Data-Driven Genealogy: Charting My Ancestors

Data holds incredible power - it highlights gaps in knowledge, bridges them, and gives our research purpose and direction. When it comes to genealogy, data can reveal fresh perspectives on our ancestors' stories, offering new insights into where we come from.

For years, I’ve been mapping my family tree in every way imaginable. A particularly important approach is charting my ancestors by their birthplaces. The result? A vibrant, visual journey that showcases how "the story of me" began almost everywhere. The map is a kaleidoscope of colors - each representing a different ancestral birthplace - capturing a history so diverse it's almost overwhelming.

A map of my ancestors' birth locations. Bolded borders denote immigrant ancestors.

Mapping Life’s Journey: The Key to Unlocking Documents and Stories

Mapping your ancestors’ birth, life, and death locations is essential if you’re serious about uncovering the documents that tell their life stories. After all, you can’t know where to search for their records if you don’t know where they lived.

I’ve taken this a step further by mapping my ancestors’ burial locations across the United States. In late 2020, I embarked on a socially-distanced cross-country road trip. Along the way, I shaped my route to include stops at cemeteries where my ancestors are buried. This journey, which I recorded in, Ancestors Across the Heartland: A Family History Road Trip, became an opportunity not just to connect with living relatives but also to “commune” with my past.

Ancestor burials (purple flowers mark graves I've visited,
yellow flowers are graves still on my to-visit list)

Keeping Score: Who Am I Missing?

Early in my genealogy journey, I developed a habit of stepping back each year to crunch the numbers. I’d pause my research long enough to take a big-picture view and tally the direct ancestors I’d added to my tree over the past 12 months. This annual exercise became an opportunity to measure my progress from a purely quantitative perspective.

While I don’t approach genealogy as a numbers game, monitoring numeric benchmarks provides a simple and tangible way to gauge growth in my research. These periodic check-ins remind me not just of how far I’ve come, but also of who is still missing from the story (see My 2020 Ancestor Tally).

My ancestry by the numbers as of 2020

FamilySearch 7 generation fan chart. Margaret Fahey - my 3rd great-grandmother's parentage my only gap.

Comparing Myself to My Ancestors

Genealogy data has become more than just a tool for tracing family history - I've also used it as a fascinating point of comparison with my own life. 

Concerned about not being a parent yet? I've turned to my family tree for reassurance, asking: How old were my ancestors when they had the child who would eventually lead to me? Turns out, there's a chart for that! And I've got plenty of time - my 3rd great-grandfather, John Flynn fathered my ancestor John at the age of 49! (See Ancestors' Ages at Parenthood)

Ancestors' parents' age when they were born. Paternal age is first.

Wondering about my life expectancy? I've examined my ancestors' ages at death to see what the numbers might suggest about my own longevity. It's a bit macabre, sure, but also insightful. Here's hoping I inherited my second great-grandmother Minnie's genes - she lived to 92, making her my longest-lived ancestor! (See Longevity Pedigree: Crunching the Numbers)

And then there's my genetic pedigree. By mapping my ancestors' haplogroups, I've gained a deeper understanding of DNA inheritance across my pedigree. (See The Genetic Family Tree Grows New Buds)

My ancestors' paternal and maternal haplogroups

Uncovering the Past Through Data

Genealogy is more than names and dates - it's about uncovering stories, patterns, and connections that define who we are. By mapping and charting data like birthplaces, life events, and even genetics, we gain insights into our ancestors' journeys and how they shape our own. Whether it's comparing life milestones, exploring longevity, or creating visual charts of family connections, data brings clarity and meaning to the past.

How have you used data to explore your ancestry? Share your favorite ways to chart your family's story in the comments.