Family Tree Diagrams
A family tree diagram shows how people are related to each other — by parentage, partnership, and care arrangements — laid out by generation.
It is built from the same underlying data as the rest of your workspace. You record who the people are and how they are related once, and the diagram is generated from that. Change a relationship and every diagram showing those people reflects it; there is no separate chart to redraw.
What a Family Tree Shows
- People only. Family tree diagrams contain individuals. Companies, trusts, partnerships, and SMSFs are not part of a family tree, even in workspaces that have them.
- Family relationships. Parent–child links (including adopted, foster, and guardian arrangements) and partner links. See Family Relationship Types for the full list.
- Generational layout. Parents sit above children, and partners sit side by side, so lineage reads top to bottom.
- Avatars. Each person is drawn with an avatar, colour-coded so the diagram is readable at a glance.
- Deceased indicators. People recorded as deceased are styled differently from living family members.
When to Use a Family Tree
Family tree diagrams answer questions about people and lineage:
- Explaining succession and inheritance across generations
- Identifying family members for estate planning
- Clarifying who is related to whom, and how
- Showing blended families — former partners, step-children, and adopted children — without ambiguity
- Preparing for a family meeting where everyone needs the same picture
Family Tree or Ownership Diagram?
If your workspace has both diagram types available, the choice comes down to what the diagram needs to explain.
| Family Tree | Ownership Diagram | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | Who is related to whom | Who owns or controls what |
| Contains | Individuals only | Individuals, companies, trusts, assets |
| Relationships | Parent, child, partner, adopted, foster, guardian | Shareholder, director, trustee, beneficiary, unitholder |
| Best for | Estate planning, succession, family governance | Corporate structures, trust structures, asset ownership |
The two are complementary. A succession conversation often needs both: the family tree to show who the people are, and the ownership diagram to show what they hold.
FamilyGram workspaces include family tree diagrams only. If you also need ownership diagrams, companies, and trusts, those belong to StructureGram.
Getting Started
- Add the people who belong to the family.
- Record the relationships between them.
- Create the family tree diagram and let it lay out automatically.
- Adjust the styling if you want the diagram to match your firm's presentation.