Free 5-Generation Fill-in-the-Blanks Form

This PDF file lets you neatly type in the names of your direct ancestors.

I saw a nice-looking family tree chart online yesterday. I thought an electronic fill-in-the-blanks chart would be a much better thing to have. I don't like charts that you have to write by hand, even though they can be pretty. I would make mistakes, and after a lifetime at a keyboard, I can't write very nicely.

So I made a PDF file that lets you type to fill in the blanks with names. I've given each field a number from 1 to 31. Those are the Ahnentafel numbers for any person and their direct ancestors through to their 2nd great grandparents.

• Number 1 is you (or any individual you'd like to make a chart for)
• 2 and 3 are your parents
• 4 thru 7 are your grandparents
• 8 thru 15 are your great grandparents
• 16 thru 31 are your 2nd great grandparents

Download the Direct Ancestor Chart PDF file for yourself. Simply click in any field, type, and press the tab key to go to the next logical person. When you're finished, save the PDF file with a different file name.

No more sloppy handwriting or cramped fingers. Fill in this ancestor chart on your computer.

I found it was best to keep my grandparent chart open. Then I could see everyone's Ahnentafel number and enter their full names. If you don't have that chart, you can get it from my Dropbox account.

I filled this chart out for myself, and I simply love seeing all those names in one place.

But you can fill it out for anyone. Say you found a 3rd cousin online. Maybe they turned up as a DNA match. You could fill out a chart for this cousin with everything you've learned about their part of the family. That's a nice ice-breaker!

You can do one for your spouse, for your mom, or for a relative you're planning to visit soon. The chart is a standard 8½ x 11 inches in landscape mode. I added color for interest, but my printouts will be grayscale.

I made my own chart, but I could make one for any of my relatives.

Here's a list of other electronic genealogy forms and charts I've published before:

• 1900 U.S. Census Worksheet
• 1910 U.S. Census Worksheet
• 1920 U.S. Census Worksheet
• 1930 U.S. Census Worksheet
• 1940 U.S. Census Worksheet
• Family Genealogy Worksheet
• Family Genealogy Worksheet for large families
• Grandparent Chart (with Ahnentafel numbers filled in)
• Relationship Calculator
• Document Tracker Inventory Sheet
• Vital Records Transcription Chart

What else can I make? What would you like to see?