The journey into genealogy often begins with a simple question: “How do I create a family tree?” For many, the initial desire is to keep this personal endeavor offline, away from the cloud and commercial interests. This sentiment echoes the experiences shared by many who, when starting their family history research, find themselves facing the same fundamental choices and challenges. Building a family tree, especially for those without a programming background, can seem daunting. The common suggestions to construct a database or utilize commercial family tree software, while valid, are not without their complexities. For someone new to database design, the lack of clear, accessible instructions can be a significant hurdle. Conversely, while commercial Family Tree Generators offer convenience, concerns about data privacy and access to personal information often arise. A family tree holds deeply personal details, and controlling who has access to this information is a valid and important consideration for many.
Exploring readily available commercial options and even open-source software like Gramps, the user experience and interface can sometimes feel less than intuitive. Many are seeking a more straightforward, visually accessible way to organize their family history. Consider the simplicity of a family tree sketched on paper, easily displaying two generations of information at a glance. This tactile and immediate experience is often lost in more complex digital solutions.
At its core, a family tree is essentially a structured collection of data. The true power of a family tree lies in its ability to expand upon this data, generating reports that present this information clearly and logically. Even a basic family tree, tracing a single paternal line across generations, can accumulate a significant amount of data. Expanding this to include siblings, cousins, and maternal lines quickly transforms a simple tree into a sprawling family forest. While spreadsheet programs like Open Office offer templates, these are often just pre-formatted sheets designed for readable data presentation, not dynamic family tree generators.
Driven by the availability of time and access to extensive family records spanning multiple generations, the author decided to explore the potential of spreadsheets as a DIY family tree generator. As the number of individuals approached 100, the need for structured data entry became apparent, leading to the creation of dedicated “People” and “Family” sheets. While these sheets effectively stored valuable data, the next challenge was to automatically extract and present this information in a report format with minimal manual effort. To achieve this, a meticulous process of cell-by-cell formula creation was undertaken, designed to extract specific data points for an entire sheet based on a family or person identifier. This approach mirrored the report generation functionality of a database, but crucially, it was achieved within the familiar environment of a spreadsheet program, where formula-building assistance is readily available – a stark contrast to the often opaque world of database queries.
Throughout this project, online forums became invaluable resources for troubleshooting and creative problem-solving. When faced with technical obstacles or seeking innovative solutions, community forums provided a platform for seeking advice and guidance. While some solutions offered were complex or initially unclear, the process of understanding and adapting these suggestions, even if it took days or weeks, was integral to the project’s progress.
Like any evolving project, new opportunities for improvement continually emerged. One such enhancement was the desire to incorporate images of family members into reports. Despite initial skepticism and suggestions that this was beyond the scope of spreadsheet capabilities, the author persevered. This ambition necessitated delving into the realm of databases, learning SQL and other related skills to ultimately integrate images successfully.
The initial spreadsheet structure was designed to accommodate 999 individuals and 750 families. As the family tree expanded, it became necessary to upgrade the capacity to 1500 individuals. Currently, the spreadsheet manages over 1100 individuals and 450 families. The “Display” sheet provides a comprehensive view of a family, including data for the father, mother, up to 20 siblings with multiple relationships each, and grandparent family numbers. Person and family numbers are prominently displayed to facilitate navigation. A graphical tree visually represents a family, their children, and up to five generations on both ancestral lines, where data is available. The “Who is” sheet serves as an individual profile for each person, particularly useful for retrieving information on unmarried or unpartnered individuals. “Expanded tree 2” allows for viewing one or two families simultaneously, while the “Lineage” sheet displays a family, their children, and four generations of parents on each side. Image integration is supported in the “Display,” “Who is,” and “Lineage_2” sheets, enhancing the visual representation of the family tree.
Inspiration and shared challenges were found in the work of others, such as Chris, who developed a family tree using Family Tree with Images. Exploring Chris’s database approach, which differed significantly from the spreadsheet methodology, provided valuable insights. Both projects encountered similar data entry and record scrolling issues within database environments, finding workarounds to improve usability, such as navigating to the last record to enable smooth scrolling.
Collaboration and data synchronization were also key aspects. The author and their brother, residing in different cities, collaboratively maintain the same family tree. Regular data exchanges and a custom-built spreadsheet for data comparison facilitate error correction and the incorporation of new information. Initially, the brother used an Excel version, while the author utilized Open Office (due to limitations with an older Excel version and spreadsheet size). The need to expand beyond 999 individuals necessitated this divergence in software, highlighting the scalability limitations of older software versions.
The underlying motivation for this project was to create a simple, private family tree solution. Recognizing that many others share this need, the author reached out to individuals with similar interests, seeking to share their findings and offer a potential alternative to more complex or privacy-compromising solutions.
Documentation and ongoing development are integral to this project, with new features and improvements continually being added as fresh ideas emerge. This DIY family tree generator is a testament to the power of spreadsheets and the resourcefulness of individuals seeking personalized, offline solutions for managing their family history.
