In this lesson we will discuss what a family tree is and how to understand the information that is represented and collected. We will learn how to use the My Heritage site for the creation of a family tree. Students will map out their family trees and get a better understanding of what generations came before them. Via the My Heritage site students will create online family trees they can share with other family members.
A family tree, also called a genealogy or pedigree chart, is a pictorial representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The representation of families in a tree is related to the idea of the Tree of Life. Since ancient times, trees have often been viewed as sacred and vital, making it no surprise that the Tree of Life has significance across several cultures around the world. While the symbol has various meanings to each culture, there are overarching themes as to what it represents.
The earliest depictions of the Tree of Life date back to about 7000 BC and were found in present-day Turkey. There are also depictions discovered in the Acadians dating to 3000 BC, in ancient Egypt and in Celtic culture.
There is no consensus as to what type of tree is used for the Tree of Life. The most common depictions show a leaf-bearing tree with branches that reach high into the sky and roots that spread out through the ground. The symbol for the Tree of Life sometimes shows the tree set within a circle. This symbol has significance to several ancient cultures, religions and philosophies.
In the Book of Genesis in the Bible, the Tree of Life plays an important role. It grows within the Garden of Eden beside the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life was said to have healing properties with fruit that, when eaten, granted immortality. After breaking God’s rules Adam and Eve were forced to leave the garden, bear the burden of sin, and were separated from the Tree of Life. It is believed to be what sustains and nourishes life. The Tree of Life is also a prominent symbol in the Kabbalah teachings of Judaism.
In addition to the cultural and religious meanings, the Tree of Life has several symbolical meanings.
A tree structure or a tree diagram is a way of representing hierarchical data. Genealogy is the study of families and their history. Genealogists collect data about families by conducting interviews, looking through historical records, performing genetic analysis and using other research methods to construct family trees.
A tree structure is used as a graphic representation to help make sets of data easier to interpret and understand. In a family tree, the data, in this case family members, is organized with older generations at the top, youngest or current generations at the bottom and those of the same generation, such as brothers and sisters, on the same level. There are various types of family trees, such as a genogram, which is a more detailed version of a family tree that contains the medical history of family members. This allows doctors and medical professionals to see any hereditary patterns and psychological factors that may have affected a family over their generational history.
Family trees are a great way to explore your history and background. You may just discover some amazing facts about your ancestors, such as more about who you are and where you came from as well as discovering interesting facts about your family and its members, pass on stories about your family through generations, and it is a great way to connect you to your heritage.
Family trees are a way of mapping out different people in different generations, and understanding how people are related. Some families display large family trees, including up to 10 generations, in a common space in their home for all to see. Others who do not yet know all of the branches on their family tree, or have distant family that is not in contact with each other, work to map out the past and current generations to bring their family closer.
Let’s look at a family tree to see how we read it. (See Family Tree of Abraham and the 12 Tribes below)
The top line is the great grandparents. In this example who are our great grandparents? The great grandparents are Abraham and Sarah as well as Abraham's other wife, Hagar.
Who is on the grandparents level? The grandparents level shows Issac and Rebecca are grandparents. It also shows that Ishmael is a sibling to Issac. Ishmael is an uncle to the children of Issac and Rebecca.
Who is shown on the parents level? On the parents level we see that Issac and Rebecca are the parents to two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob has 4 wives and 13 children.
Who is shown on the children’s level? On this level we have 13 children. All of these children are siblings, 12 brothers and one sister.
Do you recognize the names of the 12 brothers? They are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Let’s work on creating a family tree for each of your families. We will do this by using the My Heritage web site. Go to http://www.myheritage.com/bhsm. Click on the Israeli flag in the bottom right hand corner to change the language to English. Agree to ANU’s terms and conditions and start entering your own details. Click on GO and a free account will be created for you.
Once signed in, you may continue building your family tree, adding photos and other material that will be saved automatically as you proceed. You may continue building your family, adding photos and other materials.
My Heritage: http://www.myheritage.com/bhsm
Family tree graph
My family story
By Manuel Hirsch Grosskopf