It is a big job to process the family history in a family tree. Fortunately, thanks to the website geni.com, you are not alone. Family members help you to collect valuable data about your ancestors. The result is a very complete family tree!
We will show you how you can place all family members in a well-arranged family tree with geni.com. Once the family history is recorded, add valuable photos and print out the family tree.
01: Create family tree
Geni.com is a popular tool for creating a digital family tree. It is not without reason that the website has millions of members worldwide. You create a profile for free, after which you enter your family details. Visit the website www.geni.com.
Enter your first name, last name and email address, after which you confirm with Start My Family Tree. You will receive the password by e-mail. Geni is straight to the point, because the goal is to add as many family members as possible to the family tree. Choose between Living or Passed away and confirm with add. Use the yellow arrows to include as many relatives in the family tree as possible.
Realize that you can make the family tree as big as you want. You can also add the parents or ancestors of in-laws. Decide for yourself which family(s) you want to map.
Tip 01 Geni.com is ideal for doing family research.
02: Invite family
To make the family tree as complete as possible, enlist the help of other family members. You invite them by email, so they can help you collect information. Place the mouse pointer in the empty text field next to the correct name and type the e-mail address. Through To invite Geni immediately sends the invitation.
Once the invitees confirm the account, you can work together to complete the family history. Invited persons can in turn also add other family members.
Tip 02 Let other family members join in by inviting them via email.
Complete list
You will notice that the family tree gets bigger and bigger, especially when you get help from others. Large families may not have all the names on the screen anymore. You can then use the arrows at the bottom, top and side to make the desired part of the family tree visible. By the way, these arrows can only be seen as soon as you move the cursor to the right place.
Besides using the arrows, there are other ways to navigate through the family tree. For example, hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor in the right direction. Do you want to show a specific person? Click on the tab at the bottom Go to and select the desired name. It is also useful that you can scale the family tree. To do this, use the slider on the left. As soon as you slide the button down, you zoom out.
Use the zoom button to view the full family tree.
04: Add photos
You give the family tree more appearance by adding photos. Click on a name on the silhouette and select a photo file on your hard drive. Moments later, the picture appears in the family tree.
If you do not have a photo of everyone, there is the option to download a profile photo from Facebook. Please ask permission in advance from the person concerned. After all, the family tree can be admired by everyone via the internet.
Tip 04 Bring the family tree to life by adding photos.
05: Storing personal data
You add detailed information for each person in the family tree. Click on someone edit. A new window will appear in which you mention, among other things, the date of birth. If you don't know it exactly, give an approximate date. You also enter a nickname, profession, place of residence and place of birth.
Also take a look at the tab Relationships, where you optionally enter a wedding date. Finally confirm with Save and Close. Do you like to store even more information? Click on a name in the family tree, after which an extensive profile page will appear. You can type a biography and add important events. If you have important events to add, click Timeline / Add a new event.
You can leave a private message via the guestbook. You can also check on each profile page how many blood relatives of that person are recorded in the family tree.
Tip 05 With every family tree member you have the opportunity to add extra information.
06: Save files
You can easily store valuable family files online, so that they are available to everyone at any time. Open a family member's profile page and click Media. You can save photos, videos and documents. Make a choice and select the correct file on your PC.
Please note that the maximum file size for videos is 100MB and only avi, wmv, mov and mp4 video formats are suitable. Unfortunately, you cannot upload videos that are longer than ten minutes. There is a file limit of 256 MB for documents. You may only upload pdf, jpg, png and tiff files. Optionally you can add web links via Post a New Link. When you're done, click at the top Pedigree to return to the overview.
Tip 06 Store files that are of great value to your family online.
07: Print out
When your family tree is finished, you naturally want to show it to as many people as possible. A nice option is that you can save the family tree to print on poster size. Click on the printer icon at the bottom right and choose Create Your Family Chart. below Tree Focus select which part of the family tree you want to print. Then choose under Style a nice template. Open the tab customize and adjust the design to your own taste. Then click Download / Continue. After a while click on Download Now to save the file.
The jpg image has a high resolution and is therefore perfectly suitable for printing in large format. You do need a suitable printer for this.
Tip 07 Adjust the design of your family tree to your taste.
08: Paid version
There is also a paid version of Geni with a number of tools that can help you fill your family tree more easily. For example, the web service automatically checks whether a name appears in someone else's family tree. If it actually concerns the right person, you can optionally integrate the found family tree data.
You can also store files without a storage limit. You can try the free version that we used for fourteen days without obligation. Stop the subscription in time, otherwise Geni will still charge you the costs ($9.95 per month)!
Tip 08 For $9.95 per month you can use the paid version of Geni.
Alternative Family Tree Maker
There are even more providers of family trees. For example, you can visit //www.myheritage.nl. Instead of putting together a family tree online, you use the Windows program Family Tree Builder. Also with this program you can add photos and extra information. The paid variant is, among other things, able to link different family trees.
