How far back does the big print go? I can go back to beyond 15 generations. I have one that goes back to 400’s.
My answer: The farthest a single chart goes back is 10 generations, which will take some people now alive back to about 1600 on certain lines. If you were to make a parent or grandparent the key person at the start of the chart, you could go back further on a single chart, to the 1500s.
However, there is another way to go back to the middle ages or even further if your research takes you there.
All EasyGenie charts have two numbering systems, one for each person (on a 10-generation chart, 1,024 numbers) as well as the chart itself. So, it is possible to daisy-chain them. For instance, make a note that chart #1, person #182 (William Armstrong in the inset photo) is the same person as chart #2, person #1, and so on.
It is hard to make charts that go back further than 10 generations using standard pedigree chart or fan chart layouts. That's because each new generation will double the number of numbered spaces required for each person's name. For instance, generation 11 will have 1,024 new spaces, generation 12 will require 2,048 spaces, and generation 13 will require 4,096 lines.
The 10-generation chart we offer is about 3 feet tall and nearly two feet wide, folded to 9" by 11", and the last generation takes two columns for each couple. If we followed the same style for the next three generations, we would have to print on a sheet of paper nearly 50 feet on the longest dimension!
So, our recommendation is to use the daisy-chain method. It works with all of our chart styles, making it possible to get back to the year 400 with five 10-generation charts.
