Family tree guides
To build your family's tree and save its stories, step by step and in plain English. With the Sullivan family as an example.
- Step by stepHow to make a family tree, step by stepA family tree starts with you: then your parents, your grandparents and your great-grandparents, and finally everyone's brothers, sisters and cousins.
- QuestionsQuestions to ask your grandparents about their lifeThe best questions for your grandparents are the ones that give them permission to tell their story: where they grew up, how they met, what they ate as kids, how they ended up where they are.
- Private treePrivate family tree: who can see yours?A private family tree is one that only the people you invite can see.
- Día de MuertosHow to make an ofrenda at home for Día de MuertosAn ofrenda is a home altar for Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, where a family remembers the people they've lost.
- CalculatorRelationship calculatorTap the path one step at a time (your dad, his sister, her son) and see how you’re related, with a picture. Cousins, “removed” and in-laws too.
How is everyone in your family related?
Second cousins, great-uncles, cousins-in-law: each relationship in its own guide, with a picture, and a calculator for your own family.
- Second cousinWhat is a second cousin?Your second cousin is the child of your mom’s or dad’s first cousin.
- First cousin once removedWhat is a first cousin once removed?Your first cousin once removed is either your first cousin’s child or your mom’s or dad’s first cousin.
- Great-uncleWhat is a great-uncle (or great-aunt)?Your great-uncle is your grandma’s or grandpa’s brother, and your great-aunt is their sister.
- Half and step siblingsHalf sibling vs. step sibling: what’s the difference?A half-sibling shares one parent with you, while a stepsibling shares none: you became family when your parent married their parent.
- Cousin-in-lawWhat is a cousin-in-law?Your cousin-in-law is your cousin’s husband or wife, or your husband’s or wife’s cousin.
- Your child’s in-lawsWhat do you call your child’s in-laws?There’s no single English word for your child’s in-laws, so most people say “my son’s in-laws” or “my daughter’s in-laws” instead.
Don't let your family's story get lost
Start today with what you know. Everyone else fills in the rest, from their own phone.