How To Complete Hourglass Ancestry Trees?

An hourglass ancestry tree is very similar to the bowtie form, the difference being that it uses the traditional method of interconnecting lines and boxes. The layout is basically the same, with the first ancestor placed in the middle in a separate box. A box is then placed on either side of the first and connected to it with an adjoining horizontal line. These first three boxes are all on the same horizontal plane. The boxes are numbered in the usual fashion, the central ancestor being one, his or her father two and mother three.

The hourglass begins to take shape in a lateral fashion as more spaces for fellow ancestors are added. The new spaces however are situated above and below the existing boxes and connected by vertical lines. Why not download a free ancestry tree hourglass template from our website and follow along with me. You’ll have a clearer understanding once you can see the ancestry tree chart laid out in front of you.

ANCESTRY TREES: Free downloadable hourglass ancestry trees

Now, with your father on the left and mother on the right, you would put the name of your grandfather on your father’s side in the top left hand box and your father’s mother’s name in the lower left hand box. On the other side you would do the same with your mother’s parents, father on top, mother below. You can now add the parents of your parents in a similar fashion.

If the filling in of your hourglass ancestry tree gets confusing a good idea is to first write out the names of those whom you will enter into the chart. Starting with yourself, write out the names in the form of a list, you being number 1. Then number your relatives in the following fashion. Your father is number 2, your mother number 3. Now, list your father’s father as number 4 and his mother as number 5. Your mother’s father will be number 6, and her mother number 7.

Next you want to number the corresponding boxes on ancestry tree template. The centre box will be number 1 (you), the space to your left is number 2 (father) and to the right will be numbered 3 (your mother).

Designate the box above your father number 4 (his father) and the one below number5 (his mother). On the other side of the template place the number 6 in the box above your mother (her father) and number 7 in the box below (her mother). Now all you have to do is enter the numbered names on your list to the boxes on your chart that contain the corresponding number.

When you have correctly entered all the names, they must be full names (First, Middle and Last), you should enter the birthdates, death date if applicable and place of birth in each box. Viola, you have filled in your hourglass ancestry tree.