If the pedigree-hunter is wise, he will have provided himself with Ancestral Tablets, by Whitmore, as has been previously suggested. They simplify matters greatly.
But he may not have done this, or he may have occasion to jot down his forbears on paper either for his own recollection or for the information of others. Of course, this must often be done, and the following is a simple method to adopt.
We will suppose his “tree” begins with a certain John Browne.
He might thus note particulars, leaving blanks in the way indicated where information is not forthcoming.
The mark
signifies that all the children are not noted in his pedigree.
Sometimes an actual tree is drawn, with various branches emanating from a parent stem. This is an interesting method, the effect being clear, but the amateur might find its execution somewhat difficult.
Again, the genealogist may have to write more in narrative form particulars connected with his family tree. The following is an illustration of how this may be done—