Genealogical forms
There are two basic forms used to gather information to compile a genealogical record of a family.
The Ancestor Chart shows the “family tree.” Starting with one person, it would show their two parents, four grandparents and eight great-grandparents. The one we use has a limited amount of space to give the dates and places of birth, marriage, and death.
More detailed information would be found on a Family Group Sheet. Here a man and his wife (or companion) and their children are listed. A seperate group sheet is completed for each marriage.
The most important information that should be found in a genealogy is not extracted from either of the basic forms but rather it is a narrative of the life of an individual or family. Names and event dates & places are just a skeleton; the meat of a person will be found when their life is filled out with stories about them, where they lived and what they did. This is often the hardest thing for all of us to do but it is the most important in recording an individual to be remembered in the future.