Family Tree Collection
Guidance for the Submission of Family Trees
(This Guidance is available as a PDF document.)
Because family trees come in all sorts of shapes and sizes it is difficult to give precise guidance. Hopefully the following may help you, and the society, in recording your family tree. The trees will need to be indexed/recorded in the following groups/formats.
Ancestor Chart (or Pedigree Chart)
This Record of Ancestors Chart, showing from whom you are directly descended, is a simple graphic representation of previous generations and shows a single root person with 2 parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents etc., in other words just the people who make up your pedigree and the same people whose DNA you have inherited. In accord with Data Protection regulations they should not list living people, except, of course, yourself; enter a living person as, for example, Living Robinson. The Education & Development Officer (Education@NIFHS.org) indexes the charts and they and the index are held in the Research Centre. The index is also online, but using your membership number instead of your name, and is updated from time to time.
Record of Ancestors Chart
Family Trees
We have 3 formats/types of Family Tree records in the Research Centre:
➢ IR552-FAMILY TREE BOOKS-MISCELLANIES ~ for families living in a certain geographical area. These have a shelf number and are kept in numerical order on the shelves.
➢ IR552-FAMILY TREE BOOKS-RELATED FAMILIES ~ for a single family. These are published either for public or private use, or may be the only bound volume of a book. They are kept on the shelves in alphabetical order.
➢ INDEXED FAMILY TREES ~ kept in files in the Research Centre. These will need to be limited to 80 double sided pages in size. A larger tree may need to be stored on a CD. They will be indexed by Elizabeth Scott.
Content
Your tree may be simple one with names, dates and relationships, or may contain potted histories, photographs, maps and documents. It would show people in a family over many generations.
Your family might be split up into a series of trees for different branches. These might be, for example, your parents, your 4 grandparents’ ancestors or maybe your great grandparents etc.
For each tree you will need a title page to include the main family name and other major surnames, location/area, your name, branch/associate number, contact email and date of print out.
Format Suggestions
➢ Hand drawn
➢ Drawn on a computer, in Word, for example, or Publisher
➢ A computer printout from a commercial Family Tree computer programme
A commercial family tree programme usually has a facility to make a narrative or genealogy report of a particular relative’s descendants.
Commercial Family Tree programs include:
➢ Family Tree Maker 17
➢ Brother’s Keeper 7.2
➢ Legacy 9.0
➢ Family Historian 6
➢ Roots Magic 7
➢ Tree View 2
Submission of Family Trees to NIFHS
Trees may be left in the Research Centre, emailed to librarian@nifhs.org or posted to NIFHS at the Research Centre, Newtownabbey. We would prefer a printed copy, if possible.
You may also wish to have your tree/genealogy report/book commercially printed before giving us a copy.
The index which will go online will only have your membership number for identification.
The Family Trees will only be available in the Randal Gill Library.
If you update your tree then it can be exchanged with the older version.
We hope to be able to give an update online of the number of new trees added.
➢ Do take a break in your research and submit a copy of your tree/trees.
➢ Don’t wait until you think it is finished, it probably never will be!!
If you want more information contact the Librarian at librarian@nifhs.org