom they did not know they were related.
- In the monarchies of the world, the use of the genealogical tree is essential, since the crowns are inherited to their blood descendants.
- In school age, there is the genealogical tree for children in which the little ones can know their origin when they study the structure of the family as the basis for society, and establish how people and their origins are related.
How to make a family tree
There are multiple resources online for making this type of diagram. Pages with tools to make a creative family tree, where you will get a family tree to print, family tree images or family tree template, being very useful for those who wish to capture their own.
To carry out a family genealogical tree requires a comprehensive study of family history. According to the relatives taken into account to make the tree, two types of lineages can be classified: blood lineage, whose tree is made up only of male ancestors, used much earlier in the royal family to identify who would be the heir to the throne; and the navel lineage, which are the female ancestor relatives.
Once you have the complete family information, you can proceed to make the family scheme. To do this, you take a blank page and begin to draw a large tree.
The trunk is generally short, the important thing is that the tops and branches are abundant. Then, begin to shape the ascending relatives, called great-great-grandparents, great-grandparents, grandparents and parents.
Then come the descendants of these same ancestors, these are the uncles, cousins, nephews, brothers of the person who makes the scheme and that same subject. The order of them will depend on age, since all this is organized following a regime or hierarchy that goes from the oldest to the youngest. Family trees can be made by adding the names of relatives and attaching a small photograph.
Examples of the family tree
- Direct Ancestor Tree: This contains the direct line of the father and mother and the four grandparents. Leaving aside siblings, uncles, etc.
- Mixed tree: this is the most traditional and in which both the ancestors and the descendants of the author can be plotted.
- Tree of ancestors of the agnatic line: this will only take the line of male ancestors.
- Tree of ancestors of the cognatic line: in this only the line of female ascendants is plotted.
