Beginner Training: Lesson 1 -The Family Group Record

The Family G...what?

In order to keep track of names and families and, for example, which "John Smith" is a Senior and which one is a "Junior", we have a form called a Family Group Record.  It is the most simplest breakdown of a family pedigree.  On a group record there is the mother, the father, and the children.  As you do research only research one family at a time.  When you work one family at a time it will be easier to keep papers together, it will be easier to file what work you have done (if you keep a physical copy) and it help you not get confused as your family pedigree gets larger and more vast.  It is also the way that all online or offline family pedigree charts work.  So to keep with the norm (per se), fill out a family group record for each geneological family.  

Here is a simple Family Group Record form you can download. 

If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Saints and would like a family group record that includes temple ordinances go here.

If you want one with a little different format, here is one by ancestry.com. 

If you want to get cute and fancy you can get one here. This one can also be fillable online.


Things to REMEMBER:

1)  When filling out the Last Name Capitalize it.
2)  When filling out the last name of the mother, always use the Maiden Name
3)  If you don't know the name of someone leave it blank (you can put possible names and spellings or nicknames in your "notes" area)  Also nicknames should be in quotations.
4) If there is a middle name add it to the first name.  If there is more than one middle name add them all.
5) Dates should be written in the military system, i.e. 4 July 1776
6)  When filling out the place:  try to have the town/city, county, state and country.  It will be written as such Gilbert, Maricopa, Arizona, USA if I was writing down the birth place of my daughter, Elsie.  Notice the comma placement.  If you are missing the county or the city for instance, still put the comma in place.  For instance with my example, if I didn't know the county I would write it as:

Gilbert,,Arizona, USA

 Remember that this record is not just for you but for your descendants who will come across it later.  Write eligibly or type if possible.  Be thorough and specific as possible.  You can't say too much in the notes.

Fill out a Family Group Record for each marriage.  If there were children with the second marriage for instance, put that child with the second marriage, not the first.  If a child is adopted, you fill out two Family Group Records - one for the biological parents and one with the adoptive parents. (I would also put in the notes to see other family record).

**If there are questions regarding how to fill out a family group record on an online pedigree such as FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com family tree, you will need to see that site to get more information.  Or perhaps I will have a separate blog post specifically about that.

HOMEWORK:  Fill out a family group record for you and your direct family.  If you are single with no children, your direct family would start with you and your siblings and mom and dad.  If you are married, it would be your spouse and children (if you have them), and if you are Single with children, it would be the father of the child/dren.  If there are more than one father, then you would have a family group record for each father (even if you were never married).