by Amanda Sullivan
Of the many techniques we have at our disposal for researching our ancestors, timelines can be among the most eye-opening and, yet, they are often forgotten – buried in an endless genealogy to-do list or put off for some future rainy day when we have more time. But they can be the best way to avoid missing critical information about our ancestors – information that we need to grow our trees and break down brick walls.
Why Creating Timelines is Such a Powerful Technique for Understanding Our Ancestors
Timelines are a uniquely important research tool. When done correctly, they can aid us in sorting out the “where,” “when,” and “why,” of our ancestor’s lives – shedding new light on the important events of those who came before us. And they can help us identify holes and inconsistencies, making new possibilities for research visible for the first time.
Often, when we research, we stubble around adding new facts and records as we find them. We get so caught up in the details that we often forget to look at the big picture. But a timeline is the answer to this problem. It allows us to step back and see our work with new eyes.
If you’ve been struggling to piece together an ancestor’s life, or are facing an unsolved mystery in your tree, creating a timeline should be next on your list of things to do. And, even if you’re not, a timeline or timelines will almost always help you build a deeper understanding of any person or branch in your research.
How to Create a Timeline for Your Ancestors
What kind of timeline should you create?
What’s the best kind of timeline to make for your ancestor? Hand-written or digital? It’s up to you, let’s look at some options.
Let’s start with handwritten. There are two types of handwritten timelines – the first is a list of events from beginning to end and the second is literally a line with the years evenly spaced across it. For the second variety, each event is then placed on the line when it happened.
You can find templates for each kind on the internet (find some helpful links at the end of this article) or you can do it by hand.
Let’s look at these two versions for my great-grandmother, Ottilia.
I find writing out forms and charts by hand to be most beneficial for solving problems or summarizing library research. For long term works in progress, however, a digital timeline may be the best option.
Computer programs make it easier to insert new information or delete incorrect items while keeping everything legible and of archival quality. All you need is a word processor or spreadsheet.
Using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, gives you the opportunity to use bullet points, multi-level lists, tables, or any other layout you choose. My favorite way to do a timeline in Word is to reverse the indentation for the paragraph and begin with the date.
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I like to use it this way because it feels more like a narrative of someone’s life, rather than a list of facts. You can include details about the source, informant, and other pertinent information.
The major benefit of using a word processing tool to create your timeline is the ability to insert an image into the document. If your great-grandfather was promoted to chief of police or fire department and you have a picture of the ceremony… add it in! Great-great-grandmother in her WWI nurse’s uniform? You can insert that image, too!
You could also consider using a spreadsheet for creating your timeline, which can be very helpful with its many rows and columns. I suggest starting y