Family tree

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For other uses, see Family tree (disambiguation).

The Family Tree of Sigmund Christoph von Waldburg-Zeil-Trauchburg

A family tree is a simple chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure form. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.

As normally presented, a family tree "grows" down from the top, from the oldest generations at the top to the newer generations at the bottom. A tree showing the descendants of an individual (illustration right) will more closely resemble a tree in shape; one showing the ancestors of an individual (illustration below in "The Family Tree of Sigmund") will be wider at the top than the bottom. The convention is usually to show successive generations moving down the chart. As we move down the tree we get into the more recent generations.

The image of the tree probably originated with one in medieval art of the Tree of Jesse, used to illustrate the Genealogy of Christ in terms of a prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah, 11, 1). Possibly the first non-Biblical use, and the first to show full family relationships rather than a purely patrilineal scheme, was several family trees of the classical gods in Boccaccio's Genealogia deorum gentilium (On the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles), whose first version dates to 1360.

The longest family tree in the world today is that of the Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius (551-479 BC). The tree spans more than 80 generations, and includes more than 2 million members. An international effort involving more than 450 branches around the world was started in 1998 to retrace and revise this family tree. The latest findings will be published next year (2009) by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee to coincide with the 2560th anniversary of the birth of the Chinese thinker. This latest edition is expected to include some 1.3 million living members who are scattered around the world today.^[1]

Family trees can have many different themes. One might encompass all descendants of a single figure, or all known ancestors of someone living today. Another might include all members of a particular family (male-line descendants). Another approach is to construct a tree including all holders of a certain office, such as kings of Germany. This relies on dynastic marriage to hold together the links between dynasties.

1 Other representations
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Other representations

Genealogical data can be represented in other formats, for example as a pedigree or Ancestor Chart (see links below). Typically in these representations an individual appears on the left and his or her ancestors appear to the right.