- 1). Start with your earliest known ancestor. Draw a circle to represent them if they are female and a triangle to represent them if they are male. If you have a couple to start with, draw both symbols and an equal sign between them if they were married. If they had a divorce, draw an equal sign with a line through it between them. Place this ancestor or couple at the top of the sheet of paper.
- 2). Draw a branching line down from the ancestor or down from the equal sign of the couple. If there is only one known descendant of the ancestor or ancestor couple draw their gender symbol and write their name here. If there is more than one, draw a horizontal line and then a down line that branches off of the horizontal line for each descendant.
- 3). Give each descendant a gender code and name if known and add any spouses or ex-spouses next to them, using the equal sign or unequal sign to denote their relationship. For persons of unknown sex, use a square.
- 4). For each couple or ancestor that has known offspring, draw a down line from them or their equal sign, branching into several parts if there are more than one offspring.
- 5). Continue charting the kinship chart in every direction, including your own mother and father. When you reach your own parents create their offspring lines, putting yourself in the middle.
- 6). Go back through the kinship chart, drawing a line through the middle of any symbol for a person who has passed away. This keeps track of how many living and dead relations you have.
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