Citations to family trees will vary according to whether they are
an unpublished “tree” we’ve received from someone; or
an online tree published at a website.
In each case, they use the same templates.
Unpublished trees
Whether on paper or in an electronic file, these are treated like any other unpublished material that comes into our personal possession. We use Template 7: Private Holdings. In EE4, §4.27 “Charts & Family Group Sheets” provides an example.
From the standpoint of producing reliable work, it’s hard to conceive of an instance in which we would just cite a whole tree of the "compiled" genre (as opposed, say, to an artistically rendered tree), unless we were simply reporting that some person in the past had created this tree.
There can be valid reasons to cite a specific family group sheet (in an older tree) or a personal profile in an electronic tree. In these cases, we should add a note to report our assessment of whether the compiler provides credible documentation for the specific piece of information we take from that profile on that tree. By genealogical standards, this citation would be a placeholder until we are able to access the cited source. At that point, we may or may not wish to continue use of the family tree citation, depending upon the circumstances involved.
Online trees
Theseare cited the same way we cite any authored article or database at a website (Template 5):
Author/Creator/Compiler, “Title of Tree, Article, or Database in Quotation Marks,” descriptor, Title of the Host Website in Italics (URL : Date of access or creation), specific item.
Again, our citation would then note whether that tree provides credible evidence for the specific information we are taking from it. If so, we should add a layer to our citation to report what that evidence is.
As a specific example of citing a profile in an online tree (which Evidence Explained does not include), I’ll offer this for the profile for which I'm currently adding data in an Ancestry tree:
First (Full) Reference Note:
Elizabeth Shown Mills, "Mills-Rachal Family Tree," user-contributed tree, Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/166838561/person/272754487745/facts : accessed 6 August 2026), "facts" page for John Craghead (c1740—1808).
Subsequent (Shortened) Reference Note:
Mills, “Mills-Rachal Family Tree,” Ancestry, “facts” page for John Craghead (c1740–1808).”
Source List Entry:
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. "Mills-Rachal Family Tree." User-contributed tree. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/166838561 : 6 August 2026.
Hi, Jan. Citations to…
Hi, Jan.
Citations to family trees will vary according to whether they are
In each case, they use the same templates.
Unpublished trees
Whether on paper or in an electronic file, these are treated like any other unpublished material that comes into our personal possession. We use Template 7: Private Holdings. In EE4, §4.27 “Charts & Family Group Sheets” provides an example.
From the standpoint of producing reliable work, it’s hard to conceive of an instance in which we would just cite a whole tree of the "compiled" genre (as opposed, say, to an artistically rendered tree), unless we were simply reporting that some person in the past had created this tree.
There can be valid reasons to cite a specific family group sheet (in an older tree) or a personal profile in an electronic tree. In these cases, we should add a note to report our assessment of whether the compiler provides credible documentation for the specific piece of information we take from that profile on that tree. By genealogical standards, this citation would be a placeholder until we are able to access the cited source. At that point, we may or may not wish to continue use of the family tree citation, depending upon the circumstances involved.
Online trees
These are cited the same way we cite any authored article or database at a website (Template 5):
Author/Creator/Compiler, “Title of Tree, Article, or Database in Quotation Marks,” descriptor, Title of the Host Website in Italics (URL : Date of access or creation), specific item.
Again, our citation would then note whether that tree provides credible evidence for the specific information we are taking from it. If so, we should add a layer to our citation to report what that evidence is.
As a specific example of citing a profile in an online tree (which Evidence Explained does not include), I’ll offer this for the profile for which I'm currently adding data in an Ancestry tree:
First (Full) Reference Note:
Elizabeth Shown Mills, "Mills-Rachal Family Tree," user-contributed tree, Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/166838561/person/272754487745/facts : accessed 6 August 2026), "facts" page for John Craghead (c1740—1808).
Subsequent (Shortened) Reference Note:
Mills, “Mills-Rachal Family Tree,” Ancestry, “facts” page for John Craghead (c1740–1808).”
Source List Entry:
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. "Mills-Rachal Family Tree." User-contributed tree. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/166838561 : 6 August 2026.