Family tree

[shivvy]

I am keen to do a family tree and would appreciate anyone suggesting how to record it. Are there different types and if so, what sort I should buy.
I am not terribly interested in going back hundreds of generations but would like to keep a record of our relatively recent (great grandparents) as well as current family including details of my many cousins (and their children). I would also like there to be plenty of space for it to be continually added to by the family.
Anyone got any tips?

[CheekyChops]

You can buy Family Tree Maker for less than a tenner. The 'Who Do You Think You Are' version is the Starter Edition and doesn't have some of the functions of the full edition but it is fine for most people. You can download Family TRee Maker 2005 for free from here: http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article. aspx?article=9788

I have this edition and the only thing I can't do is upload a GEDCOM file to another website but if you don't want to do that, it will be fine.

You can also download free programmes that are also easy to use, Legacy from www.legacyfamilytree.com or PAF from www.familysearch.org

If you want to keep your tree on a website, you can try www.tribalpages.com which is free or www.genesreconnected.co.uk but their tree builder isn't the easiest in the world to get along with!

[CheekyChops]

Forgot to mention that the 'Who Do You Think You Are' version of FTM is the 2006 version but I have 2005 and 2006 and can't really see any difference between them.

[DottyH]

You can record your direct ancestors from yourself backwards thru your mum and dad's side and just display the info on each direct ancestor, which is like a lineage chart, or you can create a full blown family tree that contains the direct ancestor, in order of brith with their siblings, in each generation.
this is a good site for free printable forms of the pedigree chart
http://genealogy.about.com/od/decorative_chart s/

[TydFan]

One of our relatives did one, pre computer era, as a wheel. You put yourself in the middle and split the wheel into halves putting paternal and maternal names on their own side. You make the wheel as small or as big as you like. Stop when you've put on as many as you want.