How Many Ancestors Have You Found?

Have you kept track of how many ancestors you have discovered? Do you want to create an ancestor tracker? Keep reading to learn how.

I first started doing this back in 2016 after watching a video on the Ancestry YouTube channel instructed by Crista Cowan, better known as The Barefoot Genealogist. I would update it as I found new ancestors. Over time, I forgot about it and stopped updating the counter.

My inspiration behind this idea came from The Genealogy Girl. After reading her post, I started to get back in the swing of using my tracker.

Why Would I Want to Use an Ancestor Tracker?

This reason and purpose will vary from person to person, but the main reason for me is to see my progress over the years. Maybe this could give you a research avenue to look at, which will later become a research question.

How to Create an Ancestor Tracker?

There are many ways you can create your own personal tracker. You can track your ancestors in a spreadsheet or an online program. Whatever works for you is best.

I created mine after watching Crista Cowan's video. The first column is the relationship to me. The second column shows how many ancestors in that generation. The third column is how many I have found so far.

You can update this weekly, monthly, and even yearly. In the past, I would update my tracker as I found new ancestors. I might consider doing it every new year.

Maybe you will consider keeping track of your direct ancestors, if you haven't already.

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Thanks for reading,

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