Is it necessary to enter into an agreement with the tenant? How to correctly conclude an apartment rental agreement. For a long period

The family tree can be made directly on the wall of the house or in the form of a panel. A painted family tree or one made from polymer clay also looks great.

Family tree on the wall


It will become not only a decorative element of decoration, you can hang photographs of family members here. Such a tree will certainly attract the attention of guests. And you tell them how related you are to this or that person.

You can buy ready-made stickers of such a tree with frames or make it yourself using a stencil. For the last option you will need:

  • cardboard, whatman paper or wallpaper;
  • scissors;
  • stationery knife;
  • large ruler;
  • sponge;
  • brown paint;
  • brush;
  • scotch;
  • soft cloth.
Follow these instructions:
  1. You will need not only a template for the family tree, but also a stencil, which is easy to make yourself. To do this, draw its parts on a disassembled cardboard box, whatman paper or wallpaper. You can take large pieces or glue small ones with tape to draw the entire tree at once. It must have a trunk and branches.
  2. You can make it symmetrical. To do this, only half of the tree is drawn on paper. It will be enough to unfold it in a mirror image and then apply the outline of the second half to the wall.
  3. But first, carefully cut inside the template with a knife and scissors. If your wall is dark, then the wood is cut out from the outside, applied to it, and the part of the wall being used is painted over with light paint.
  4. If the wall is light, then apply the stencil to the wall and stick it to it with tape. Dipping a sponge into the paint, sketch the trunk and skeletal branches; thin ones can be drawn with a brush.
  5. Make separate stencils of leaves, attach them with tape to the wall, paint the inside with paint, when it dries, paint the veins with a brush.
  6. If you don't want to draw a tree, but glue it, then buy brown adhesive paper and cut out the tree elements from it.
  7. Cut out rectangles inside the sheets, attach them to the wall, and paint over them. When dry, glue a photo to each.

You can arrange the photographs not vertically and diagonally, but slightly obliquely to avoid strict forms.


Place relatives on the mother's side on the left, and on the father's side on the right. At the bottom, paste photographs of the older family members; at the top are the youngest. You can cut out rectangles from sticky paper that will become photo frames. It’s okay if you have small fragments of different colors left from the repair. These will also look good, especially if their tone is in harmony with each other.

If you want to quickly make a family tree, you can skip cutting the leaves. Even without them, this family heirloom looks great.


You can make the ends of the branches with curls, like in this photo or without them, as in the next one.


If you have a desire to create a family tree on the wall, but are short on materials, you still shouldn’t give up on this idea. If you have a plain light wall, it will work great, if not, you can paint it. If there is no dark paint or self-adhesive paper available, then use pieces of brown suede, leather or fabric of that color. From such materials you need to cut out wood elements and glue them on the wall.

To avoid confusion, draw the parts of the tree on the newspaper first. Number them starting from the top or bottom. Then put these numbers on back side fragments of fabric or leather.

All that remains is to nail or glue the photo frames. If you don’t have them either, lay everything out of the same fabric or leather, or glue it together from ceiling plinths.


Fans of high-tech style can create a family tree and photo frames in the same color. Using the above materials for this.

Volumetric family tree - master class

It can be made from a variety of materials. Knowing how to create a topiary, you will make the base of the tree from wire and wrap it with paper. If you have enough time, try creating a family tree to look like a golden heirloom.


To do something similar, take:
  • brass tube;
  • copper wire;
  • plastic;
  • walnuts;
  • brown and gold acrylic paint;
  • hot gun;
  • foil;
  • large gold-colored beads;
  • copper paint in a can;
  • a finished box or wooden planks, paint, glue and varnish for it.
And here it is step by step plan manufacturing:
  1. The brass tube is a tree trunk. Cut the wire lengths. Take a few at a time and twist them to form branches. Leave the ends of these blanks free for now in order to wrap them around the trunk and attach them to it.
  2. If you don’t have a ready-made box, make it from wooden planks or plywood, but you can do it simpler - put the tree in a pot, pour plaster or alabaster into it, let the solution dry so that the artificial plant is well fixed in it.
  3. Now take plastic (polymer clay), which hardens in air. Gradually coat the entire tree with it. When the time specified in the instructions for this material has passed, start decorating the tree. But to avoid downtime while the plastic dries, start working on walnuts.
  4. Carefully split each into 2 halves, remove the contents, only the shells will be needed. Coat the outside with copper spray paint. Place a piece of foil crumpled in your hand inside.
  5. Cut out a photograph of the first family member to fit the size of the hole in the shell and glue it along the edge to the nut shell with a hot gun.
  6. Make photo borders from polymer clay and attach them along the edge of each shell so as to secure the photos. Using a thin brush, cover these decorations with gold paint.
  7. Cut the copper wire with pliers, bend each piece into a hook shape, and attach it to the branches. Other segments need to be given a crescent shape, their straight edges greased with silicone from a hot gun, and stuck into a drying polymer clay decoration on a nut.
  8. Once the plastic and glue are dry, place the portraits on the branches. If you want to give a family tree as a gift, then remove the shelled photographs from it and place them in the compartments of the box for the duration of transportation.
  9. Make the leaves for the tree from gold beads. If you want to speed up the process, then cut them out of a plastic bottle of this or brown color. Make a hole at the top of each leaf with a hot needle or awl, insert a piece of wire here to secure these elements to the tree.
Here's how to make the kind of heirloom that can be passed down from generation to generation.


If you do not set such a goal for yourself, you want to know about an easier way to create it, then check out the next idea.

How to draw a family tree?

Tell your child how to do this. Prepare:

  • a sheet of white cardboard;
  • colour pencils;
  • eraser;
  • simple pencil;
  • white paper;
  • scissors;
  • portraits of family members;
  • glue;
  • oval template.
Show your child how to draw the trunk of a mighty tree. In this case, only its lower part is depicted. A crown is drawn in the center and at the top. First, this is done with a simple pencil, then the child will color the visible branches brown and the leaves green.

You can outline the oval pattern in advance to leave these areas unpainted. But it’s easier to cut them out of white paper and stick them on wood, as shown in the photo.


Now let the child cut out portraits of household members. Then glue them onto the prepared ovals. Then you can outline the photo with a pencil. As you can see, he will place his portrait below, a little higher - his parents, and at the top - his grandparents. As a result, he will clearly know who whose parents are, their names and patronymics. Since in the process of work you will begin to name them.

Make sure that when cutting, the child holds the scissors with the tips away from him and twists the paper rather than them in this process.


You will learn how to make such a tree as a gift for your grandmother from the video below.

To make the next family tree you will not need a template, as it is very simple to do. For it you need to take:

  • dark felt;
  • glue;
  • cardboard;
  • double sided tape;
  • a piece of wallpaper measuring 50x60 cm;
  • green yarn or felt of this color;
  • dry soap;
  • glue;
  • photo frames


On the back of the felt, draw a tree with a trunk and branches using soap. Cut it out.

Glue a piece of wallpaper onto the cardboard using 2-sided tape or glue. Be especially careful when attaching thin branches and their tips.

Glue yarn on top of the crown to imitate leaves. You can cut them out of felt and also attach them.

Insert photographs into frames and glue them to the finished tree. Here below are portraits of older family members - above - younger ones.


Here's how to create a family tree that can be flat or 3D. Make this not only for yourself, but also to give to the elders of the family. They will certainly be happy. Therefore, in conclusion, check out the visual process of its creation. See what kind of family tree you can make as a gift for your grandmother.


Here’s how to create a “Family Tree” panel, which will also be an excellent gift or a source of pride for your home.

Elena Kiseleva

Practicing genealogist.

Everyone has thought about their roots at least once. Of course, we know the place of birth of our parents. If we're lucky, we're familiar with our grandparents' story. So what is next? Dispossession, wars and repressions erased a lot of information from family archives. And the passport system in Russia was introduced relatively recently - at the beginning of the twentieth century. Until this time, documentary information about a person was stored in government institutions or in churches.

Because of this, families are left with only vague memories and legends about their ancestors. But the older and wiser you become, the more clearly you understand how important it is to know your roots. We'll show you how to get information about your ancestors.

Step one. Organization of information storage system

A pedigree is a family archive, which implies a system for storing information. A variant of such a system is sites for compiling pedigrees.

Their advantages:

  • Possibility of access from different devices and anywhere in the world.
  • Ability to upload photos, documents and other information.
  • The ability to invite relatives to the site, who will be able to enter information and share their documents and photographs.

After choosing a suitable site, fill out personal cards for each relative with the information that is currently available.

Step two. Analysis of family documents and photographs

Surely, somewhere on the mezzanine everyone has a box, or even a suitcase with such a legacy. Forgotten documents, photographs, postcards, letters and other traces of history can be useful. Carefully study and analyze their contents.

Pay attention to:

  • Dates in documents. Enter dates and related events in the card index for each person. In constructing a genealogy, dates are key starting points for subsequent work in the archive.
  • Signatures on the reverse side of the photographs. Sometimes, along with the year the photograph was taken, the age can be found, which allows you to calculate year of birth. Open frames with old photographs. On the back you can find cherished dates and other messages from your ancestors.
  • Photos of relatives in uniform. Based on the uniform, you can determine the type of military service and military rank, as well as approximately determine the year of the photograph, if it is not indicated on the back. It doesn't matter if you are not an expert in this field. Now on many genealogy forums (for example, the VGD Genealogical Forum) you can find enthusiasts knowledgeable about the topic who will be happy to help with their expertise.

At this stage, gaps in family history are often identified. For example, you may find a photo with a person unknown to you or, conversely, you will not find a single card of your beloved grandfather. Perhaps the documents will open earlier unknown facts that you might want to know more about.

Step three. Communication with relatives

Surely you have a lot of questions after analyzing the photos and documents. To avoid missing anything and get a more complete picture of your ancestor, use these questions in your conversation:

  • Last name, first name and patronymic (for a woman - maiden name).
  • Date and place of birth.
  • Date and place of burial, if the person is no longer alive.
  • Last name, first name and patronymic of father and mother.
  • Nationality.
  • Brothers and sisters, their dates of life.
  • Children, their dates of life.
  • Last name, first name and patronymic of the wife (husband).
  • Where and when did you study, what education did you receive, what was your specialty.
  • Occupation and place of occupation: where, by whom and when he worked.
  • What events of broad social significance did he participate in (war, development of the north or virgin lands).
  • Religion.
  • Awards, titles.
  • Which class did he belong to (before 1917).
  • Character traits, interests, inclinations.
  • Sources of information about a person: publications in the press, the Internet, letters, memories.

Record your answers during a conversation in a convenient format. Make a note about the source of information: indicate the surname, first name and patronymic of the relative, who he is related to the ancestor being studied, the current date.

Ask if your relative has photographs of an ancestor or documents from which you can learn additional facts about life. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to just them. At this step, facts and dry dates are filled with emotions and memories. Write down all interesting events, even if they did not have a significant impact on the course of family history.

Step four. Search on the Internet

Our ancestors missed the boom social networks. Information about them is stored on paper in government agencies. However, some information can still be found on the Internet. So, in last years Much data from military archives during the First and Second World Wars was declassified, digitized and published.

Information can be found on these resources:

  • First World War 1914–1918. Alphabetical lists of losses of lower ranks.
  • Feat of the people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.
  • VIPTs "Fatherland".

All databases have a search bar where you can enter the name you are looking for and find the desired person in the drop-down list. In some databases you can view and download the original document where your ancestor is mentioned.

All databases were created manually by transferring data from paper sources. Therefore, when searching, it is worth considering human factor and look for the surname in different variations.

Step five. Working with archival documents

In archival documents you can find information that relates to personal data: full name, date of birth, date of death, date of marriage. Depending on the statute of limitations and the type of document, information may be stored in the registry office or city archives. The websites of these institutions indicate the conditions for the provision of such services, terms and address where to contact.

The full name, year and place of birth of the person about whom you are requesting information are required for the search.

Electronic requests can be sent to both institutions, but the registry office will ask you to come in person with an identity document to receive information and will ask to see the person for whom the information is being requested.

The archive responds within a month. In response to the request, a receipt for payment for services is sent.

After receiving payment, workers begin a search, which can last another month.

You may be told that there is no information on this person in the archive. This could happen if one of the three criteria was invalid. In this case, it is recommended to expand the search by year or neighboring settlements.

If the search is successful, you will receive a certificate from the archive about your ancestor. It will contain all the information that is in the original source, but the archive will not send a copy of the historical document itself. If you are interested in a copy, check the website for reception hours and the procedure for accessing documents and visit the archive in person.

If you live or often visit Europe or the USA, there is another option. Resident Database former countries The Church of Jesus Christ of Saints has CIS last days(Mormons). In the 90s, they toured the archives and digitized most of the documents: parish books, population censuses, audit tales. For a relatively small amount of money, you can gain access to this information. The data is stored at the Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City in the form of microfilm, which can only be viewed on equipment located on the premises of churches in cities in Europe and the United States.

Microfilms can be ordered from the FamilySearch website. There you can select a convenient city and make payment. Shipping takes about a month. The site states that copying materials is prohibited, but not everything is so hopeless. The argument “I flew from especially for these purposes” distant Russia“is considered significant, and it is quite possible to obtain permission.

Drawing up a pedigree is exciting process, similar to archaeological excavations and detective work. When you find information about your ancestors, you feel like you have found a treasure. And this is not far from the truth, because this piece of family history is truly priceless.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our webinars on genealogy; they discuss in detail: the method of creating a family tree, the process of searching for ancestors ( right choice requests to archives, and how and what sources to use when collecting information).

How to build a family tree online on FamilySpace

To add new family members, you need to select the “Next” arrow with the mouse and enter information about the new relative. If you need to edit the entered information, you need to click on the “Menu” button and go to the required action. You can edit information about relatives by going to the person’s profile.

How to print a family tree layout?

Download family tree and print, perhaps by selecting the printer icon. You can also use our paid design service family tree By selecting one of the presented design types, the service is available in the “Pleasant” section. By default, on family tree, the template is set in the classic FamilySpace design. If you wish, you can order a painting with a picture of a tree; this function is available in the “Our Services” section.

Who can see my family tree?

You can set your own privacy settings and decide who to grant access to. Information may be available only to you, all your family members, friends, or all FamilySpace users. You can limit viewing in the “Settings” section.

You can also limit the ability of your relatives to edit, in which case they will have all the information, but they will not be able to make changes and accidentally erase something.

Is it possible to merge family trees?

If you add a relative registered on FamilySpace to your family, and some of the data in your family trees overlaps, the system will automatically reconcile and offer to merge the trees. In the case of duplicates (repeating profiles) in the family tree, you can independently choose the principle by which to combine them - save the data from family tree, from the tree of the attached relative, or save as much information as possible by combining data from both trees.

I use another program, how to transfer my family tree to FamilySpace?

If you use other programs (for example, Tree of Life) or are registered on social networks (for example, MyHeritage), it is possible to import family tree on FamilySpace. First, you need to save your family tree in GEDCOM format (usually available in the “Save As” or “Export” menu items). Next, you need to log into FamilySpace, into the “Family” section and select GEDCOM, then import the resulting file to FamilySpace. Not every program allows you to export a family tree; if you have questions, we recommend looking at the “Help” section.

How is creating a family tree on FamilySpace different from other projects?

FamilySpace is currently the largest project in the RuNet in the family social networking segment. Construction tool family tree takes into account a lot of nuances related to the specific information (for example, support for patronymics, names of cities and towns in Russia, taking into account multiple changes of names and many other factors). The tree supports difficult situations, for example, when family members have been divorced several times and there are children from different marriages.

The FamilySpace team also independently scans archival materials; on the site you have the opportunity to find references to your ancestors in various materials, such as censuses, address calendars, and city directories.

- the list is compiled by visitors to the VGD forum - the largest crowdsourcing community in Russia, engaged in searching archives for information about the origin of their births.

Introduction to Genealogy

The ideal state of mind of an amateur genealogist, which guarantees him peace of mind, is to consider that genealogical research is in many ways interesting as a process that, moreover, can be continued indefinitely - you can even try to find your ancestors before Adam or find out the family tree of all the people who bear your surname. If you think so, then you will not be too upset by the fact that genealogy at the moment is a hobby, from the point of view of many, no more exciting than, for example, collecting stamps. All the found relatives cannot become your like-minded people, just as there is not a single family in the world whose all members are obsessed with philately.
You can hope that a small part of your newly found relatives will want to participate in your search, a slightly larger part will listen to your stories with interest, and the majority will think that you are doing nonsense. Here, as elsewhere, the general statistical pattern of 80 to 20 applies - 20 percent of people show 80 percent of the interest in genealogy.

The best way to start genealogical research into your own family is... You'll never guess where.

From the purchase of stationery and audit It is impossible to remember everything; all facts must be written down, indicating the source, and placed in envelopes and folders. They'll go there later copies of documents

, photographs and archival information, but that comes later. Even if you are a cool computer person and are going to scan everything and store it on your computer, you also need a paper archive. Don’t let B., of course, but suddenly the electricity goes out in Russia...
Since under Soviet rule the population was, as they say, passportized, passport information can also serve as a source of genealogical information.


It is unlikely that you will find someone’s old passport at home, but the passport number may be written down, for example, in an old notebook, and this already indicates the possibility of searching for information in the archives.
Make an inventory of all the collected papers, that is, a list and a brief summary of them. Number the envelopes containing the papers.
There is no need to restore old documents and photographs; if necessary, give them to specialists. Do not paste documents into albums - just put them in pre-prepared envelopes, copy and scan. As a maximum, you can write in pencil on the back of the photos: who is shown, when and where the photo was taken. Store copies of documents and documents unfolded (to prevent the folds from rubbing); place large and valuable documents and rare photographs in separate envelopes.

But now there is an opportunity to prepare to communicate with relatives.

Now it's time to talk
Walk around with a notepad or cards and pester all your relatives with questions. Ask parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles about anything they remember. Ask those living in other cities by letter, or better yet, by phone and email. Phone numbers can be found in telephone databases on the Internet, and more and more email addresses are available every day on our website. However, I should note that if there is no email address in the public domain, most likely we don’t have it either, or the person asked not to give this address to anyone. You can try to find his phone number in the telephone database or at his place of work, this is not too difficult. Or you can ask us, we will find it.
One of the site’s regular visitors, Ilona, ​​came up with the perfect letter, which almost all namesakes respond to, you can read it.

And another visitor, Larisa, came up with a genealogical greeting card, you can.

Often people are embarrassed to ask their relatives (or namesakes) about their family ties, then we come into play - this is the first component of the site experience. We are not shy, we call, introduce ourselves, you can go to the website and see who we are, call us on the phone. But a person who is not shy and not limited in time can do all this himself.
One of the methods for searching for relatives, tested and sent quite recently: “If you are looking for a person registered with the military, then it makes sense to contact the military registration and enlistment office of the city where he was at least once registered. If he was removed from the register, then they will tell you which military registration and enlistment office he transferred to (I even got the address the new military registration and enlistment office was kindly informed.) And along the chain you will reach the last, current one. From the last military registration and enlistment office they sent me my home address. I found the “lost” one. If I didn’t know. exact address

There is no need to be offended if newly found relatives do not invite you to visit, you never know what their conditions and circumstances are. However, if relatives live in the same city with you, it is advisable not to write letters to them, but to communicate in person. You should talk in a pleasant, relaxing environment, preferably at the home of the person you decide to ask, but something else may be suitable. The main thing is that the interviewee is not in a hurry - a twenty-minute lunch break is not suitable for a serious interview; it is better to use it to schedule a real meeting. If your relatives sometimes get together - for holidays, weddings, birthdays - this occasion can be used to the maximum.
The most convenient thing, of course, would be to record everything on a tape recorder; it is quite difficult to remember everything. At the same time, take twice as many cassettes as you think you need - constant switching on and off gets on your nerves, record pauses too. At the very least, write down key points in a notebook, at the same time write down the questions that came to your mind during the story, and do not interrupt. It is clear that most people are embarrassed when someone writes down their words, so the conversation must be conducted in such a way that the person is carried away by the story. If you have a camera, take it with you - perhaps you will be able to photograph some family heirlooms, documents, and even the narrator himself. The tape recorder needs to be checked, at the same time accustoming the interlocutor to the recording - turn it on, say who you are, what the date is, with whom and what you are talking about, and then play this recording.
When scheduling a meeting, warn that you will record everything and come with a camera, let the person prepare psychologically in advance. Well, don’t forget to explain why you are doing all this, what the end result will be and whether it will be possible to watch it. Do not make promises that you are not going to keep; if, for example, you are going to post the result on the Internet, warn about this, then perhaps they will tell you something “not for publication.”
When starting a conversation, talk about yourself. You want to establish rapport, create a feeling of comfort and connection between you and the person you are talking to. At this time, prepare a notepad or tape recorder with a camera, if you plan to use them.
Prepare a list of questions, and invent ones that cannot be answered in monosyllables. The question: “Do you remember what the names of your grandfather’s parents were?” is not suitable, it is very easy to get the answer “No.” Even the question: “What do you remember about your grandfather’s parents?” is not very good; you can get the answer: “Nothing!” The question should sound so that it takes as long as possible to answer, so you must first ask about the grandfather himself, about his character, what he told about his childhood, and if he didn’t tell, then why, and then gradually move on to his parents. If you still receive a monosyllabic answer, try to clarify: “Why?”
Because every family is unique, there is no one-size-fits-all list of questions. But here are some topics that can be discussed.
When the surname appeared in the family, are there any stories about its origin, did it ever change? By the way, in order to discuss this topic competently, it is worth reading historical information in the third part, the chapter is called “Is it possible to find out the pedigree by the last name.”
Are there traditional family names? What diminutive names were used to call ancestors and relatives and where did they come from?
Did the family move from place to place, how many years has the family lived in this place, are there any family legends associated with the place of residence, objects brought from the old place? What were the oldest things in the house when your interlocutor was little? Are there any family heirlooms?
Is there a story associated with them? Who is shown in old photographs? Who, when and for what reason took these photographs? Are there any old documents?
Were there any traditions in the family that disappeared or changed over time? What were they and where did they come from? How did your family celebrate holidays?
On what occasions did the whole family get together? What did they do and what did they talk about?
Are there any special family meals? Have any recipes been passed down from generation to generation? Where did they come from, how and why did they change over time? Was there any traditional holiday food? Do you have any stories related to food in your family?
How did various historical events affect the family, who in the family suffered or committed a heroic act? Are there any awards kept in the family?
What marriages could not have taken place if not for some historical event?
It’s best to start with some simple question that you can answer without thinking - about the time and place of birth, or about some story this interlocutor previously told you. When coming up with a question, try to imagine the interlocutor’s reaction. It is best to start conversations with those who obviously treat you well, with whom you feel good. During the conversation, you can learn something about other sources, something like: “Aunt Marina can tell a lot about him, she always liked this story.” And in general, The best way
find new sources of information - ask those who first come to mind.
At the same time, there is no need to “get hung up” on the list of questions and try to ask them all; ask those that are relevant to the conversation. Listen carefully and show interest, nod and smile. If a person is thinking, do not rush, do not be afraid of silence. If a topic comes up that is not foreseen by you, do not stop the conversation, everything will come in handy. Don’t try to talk only about the past, but listen to everything they want and can tell you. Encourage people to tell you stories and jokes. They are interesting even if they do not correspond to historical facts, they allow you to understand the history of your family in its entirety, with all the dreams and prejudices of your ancestors, with the meaning of their life and with the meaning of the existence of your family. But, of course, we must not forget about the goal. What is the purpose of your questions? But even if your goal is only to find out
historical facts
When the conversation comes to an end, look through your list of questions, maybe during the conversation you did not touch on some topic. If the interlocutor is tired, do not insist on continuing, arrange for the next meeting.
Experience shows that the normal duration of a conversation is one to two hours.

When you return home, put your notes in order, systematize everything you learned, especially note what will help you in your further search, but is not subject to disclosure. Be sure to write down whose story you gleaned information from, when and under what circumstances. Don't put it off, you will definitely forget some important details later. If you tape-recorded the conversation, label the tapes. In the article by Mozharov N."Genealogy Lessons"
(“Red Star” dated August 11, 13, 19, 24, 1993) it is proposed to prepare a questionnaire for conversations with relatives and write this on the cards:

  • "At the top of the sheet we write the last name, first name, patronymic. For women, we also indicate the maiden name (nee so-and-so). The following is the data:
  • 1. Day, month, year and place of birth, and for the deceased also the day, month, year of death, place of burial.
  • 2. Last names, first names, patronymics of father and mother.
  • 3. Last names, first names, patronymics of the godparents (godmothers and fathers).
  • 4. For those born before 1917 - class (peasants, burghers, merchants, nobles).
  • 5. Place of residence, in what years.
  • 6. Religion (Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish).
  • 7. Where you were brought up, what kind of education you received.
  • 8. Places of work or service, ranks, positions.
  • 9. Did you participate in wars, battles, when, where.
  • 10. What awards does he have (insignia, medals, orders).
  • 11. Last name, first name, patronymic of the wife (husband).

12. Names, dates and places of birth of children, if possible, indicating the surnames, first names and patronymics of the godfather and mother.”

But in general, you need to write down everything, even descriptions of appearance, habits and funny stories, and be sure to write down who told you this and when. Terminology of kinship

  • needed in order to understand old records and explanations of elderly relatives - most of the terms are not used now (and it’s even hard to believe that they were once used, they are so incomprehensible, but suddenly you have such old relatives...)
  • Grandmother, grandmother - father's or mother's mother, grandfather's wife.
  • Brother - each of the sons of the same parents.
  • Godbrother is the son of the godfather.
  • Bro, bro, bro, bro, bro - cousin.
  • Bro - cousin's wife.
  • Bratanna is her brother's daughter, brother's niece.
  • Bratova is her brother's wife.
  • Brother - a relative in general, cousin or distant.
  • Bratych is a brother's son, brother's nephew.
  • A widow is a woman who has not entered into another marriage after the death of her husband.
  • A widower is a man who did not marry after the death of his wife.
  • Grandson - son of a daughter, son; and sons of a nephew or niece.
  • Granddaughter, grandson - daughter of a son, daughter; as well as the daughter of a nephew or niece.
  • Brother-in-law is the husband's brother.
  • Grandfather is the father of the mother or father.
  • The godfather is the godfather's father.
  • Grandfather, grandfather - uncle's aunt.
  • Dedich is the direct heir of his grandfather.
  • A daughter is a female person in relation to her parents.
  • The named daughter is an adopted child, a pupil.
  • Dsherich is his aunt's nephew.
  • Daughter's aunt's niece.
  • Uncle - assigned to care and supervise the child.
  • Uncle is the brother of father or mother.
  • A wife is a married woman in relation to her husband.
  • The groom is the one who has betrothed his bride.
  • Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, sister-in-law - husband’s sister, sometimes brother’s wife, daughter-in-law.
  • Son-in-law is the husband of a daughter, sister, sister-in-law.
  • Godfather, godfather - see: Godfather, godmother.
  • A mother is a female person in relation to her children.
  • Godmother, mother of the cross, is the recipient of the baptismal ceremony.
  • The named mother is the mother of the adopted child, the pupil.
  • A milk mother is a mother, a nurse.
  • The planted mother is a woman who replaces the groom's own mother at the wedding.
  • Stepmother is the father's other wife, stepmother.
  • A husband is a married man in relation to his wife.
  • The daughter-in-law is the son's wife.
  • A father is a male person in relation to his children.
  • The godfather is the godfather at the font.
  • The named father is the father of the adopted child, the pupil.
  • The father is spoken to, the father is imprisoned, the father is mummered - a person speaking instead of his own father at a wedding.
  • The father is the eldest in the generation.
  • Stepfather is the mother's other husband, stepfather.
  • Fatherlander, stepfather - son, heir.
  • A stepdaughter is a daughter from another marriage in relation to a stepparent.
  • Stepson is the step-son of one of the spouses.
  • Nephew is the son of a brother or sister.
  • Niece is the daughter of a brother or sister.
  • Nephew - relative, relative.
  • Progenitors are the first known pedigree couple from which the family originates.
  • Grandfather - parent of great-great-grandfather, great-great-grandmother.
  • The ancestor is the first known representative of the genus from which the genealogy is traced.
  • Matchmaker, matchmaker - parents of young people and their relatives in relation to each other.
  • Father-in-law is the husband's father.
  • Mother-in-law is the husband's mother.
  • A relative is a person who is related by husband or wife.
  • Brothers-in-law are persons married to two sisters.
  • Cousins-in-law are persons married to cousins.
  • The sister is the daughter of the same parents.
  • Sister - cousin, daughter of mother's or father's sister.
  • Sister, sister, sister - cousin.
  • Sestrenich, sister - son of mother's or father's sister, sister's nephew.
  • Daughter-in-law, son - son's wife, daughter-in-law.
  • The wife of a brother-in-law, the wife of two brothers in relation to each other, the daughter-in-law.
  • Spouse - husband.
  • Spouse - wife.
  • A son is a male person in relation to his parents.
  • Godson (godson) is a male person in relation to the recipient.
  • The named son is an adopted son, a pupil.
  • Father-in-law is the wife's father.
  • Aunt, aunt - sister of father or mother.
  • Mother-in-law is the wife's mother.
  • Brother-in-law is the wife's brother.

Many of these terms can be accompanied by adjectives:
  • Grand-grand-grand-grand-grandchild - about a relationship originating from the third generation (also second cousin) or even further.
  • Cousin - about kinship coming from the second generation.
  • Blood - about kinship within the same family.
  • Homogeneous - about descent from the same father.
  • Monouterine - about descent from one mother.
  • Full-born - about descent from the same parents.
  • Pra is a prefix meaning kinship in distant ascending or descending order.
  • Married - about descent from the same parents, but born before marriage and then recognized.
  • Native - about descent from the same parents.
  • Step-by-step - about descent from different parents.
  • An adopted person is a male person in relation to the adoptive parents.
  • Adopted is a female person in relation to her adoptive parents.


Please note that all people remember the same thing differently, they call different years births and names of the same relatives and ancestors, they confuse classes and localities, as a rule they do not remember the names and events of the lives of other people’s children, but gradually an approximate picture emerges, ready for further research. To send a request to the archive, you need to know the following about at least one person: full name, year and place of birth (before 1917) and death, where he lived (to determine the church parish - place of baptism), what he did (class). As a last resort, you can indicate the approximate year of birth, then the archive will look through documents for several years, but this will also cost more (genealogical search in most archives is a paid service).

Our most remarkable experience in this sense was a case when a person, out of the blue, assumed that all bearers of his surname were relatives. Therefore, we looked for his namesakes in different cities, both he and we communicated with them, and it turned out that this surname comes from the local name of the type of activity, so that all its bearers are really relatives: although they do not have a common ancestor, they all lived in the same locality, did the same thing and became related. This was later proven by an archival search.

The most upsetting thing for a customer in our telephone search was the case when for one person who had only very vague information about his father’s parents and really wanted to find out something about his ancestors, and as a result it was discovered that his father was illegitimate, and His grandfather’s nationality categorically did not suit him. So if you are afraid to discover some strange people among your ancestors, first be positive - knowledge is better than ignorance in any case.

Well, one more case, the most romantic. Although we were not looking for a relative, it makes sense to bring him - he proves that nothing is impossible.

Communicating only by phone and email, we found a girl from New Zealand a Russian sailor whom she met twenty years ago in her homeland (he served on a Russian ship), fell in love, could not forget, but knew only his first name, surname and title ship.

Now I have to learn the words
Over the centuries, genealogy has developed standards for preparing information about kinship in the form of various tables, lists, dossiers, cards, and established clear rules for filling out these documents: graphics, symbols, numbering, and so on.

Now, of course, there are genealogical programs in abundance, most of which use the GEDCOM format, which has nothing to do with the centuries-old history of genealogy, and is convenient purely from a computer point of view for program compatibility (by the way, it’s funny, this format was invented by one sect, they say totalitarian, although , maybe not, but in any case, their invention conquered the world, and the sect itself is not so widespread). In the programs it is not at all necessary to understand anything in genealogical terms, the tree will be drawn on its own, everything is very simple. But don’t you really want real genealogists to respect you? starting with a specific person, then going through ascending steps or generations to father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc., from the known to the unknown.

In descending genealogy starting with the most distant known ancestor and gradually moving down to the descendants.

Male descendant pedigree indicates all the descendants of the ancestor, descended only from men, indicating the name of their spouses.

Male ascending ancestry looks like a line because only one male ancestor is shown in each generation. There is only one surname in male genealogies.

Mixed descent shows all the offspring of a given ancestor, regardless of gender.

Mixed ascending ancestry shows all male and female ancestors. There is one person in the first tribe, two in the second, four in the third, eight in the fourth, etc. in geometric progression, and each person belongs to a different clan, so that in the fourth, for example, tribe there are representatives of eight different surnames.

The pedigree can be written in the form trees.
In the ascending trunk, the person from whom it is built is designated, the branch is his parents, the smaller branches are his grandparents, etc. You can’t distinguish them from a distance, but at the base of the descending ancestor, and in the crown are the descendants. IN Western Europe

They used to color their family trees: men with offspring were painted on a yellow background, those without children - on red, married women - on purple, girls - on blue. All living people were painted on a green background, men on a darker one, women on a lighter one.

Men's names were written in rectangles or diamonds, women's names in circles or ovals. But this is not a rule; in Russia this was rarely done. You can download one of the options for designing the pedigree of your family or clan in the form of a tree here: (the file is in pdf format, you will need Adobe Reader to open the file with a template for building your “tree of life”). If desired, you can find fablons on the Internet in .psd (for Photoshop) and any other formats, incl. online family tree templates. The family tree template above is completely free to download. We also have a program on our website for compiling together with children; we recommend using it at the initial stage of studying your family tree. Rising drawing a table is more or less easy, downward It’s difficult, it’s hampered by the different number of names in each generation and the descendants of each person. In the 17th century, in genealogical tables in Russian genealogical books of the 17th century and Russian pre-revolutionary historical literature, the ancestor was placed in the top line, and then the generations of his descendants went down.
Horizontal table goes from left to right: on the left is the ancestor or the person whose genealogy is being compiled, and then - in columns, by generation, all his ancestors or descendants. The eldest descendants are always placed on top, and seniority is read from top to bottom.
Circular (circular) tables used in English and French genealogy. In the center is the person for whom the genealogy is being compiled, then the circle is divided in half, in one half the ancestors are on the paternal side, in the other - on the maternal side. Circular tables are only ascending.
Abbreviations and symbols are used in tables:
I. - given name (patronymic is excluded, restored by the father’s name)
F. - surname
T/P - title, profession (occupation, social status, specialty, titles, ranks, ranks, etc.)
* 1833 - born in 1833
+ 1891 - died in 1891
X 1890 - married in 1890
)(1888 - divorced 1888
(+) 1895 - buried in 1895.
Each name in the table is assigned a number

Pedigree painting - this is a verbal retelling of the table, where information about each name has been added. For each piece of information, indicate the source from which it was taken. For each name, a number is placed on the left side in order. In Russia, genealogical paintings appeared at the end of the 15th century. In the forties of the 16th century, genealogical books appeared, compiled in the Rank Order, which was in charge of appointments to military service. Under Peter I, the Heraldry Office was created, which existed, changing names, until 1917.
I must say that professional genealogists are very sensitive to the numbering of genealogical records; they even say that one genealogist got into a fight with another, discussing a slash or a dot after one of the numbers. I will tell you two methods of numbering, and you will choose for yourself which one you like best.
Suppose the most distant relative you know is your great-grandfather Ivan Petrovich, who had a brother Stepan Petrovich and a sister Marya Petrovna. Ivan Petrovich had three children (one of them is your grandfather), Stepan Petrovich had two, and Marya Petrovna had ten. All these children got married and also gave birth to children.
So, let's start painting the mural. In fact, the most distant ancestor you know is Peter, the father of Ivan and Stepan Petrovich. We assign it number 1. Our beginning is as follows:

I knee
1. Peter

For all subsequent tribes, the number will consist of either two digits or the number of digits that corresponds to the knee number. That is, either we first write the parent’s number, and then the child’s serial number, or we number all found relatives in order, and write the parent’s number second. (Sometimes this parent number is written on the right, at the very end of the line).

Here's what it looks like in practice:
I I knee. (containing your great-grandfather)
1.1. (or 2.1) Ivan Petrovich
1.2. (or 3.1) Stepan Petrovich

1.3. (or 4.1) Marya Petrovna
I I I knee (containing your grandfather)
1.1.1. (or 5.2) First child of Ivan Petrovich
1.1.2. (or 6.2) Second child of Ivan Petrovich
1.1.3 (or 7.2) Third child of Ivan Petrovich
1.2.1 (or 8.3) First child of Stepan Petrovich
1.2.2. (or 9.3) Second child of Stepan Petrovich
1.3.1. (or 10.4) Marya Petrovna's first child

And so on.
IV knee (containing your father)

Children of all representatives of the third generation.
Let's determine the number for the first child of the first child of Ivan Petrovich.
According to the first method it is 1.1.1.1. According to the second method. . . So, Marya Petrovna had ten children - numbers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. That is, the first child in the next generation will be 21. And the number of his parent is the first child of Ivan Petrovich is 5. That is, according to the second method, the number of this representative is 21.5. I think the second method is more confusing, but it is more common, despite the fact that if you find a new relative, you have to renumber everyone who is in the tribes with a higher number. And according to the first method, you can immediately understand the entire chain of ancestors by number and you can add at least dozens of them. I recommend using the first method first, and then, if you are pleased to see the general
For each representative of your pedigree, you need to write everything that you know about him (her), including his spouse and his (her) parents and the source of information (if the sources are different). When you bring everything to its logical conclusion, make a general list of sources and make links.

Build your first trees

Tired of studying the terms, you can now build your ascending tree, descending tree, from the most ancient ancestor you found to the newly found distant relatives, a tree on your mother’s side (based on her maiden name), as well as on the names of your grandparents. It all depends on what you learned.
But it is possible that this is all untrue.

I constantly receive information from people who want to add information about themselves to the VOP website. The most common problem that arises is that almost nothing can be understood from their records. If you come to a relative whom you want to persuade to spend time searching for documents and photographs in the family archive, with a bunch of crumpled pieces of paper on which it is unclear what is written, he will not take your request seriously. So now, very briefly, I will tell you how to portray what you know at the moment in a way that is understandable to others.
The need to systematize information and subject it to computer processing arises quite quickly, especially if you try to collect information on all bearers of your surname. What to choose depends on what programs you are used to.
For analysis, you need one that can sort rows of information by any column. That is, word, Excel or any database will do.
And we also need some kind of genealogical program to enter the formed branches of the tree there.
Create a table.
The first column is the last name, 2 - the first name, 3 - the patronymic, 4 - year of birth, 5 - place of birth, 6 - year of death, 7 - additional information, 8 - source number.
The program you work in should be able, if necessary, to arrange all your information alphabetically by place of birth, or, say, in ascending order of year of birth, or arrange people by patronymic, if you are looking for someone's son or daughter.
Column 7 - additional information - should not contain all the information you know about the person, only the basic information, which can somehow help in identifying him.
So here you go.
Let's say you're researching your father's last name. Search for this surname first in all, print out the pages where you come across it, number the source, enter the available information into your table, put the source in an envelope and carefully place it on the shelf.
It's too early to start thinking. You don’t think about the order of placement either, you just add one line after another to the table. There is no first name or patronymic, there are only initials - write one letter at a time in the appropriate boxes. There are no years of life - don’t write them. In column 7, write, for example, the title of the book, if you found the author of the book that way. Or you write whose friend it was, and in what city, if you found a mention of this surname, for example, in an article about some poet. If one article mentions several people with the same last name, write a separate line for each, and write in the additional information how they are connected. If you come across someone’s pedigree, enter all its characters both in this table and in the genealogy program, in the “additional information” column write the name of the file with the tree. Then you search for this name in all telephone databases, in databases of employees of various institutions, in dictionaries and encyclopedias, in the registration chamber database, in lists of wanted criminals, that is, everywhere. If, for example, a person came to you from a telephone database, write to Additional information
phone number and address (don’t forget the city).
Along the way, wherever possible, subscribe to news by this name.
On Yandex, I know, it’s possible, but probably somewhere else. Information on the Internet is updated, so that you comb it less often, it is better to subscribe to the news.
Now you begin to manipulate the table and think.
Sort by name - to combine matching characters, why do you need the same person twice? By the way, full namesakes exist in abundance, so if there is the slightest doubt, it is better not to combine them. If even short chains have been formed from scattered information, create files for them in a genealogical program. And then you discover that there is not enough information.
You go to Poklonnaya Hill and write down the bearers of your surname in all the memory books of all regions. Do you feel the scope? If you have a lot of money and little time, hire students, pay them by the piece, but be prepared for the fact that they may accidentally make a mistake when rewriting - no one is immune from mistakes. Or you can try to persuade the employees of the electronic memory book to print out for you all bearers of the surname, but they usually do not agree to this - they have more than enough normal orders, and they do not have time to fulfill them either.
You go to the historical library and write out your namesakes from the memorial books of all the provinces, from various books beginning with the words “List...”, “Alphabet...” or “Alphabetical list...”.
You enter all the information received into your table, periodically combine doubles and pull out the resulting pedigree chains.
Highlight the lines of those characters who have already been included in some chains in some way.
Do you think this could be a collection of family trees? Can not.
To make a collection of pedigrees out of this staggering pile of material, you need to contact all carriers of the surname you are researching, whose addresses you have found so far, and invite them to join. One person cannot cope with this.

By contacting namesakes, you can somehow decipher information on the twentieth century and extract genealogical chains from it, but in order to find common ancestors, you will still have to go to the archives - an extremely small part of the people who lived on earth ended up in printed sources and the Internet . We can only hope that your titanic work will help you encourage namesakes to undertake a joint archival search, otherwise it will all remain a collection of unrelated information, however, very impressive. There are many programs with which you can draw family trees . You can argue for a long time about their merits and demerits, but I’ll tell you about the one that I like best and which can be downloaded on the Internet for free - no theft, it’s simple GenoPro.
Its main advantages from my point of view are that it is very simple and with its help you can print your tree on paper to show your relatives.
And if you don’t have a printer, you can simply redraw what you got.
After talking with relatives, you can make corrections and additions, and go to the next relatives with a new version.
You can start building a tree from anywhere. When you install this program, there will be a lot of different buttons at the top, among them you need to select a button, when you hover over it the words Family wizard will appear (there is a piece of a family tree and a magic wand drawn there). When you click this button, a table will appear. In the left part of the table you enter the father (Father), in the left - the mother (Mother), by clicking the Add button at the bottom of the table you add children, then click OK at the top in the right corner and the beginning of the tree is made. You have a diagram of parents and children hanging on the tip of your mouse, you install it on the page, click on any empty space (so that nothing is selected) and continue.

To check whether a plausible genealogy has been obtained, it is necessary to apply the laws of genealogy to its results. In each subsequent generation, the number of ancestors doubles (this is called the law of doubling the number of ancestors), but at a sufficiently large time distance this law does not apply; some of the ancestors of people who marry turn out to be common (this is called the law of decreasing ancestors). If six or eight generations of ancestors are found, the law of three generations should already be in effect - the activity of every three generations should fit into a hundred years (however, it is unlikely that you have reached such degrees based on questioning).

Why do you need all this?

Everyone has their own reason for studying family history, often it is not fully realized, then the person answers the corresponding question - he’s just interested, he wants to, etc. But in order to achieve results that will satisfy you, you need to understand exactly what subconscious motives drive you.
People are often embarrassed by their own motives and goals, so appropriate techniques have been developed to identify them. I will offer you one of them, solely because it does not require outside participation or any costs. There are methods that are much more complex and scientific.
It will take a week. Five days, every evening you sit down alone at the table, take a pen and a piece of paper (or sit down at the computer, open a text editor) and for five minutes (or ten, if you are slow) as quickly as possible, without re-reading, write what you want in connection with genealogy, family ties, knowledge of your ancestors and all interrelated areas.
There is no need to concentrate and think, the goal is to write as quickly and as much as possible and stop, even in the middle of a word, when the allotted time runs out.
Then you fold the paper and put it on the table (save the file and close it).
Do not read under any circumstances! Don’t limit yourself if you accidentally write that you want to lose 20 kilos in connection with genealogy and buy yourself a new fishing rod, there’s nothing scary or stupid in that, that’s what analysis is for. And so on for five days. On the sixth day, you read, don’t cross out or erase anything, put everything together (which is why the computer is more convenient, of course), dividing it into topics. You don't draw any conclusions. Read, be surprised and go to bed. And only on the seventh day do you analyze, see which topic has the most points and then determine your main goal. Don't be surprised if it's completely unrelated to genealogy. In this case, you simply do not need to limit yourself to genealogy, well, for example, if the goal of your studies is to raise a harmoniously developed personality from a child. On the seventh day, five or ten minutes will not be enough for you, because this is not the final stage.
From your main goal, you need to identify specific goals that are understandable to everyone around you and to you personally, and quite achievable, even if not soon.
I can tell you what specific goals the Americans achieved, what they had in mind
the main objective
– it doesn’t matter, they kept their main goal to themselves.
So, examples of specific goals:
Once every five years, gather all members of your family in a specially rented hotel on the lake.
Create a museum of the history of the area at a nearby school with family trees of all students.
Create a personal fund in the museum.
Having identified a specific goal, you need to break its achievement into stages and directions, draw up a plan and begin to implement it. The smaller the stages, the more pleasant it will be to implement the plan - the movement will be more noticeable.

 

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