drawing up family tree on paper??

[DJFRENCH]

i use lining paper and photocopy 

[adee7]

I just found this thread.

Thank goodness I'm not the only one trying to decide how to display the family branches so that I can see at a glance what I've accomplished and where I need to do more work.

Some great suggestions here.

Kathleen

[bean]

i use autocad and an A1 width plotter but even so there comes a point when you can't unroll it enough to view properly.

[sheddyg]

I use the Brothers Keeper programme because the tree function is very simply laid out and really helps me to "visualise who fits in where".

I have ended up sticking loads of A4 paper together though but only because I`ve not been brave enough to use a longer roll or whatever in the printer.

I just reprint each time I have added a few more names, fold them up and pop them in the file until I want to have a look at who`s who (which is usually very often).

I can see every one who is descended from anyone whether its five or fifteen generations(or more) and I can print as much or as little info about each person as I like. It even gets over the "cousins" problem.

You can buy the programme, but it is also available as shareware so you can try it out.

There is a website
www.bkwin.org

I have tried several programmes but always return to this one as I LOVE the tree.

sheddyg

[Aulus]

I use Family Historian for my tree (with an abbreviated version on Ancestry).

Family Historian is good at graphical representations of the tree, and can even put in swooshing lines (can't think how else to describe them), to link the same person appearing in different places on the tree.

A few years ago, I looked to see how I might print it out.  I think we were looking at several hundreds, if not thousands of sheets of A4!  (Yes, I've got loads and loads of cousin lines on my tree, and even some barely related in-law branches where it's a family that's caught my interest!)

[lizdb]

I keep my tree(s) on paper. I just use ordinary A4 sheets, headed "Family Tree A", "Family Tree B" etc, then kept in folders for each surname.

So, for example, if William Smith has 10 children and several of those have large families, then he will be on Fam Tree A, perhaps with some of the children that don't spread too far. Then, say for example his eldest son John has a large family, then instead of squashing all his children in, his line would just be marked as Fam Tree B.  New sheet, heaed Fam Tree B, would therefore start with a line up referring it back to A, but the name at the top of the tree on that sheet would be John Smith.  And so on.
Havent described it at all well. HAs worked excellently for me for over 30 years!  Tried a computer programme , but was far too large and unwieldy. I like the accessibitly and versatility of paper.

[Berlin-Bob]

The original question was about drawing trees on paper, and I would like to add something about methods to the discussion.

I have 5 major lines plus 5 siblings lines. Normally each line can be printed on an two A4 pieces of paper (length to length). One of the major lines has so many minor branches that I've had to print it on two pages. So all told I have a tree printed on a 10x2 matrix of A4 sheets of paper.

Which leads to the question, how can I arrange them, so that I can show people, with the minimum of effort, and not having to find the "right piece" of paper, and getting it all in a clutter ?

My solution is to use A4 document envelopes (wallets ?), dividers cut to the envelope width and lots of sellotape !  I cut off the retainer (? the bit with the holes for filing ) on all but the first line, so I can fold everything and put it in an A4 folder for transport and storage.  Remember to leave a space between the envelopes before taping them (I use 2 mm.), otherwise they will not fold  cleanly. I've added a drawing which I hope explains this (better). (1) and (2) in the second pic. show the ideal situation, (3) is what happens, when the gap is not large enought.

And don't tape over the corners !  Folding the tree means that a lot of strain is introduced here, so leaving the corners open, will make life easier.

I tape both the fronts and the backs of the envelopes for stability, as I have a second tree on the reverse side, so I am constantly folding and refolding. (But be careful on the 'bottom' envelope, to tape the inside of the envelope, as you will need to keep the opening free.
Because this is one of the advantages of this method: if I change things - add or delete persons - I will usually only need to reprint one or maybe two pages and replace them.  Or if I add a new family line, I can simply tape on some more envelopes  (Yes, I've done this too - the tree started out as 5 * 2 pages, then became 7 * 2, then 9 *2 and is now 10 * 2 pages !) 

If I am showing this to people, I rarely fold out the whole thing, but simply those pages which show a particular family.

Bob
 
ps. I may be using the wrong names for some of the materials: as I haven't had to buy these in the U.K. for so many years, I've forgotten the "official" names 

[sunny51]

Once you have a good chart from your software, you can get it printed out at a copy shop or map printing shop where they can print on large paper eg A2/A1 sheets.
To hand write your tree, visit a printer. He may be willing to sell you a few very large sheets.

Best Free software for great charts, good book reports and very easy to use.
Have been using the free version for many years now. Recommended: just google My Heritage.com
Absolutely no complaints with this software which I run on my computer without using the online facilities.

Note: paying a My Heritage subscription lets you upload more people in your online trees BUT it does not allow you to access records. It tells you that there are records but you have to subscribe  to see them. So the free version is the best value.

[Guy Etchells]

Once you have a good chart from your software, you can get it printed out at a copy shop or map printing shop where they can print on large paper eg A2/A1 sheets.
To hand write your tree, visit a printer. He may be willing to sell you a few very large sheets.

Or perhaps you can’t.

I used Treedraw to enable me to compile my tree and save as a pdf file.
Pretty easy to do though it did take a while to align it correctly.

Now all I have to do is find a printer who can handle, or should I say print the PDF file. That should not be a problem many copy shops and prints shops do that every day.
Umm  -  yes  –  but when printed my tree would be 50 feet wide which equates to three PDF pages.
The height  to contain generations back to the early 1400s is not a problem its the fitting the siblings side by side that is.
(All I need is a time machine, a barrel of slimming pills and a barrel of contraceptives for both males and females and my tree will soon be sorted).

Cheers
Guy