Family Tree Template: Printable and Fillable Charts
This family tree template pack gives you seven printable charts and research sheets that you can type into on screen or fill in by hand. It was designed for British families tracing their roots, including families with ancestors from Poland, and every chart is in plain English. The pack costs £39 and you can download it as soon as your payment is confirmed.
What is in the family tree template pack
| Chart | Size | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Five-generation pedigree chart, colour and ink-saver versions | A3 landscape | You, your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and 2x great-grandparents: 31 people in total |
| Four-generation pedigree chart | A4 landscape | A quick overview of 15 people that prints well at home |
| Research log | A4 landscape | A record of every search: the date, the ancestor, the source you checked and what you found |
| Illustrated family tree | A3 portrait | A decorative four-generation tree for framing, a birthday or a family gathering |
| Family group record | A4 portrait | One couple, their parents, marriage details and up to ten children, with space for sources |
| Polish ancestor research sheet | A4 portrait | One ancestor’s name spellings, village, parish, district, religion and a checklist of records in Poland and Britain |
| How-to guide | A4 | Typing on screen, printing at actual size and filling in names and dates |
Which family tree template do you need?
Most people start with a pedigree chart. It follows your direct line backwards: two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents and so on, with each generation doubling. Genealogists number the people on a pedigree chart with the Ahnentafel system, where your father is number 2, your mother number 3, and anyone’s father is twice their number. The charts in this pack use those numbers so that your notes and sheets stay linked.
An illustrated family tree shows the same four generations as branches. It is easier to read at a glance and suits a frame or a present, but it has less room for places and dates.
A family group record works the other way: one couple and all of their children. Use it when you want to record brothers, sisters and their marriages, which a pedigree chart leaves out.
A research log keeps track of every search: the source, what you looked for and the result. It stops you repeating searches and shows which records are still to check.
The Polish ancestor research sheet is for the point where British records lead back to Poland. It collects the details that decide where Polish records are kept: the parish, the civil district, the partition at the time and the family’s religion.
How to fill in a family tree template
- Start with yourself. Put your own name in box 1, then your parents, then work back one generation at a time.
- Use maiden names for women. Write each woman under the surname she was born with. You can add her married name in brackets.
- Write dates in full. Day, month and year, such as 12 Mar 1921, avoid confusion between British and American date order.
- Copy names as the records give them. Keep any accents, such as ł or ż in Polish surnames, and add the English form in brackets if the family used one in Britain.
- Mark what is uncertain. A question mark and a short note on the source, such as a certificate or a family story, will save time later.
Family memory, birth and marriage certificates and the 1939 Register often cover the first three generations. Our guides to the GRO index and FreeBMD and to searching Geneteka from British family records explain the next steps.
Printing your family tree
- Every chart is a fillable PDF. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Preview or Microsoft Edge, click on a line and type. Save a copy before you print.
- Choose “Actual size” or 100% in the print settings so that the boxes keep their proportions.
- The A3 charts can be printed at a copy shop or an online print service. They also print on A4 at a smaller size.
- Use the ink-saver version for working copies and the colour version for display.
Would you rather we filled it in?
If you want a finished chart as a present, we can complete it for you. Send us the names, dates and places, and we prepare a print-ready PDF with the names set in the same style as the chart. See the personalised family tree for £89.
Instant download
Buy the family tree template pack - £39
Enter your name and email address and continue to Stripe to pay £39. After payment you are returned to a page with your download link, and we email the same link to you. The link works for 30 days.
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The files are licensed for your personal use and for copies you print for your own family. Because the download starts straight away, the 14-day cancellation period does not apply once the link is provided.
Frequently asked questions
Is this family tree template free?
No. The pack costs £39 for all seven files. You pay once and keep the files.
Can I type on the chart?
Yes. Every chart has fillable fields. You can also print the charts blank and write by hand.
Can I type accented letters in names?
Yes. Names such as Stanisław or Józef can be typed in most PDF readers. If a letter does not show, try Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free.
Can I share the files with my relatives?
You can print copies for your own family and give a printed chart as a gift. Please do not share the files publicly or resell them.
What if my family tree goes back to Poland and I am stuck?
The Polish ancestor research sheet helps you organise what you know. If the records are in Polish archives, our family history research service can take the search further.