Ancestor and descendant charts: explore your family tree visually
A list of names cannot show how a family branches. Rootsgen's Ancestors and Descendants charts draw the branches for you, and every card is clickable, so you can explore your whole tree from one starting point.
Where to find them
On any person's page, use the Ancestors and Descendants tabs beside Spouses & Children and Parents & Siblings. Each opens as a full page with room to spread out.
The ancestors chart
The chosen person is on the left, their parents to the right, then grandparents, and so on. The top branch is always the father's line and the lower the mother's.
Each card shows a name, the record number (such as #9) and the life years. Two kinds of card:
- A solid card links to that person's own page.
- A dashed card with an arrow means more ancestors are recorded beyond the depth shown. Click it to re-root the chart on that person and keep going.
Where a line simply stops, nothing more is recorded, so a gap in the chart shows the research still to do.
The descendants chart
Here the chosen person is on the left and their children branch out to the right. Every spouse is drawn, one below the other, so a person with two marriages shows both.
Follow a trail
As you re-root the chart, a breadcrumb trail at the top records where you have been, so you can step back to an earlier person with one click.
Paper versions
Charts are for exploring on screen. For printing, see the Pedigree chart, the Fan chart and the Ancestor and Descendant reports.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see more generations at once? Click a dashed card to move the chart along, or use a printable report, which runs as far back as your data goes.
Does it work on a phone? Yes. Charts are wider than a phone, so you swipe sideways. See using Rootsgen on a phone.
Why does one line stop early? That person has no recorded parents in the tree.