Margaret O'Brien 
The Excel Family Tree Generator Template uses a format that won’t suit many hobby genealogists. It is designed to work downward from one pair of grandparents. The tree can include their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The default format has only enough room to display first names. I’ll show you how to make the display work … Read more
A seven-generation family tree goes back to sixty-four great-great-great-great-grandparents. Can you really squeeze it onto a single printed sheet in Excel? Yes you can! After a lot of experimentation, I’ve come up with the best format that displays and prints clearly. If you’re too busy for the twenty-one steps in this tutorial, jump down to the … Read more
This tutorial walks step-by-step through creating a six-generation pedigree family tree in Microsoft Excel. A six-generation tree goes back to thirty-two great-great-great-grandparents. The challenge is how to get six generations to fit on a single printed page. The solution is to use the pedigree layout. Even with the pedigree layout, it’s a bit of a … Read more
This tutorial walks step-by-step through creating a five-generation pedigree family tree in Microsoft Excel. A five-generation tree goes back to sixteen great-great-grandparents. The challenge is how to get five generations to fit on a single printed page. The solution is to use the pedigree layout. If you’re too busy for the twenty steps in this … Read more
This tutorial takes you step-by-step through creating a four-generation vertical family tree in Microsoft Excel. A four-generation tree goes back to eight great-grandparents. The challenge is how to get the details of eight people to fit across a single printed page. Sure, you can use a tiny font. But a family tree should be easy … Read more
This tutorial takes you step-by-step through creating a simple three-generation family tree in Microsoft Excel. This type of tree is a great project for school or as a gift from children to grandparents. Our tips and tricks will help you avoid fiddling endlessly with dragging lines and positioning pictures in Excel. If you want more … Read more
A researcher named Felix Immanuel uploaded many samples of archaic DNA to GEDmatch several years ago. His website and research pages are no longer maintained on a current website. I have reproduced his original list of the samples from an archived version. I’ve also added an extra link to a research paper or article on … Read more
There is no law in the United States that surnames must have more than one letter. But that doesn’t mean that there are people with one-letter last names. I’ve reviewed recent censuses, data from the Social Security Administration, and a research project published in 1982. My conclusion is that at least four letters are used … Read more
The letter M is the most common starting letter of last names in America by a narrow margin over the letter S. Names starting with the letter M had just over 25.6 million people in the 2010 U.S. census. The letter S had about half a million fewer residents. This article gives a full breakdown … Read more
Are you looking for a list of last names beginning with “X”? We’ve used the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census to compile the 29 surnames that start with the letter X and have at least one hundred bearers of the name. We’ll also show you the total number of bearers for the name in each … Read more