Another interview and a lot of origin story

Wow.  We've been doing a whole bunch of conferences this spring and early summer.  We've been to Ohio, California twice, New Hampshire and several other conferences.  We love talking to our people.  And in Ohio, I was able to sit down with one of our old friends, Drew Smith of the Genealogy Guys Podcast.  What a delight it was to talk to him about what we have been doing lately and what got us to this point. 

You're welcome to listen in at http://genealogyguys.com/genealogy-connection-057-janet-hovorka-speaker-writer-entrepreneur.  I hope you'll enjoy the interview as much as I did.

Helping You Make Connections

As human beings, we long to be a part of something greater than ourselves. In our teenage years, we will do anything to feel like we're accepted by our peers. When we enter the workplace, we work day in and day out in order to have a stake in creating something worthwhile for others. We spend our time on Facebook and Instagram, curating a perfect profile that meets the standard of others, all so we can feel accepted. At the core of each decision we make is the desire to be a part of something bigger than just us.

The most important way to feel like we are involved in something greater than ourselves starts with our family. Our entire existence revolves around our membership and acceptance into a family. We are shaped by those who paved the way before us -- our parents, our grandparents, even our great-grandparents. Preserving their story is vital to understanding our own origin story. When one makes that connection with their ancestors, they become a part of the story that transcends the great thief of memories: time. Making that connection is made easy with Family ChartMasters.

Family ChartMasters aims to connect your ancestors to their descendants by giving you access to expert designers that will create an engaging, time-proof family history display. These displays engage with the family history in a way that no other artifact can. It paints a picture, tells a story, and ultimately helps one understand their origin story.

Another great review for Erin

Stu said we could share this with you.  He worked with our designer Erin:

I've been into my family's genealogy for a bit more than a year and a half.  I've had a great time doing it.  I've learned many many things and have found some cousins throughout the United States.  One result of the search is that we're going to have a Family Reunion.  I wanted to have a chart of our ancestors as well as many of the children that we could get on the chart.  Family ChartMasters was too easy to deal with!!!  The return emails were prompt and questions were directly answered.  I was surprised at how quickly everything went from start to finish.  I have no qualms recommending this company to anyone who wants a printed family tree.

Stu Berlin

We're so happy we could help you with your chart Stu.  I don't know that you can ever be *too* easy to deal with but we're happy to try.  We hope your family loves the chart!

Upcoming Conferences--Come see us

We've already made some great connections at RootsTech and the New England Regional Genealogical Conference in 2019! When will we see you?   

1-4th May 2019 Ohio State Genealogical Conferencein Mason Ohio.  We haven't been back to Ohio for a while so we're super excited about this one.  I'll be speaking on Where to Start When You Get Stuck, and Heirloom, Documentation or Junk.  Will we see you there?
30 May-1 Jun 2019 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank California.  It's the 50th anniversary of one of our favorite conferences so we'll be there with bells on.  Stay tuned.  

15 - 17 June   International German Genealogy Partnership Conference in Sacramento California.  We're excited to share our charts and books with the German Genealogy community.  If you have German roots, you should definitely check out the amazing specialists they have coming to help you with your research.  

We hope to see you there!

Deadline coming: Prices Going Up

This year we will be coming to our sixteenth year in business.  We're so proud of the over 40,000 charts we have printed that now blanket the world. We're grateful for the trust you all have given us to display your precious family history.  We consider it a sacred privilege and honor to help you communicate your heritage to your loved ones and  honor your ancestors.

As such, we've tried really hard over the years to keep our charts as affordable as possible so that we can help as many families as we can.  We've only raised prices twice in our existence, and some of our products are still the same prices we introduced them with in 2003.  Likewise, we produce amazing customized charts with unlimited design help for not much more than it would cost to reproduce a photograph at the same size.  We've run this company on a shoestring, figuring out how to make plotter and computer repairs ourselves and putting in long hours trying to market with a tiny budget.  In some ways that has hindered our progress, but we're proud to run a company that has had no debt and has been able to provide good, flexible jobs to some amazing people.

However, costs of the supplies, the tools, and all of the bills have continued to increase.  And unlike many small genealogy companies, we are looking to the future and the long term development of our company.  We want to be stable so that we can continue creating beautiful family history displays far into the future.  In fact, we are in the process of developing some new automated solutions that will actually allow us to offer more styles and more charts at lower prices in coming years.  So we've come to the point that we need to raise prices on some of our higher end, extremely customized charts.  We offer charts that not available anywhere else in the world.  We will continue to offer printing options at several different price points.  We want to make sure we can continue to do all of that for generations to come.


So, effective May15th, all new orders will be under our new 2019 pricing structure.  We've given you a month to prepare.  If you can submit your free consultation for a chart before that time, we'd be happy to honor the current pricing.

We assure you that we will help us continue to offer our amazing, comprehensive customer service and producing exquisite, striking genealogy displays.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 801-872-4278 or info@familychartmasters.com.  We appreciate your patronage and look forward to helping you create more amazing family history charts in the future.

A Lovely Client Email

Claude Fields said I could share this with you:

Dear Janet & Erin,

Let me first tell you that it has been a pleasure working with Family ChartMasters!  Our family chart cumulates over ten years of my work and even more counting those that have helped me in my ancestry research.  The journey that I have been on has been amazing.  The folks I have met along the way from lost cousins to historians that I have traveled to visit with, has been a incredible journey.  The history I have learned along the way was more than I had ever learned in school.  This work has been a roller coaster ride at times from joy to tears and sadness.  I have written both my mother and fathers direct lineage telling the story of both families from the time they arrived in America until today.  The chart shows my direct lineage.  Arriving here from seven different nationalities as early as 1630.

My writings tell the story, but how could I show the big picture (and big it is!)  I wanted to see my ancestry not by paging through many pages but looking at all my direct ancestry in one picture.  Mom always told me a picture is worth a thousand words.  I began my research to find a company that I could trust to show all my work and effort.  I found your company on the internet and reviewed your website.  I don't do anything without reading reviews and researching as any genealogist would.  I chose Family Chartmasters to design and make my ancestry chart and I'm so pleased I did.  Erin has been a treat to work with and had a lot of patience working with me and making suggestions for the design of the chart.  Today we picked the chart up from the frame shop and hung it on the wall.  I look with amazement at it and I am so pleased how it came out.  What a wonderful way to see my ancestors and how they are all related and tied back to their original nationalities.  I am very proud of my ancestors and what they gave to make this great country.  Your company can be proud of the chart you have provided my family, a real picture of our ancestry!

Sincerely,

Claude Fields

Thanks Claude!  We're so delighted to see how well the framing turned out and we're so honored to be able to help you display your family history.  Thank you for your trust. 

Leveling Up Chat with Crista Cowan and the Virtual Genealogical Association

I've been writing a column now for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly for the last couple of years and I've thoroughly enjoyed researching and studying some new topics for the articles.  Last year I did a full year series on a study we did about the perceptions people have about professional genealogists.  The study had some super surprising results--basically that 2/3 of people who hire professionals are not happy with the results, and combined with the fact that most people don't trust professionals to hire them in the first place, we're really only effectively serving 7% of the market.  There's lots of room for growth and improvement, starting with communicating the value of a professional and making sure the researcher sets expectations correctly so that clients are happy. I was honored to speak about the study as the Keynote for the APG Professional Management Conference in 2018, to give presentations to the ICAPGEN and APG boards and to present it for a Colloquium discussion at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.  I hope it has sparked some new movement in the genealogy industry. 

The latest thing I've been working on though is some articles on the Dunning Kruger effect and how it affects the genealogy community.  They will be published in the upcoming issues of APGQ for 2019.  I'm really excited to get this conversation started and see what we can do to change things up a bit.

Along with that, last night my dear friend Crista Cowan and I presented a webinar for the Virtual Genealogical Association entitled "Leveling Up in the Game of Genealogy"  We've made it available for everyone.  It was a great discussion and as always I loved hanging out with Crista.  I'm sure it will inspire you to be a better genealogist as much as it did for me.

You can see the show notes on Crista's website at http://cristacowan.com/LevelingUp

Lecture Summary: Lots of people approach family history like a video game-collecting the most number of ancestors or chasing the shaky leaves. In genealogy, just like in a video game, or in life for that matter, you don’t know what you don’t know. You could be playing along for years before you realize that there are power-ups and secret passageways in the game that can take you to the next level. In this session, attendees will learn about typical light-bulb moments and how to get to the “Did you know this was possible” stage faster. They will then be given a walk through on how to advance through the levels of the game of genealogy.

Attendees will be introduced to the Genealogical Maturity Model and the new concept of a continuum of genealogical proficiency. They will also be introduced to the high quality resources available for advancing their own skills.

We're Hiring

The Family ChartMasters Team is looking for a few more people.  If you have design or marketing skills and are in the Southern Salt Lake/Northern Utah County area we may have the perfect job for you. Career development, education opportunities and flexible schedule options are available in this growing company for the right applicant.

Family ChartMasters is a tight knit, high energy team. The right applicant will be highly-motivated, detail oriented and driven with a passion for family history and the impact it can have to change lives. This position is perfect for someone looking for career that will really make a difference in an industry that creates powerful personal discovery opportunities. Family ChartMasters has been in business for 15 years and is the market leader in family history display. 
Apply at https://familychartmasters.com/hiring.

The Today Show!

One of our charts made an appearance on the NBC Today Show!  The segment featured some Ancestry researchers and a client on a recent ancestral home tour to Sicily.  It is such a neat story about the Balistreri family and the connections that were made from his family history research.  It will make you want to travel to all your ancestral homes!

Check out the clip at:   https://www.today.com/video/dna-kit-discoveries-leading-to-new-travel-trend-1446689859528

The chart we made for their family is shown near minute 3:30.  But you will want to watch the whole thing because it is so lovely to see the family's experience.  And as the reporter says at the end of the clip, "The message is, go out there, and find out about your history before, honestly, it's too late!"

RootsTech Specials

RootsTech Specials

If you live on our planet, I'm sure you've heard about the RootsTech conference coming up.  This is our first conference of the year and a wonderful time for us to roll out new ideas, and show off everything we do.  I hope we'll see you there.  Here are some of the amazing deals we have for you when you come visit with us:

1) Fill in the Blank Charts for only $10 ($27.95 value).  That's almost 2/3 off the regular price.  Check out all of the new 2019 styles we just launched and there might even be a few new designs special for RootsTech. 

2) Coupon For A Free Extra Copy.  Visit with one of our designers and receive a coupon for a free extra copy of any working or decorative chart you create with us by September 2019.  Our designers can help you figure out how to best display your family history research and impress your family with the amazing history you have. 

3) Buy One Get Two Free DNA Ethnicity Chart Gift Certificates.  

Come find us right at the front of the hall with all of the DNA testing companies.  We can now support the ethnicity estimates for MyHeritage, Ancestry.com, and 23 and Me.  Wouldn't it be fun to show off how your ethnicity looks in all three databases?  The gift certificate sets will be available for .pdf ($20), Professional Paper ($50) and Canvas Giclee ($100).  Show off your ethnicity or give them to friends as gifts.  

I'm also speaking on Thursday at 3 on "Heirloom, Documentation or Junk: What to Keep or Toss" and then again on Friday at 4:40 on "Beautiful New 2019 Trends for Displaying Your Family History"  We love to chat with our clients about charts, and genealogy, and their family history.  I hope you can join us.  

A visit with my friend the Photo Detective: Maureen Taylor

I'm so lucky to have Maureen Taylor for a friend--and now you can listen in as well.  Recently, we sat down for an episode of her video podcast and had a great discussion about a chart that she wants us to create for her.  We discussed various options and styles and all of ways she can display her family history for an upcoming reunion.  Take a look:

Episode 28: Charting Your Family History

And if you have any photo identification needs, Maureen is the person to go to.  She has more talent and knowledge than anyone on the planet about styles and situations that might help you identify an old family photograph.  Everyone calls here the photo detective, but I call her the photo whisperer, because she is amazing.  She can pull out details and specific proofs that will help you figure out who the people are in any photo that you might have.  She's amazing.  You can book her for a photo consultation at https://maureentaylor.com/store/photo-consultation or come see her with me at the conferences we attend this spring.  

Annual Favorites 2019: New Designs

To finish up with our Annual Favorites list I have two new, interesting layouts.  The first one is a fan built into a tree with a classic, vintage black and white feel.  I love this chart and I think it would fit in nicely with several different kinds of decor.  No matter what your design style, we can come up with something that will add interest to your room.

Unique modern fan style

Truly, anything you can dream up, our designers can create for you.

This second chart is similar to our "branches" style chart but again, with a more updated feel.  Pretty leaves and more greys for 2019.  This one is tricky to do with descendancy information, but in this case it turned out perfectly.  Depending on how your descendancy information plots out, this style may end up being more of a bush than a tree, but we're always happy to give it a try.  And it works really well with ancestors too.  Or even ancestors and descendants combined if we add people into the roots.

New crisp descendant branches tree

These and all of the rest of the Annual Favorites for this year can be found in our gallery, with lots of other charts to give you ideas. Our talented designers can literally make your family chart ideas come to life.  When you are ready to get started, just send your information for a free consultation.  We're looking forward to creating the perfect, artistic representation of your family.  

Annual Favorites 2019: Custom Color Coding

We always have to include some amazing color coded charts in our Annual Collection.  We are the color coding specialists and color makes everything look better--not to mention more understandable.  We can color code anything: place, linage, time-frame, genetics, marriage, generation, health, DNA, research results, pioneer lines, royal lines, immigrants, soldiers, colonial Americans, different wars or branches of service, religious office, divorce, occupation.  You could use any event your ancestors might have participated in such as being a Filles du Roi, Mayflower immigrant, etc.  

You could also use color coding for research help such as whether or not a DNA test has been taken, whether the person is a match, you could include icons for proven and unproven lines, for the number of sources or images you have, for adoptive and genetic lines--you get the idea. We can go far and beyond what the current genealogy chart softwares offer.  

For the Family Reunion

One of the most common types of color coding we do, this chart is coded by the each of the children of the main couple.  Each child and their descendants are a different color, thus it is easy to find everyone at the family reunion.  This chart has only names for a condensed, clean chart of a large family.  Only six pictures illustrate their rich and varied history.

Ethnicity AND Details

One of my favorite types of color coding is by country of origin.  This color coding goes one step further showing each country's outline.  A beautiful display of a diverse heritage. Originally 24 inches wide and 42 inches tall.

All the Immigrants Coming Down to Modern Day

Nine generations of ancestors show on this 24x36 inch fan chart showing dates and places for ancestors.  The chart starts with three siblings.  Colors and flags show each ancestor's country of origin.  

Ancestors, Descendants, Color and Descriptive Icons

This chart again starts with the three children of a couple and then traces the father's lineage.  A simple left to right chart shows of immigrants, military and specific ethnicity notes while colors correspond to a digital and paper filing system with more information.

If you would like to create a chart with distinctive color coding according to something important in your own family history, we can do it.  Just send your ideas and information for a free consultation and one of our designers will take a look, send you feedback and then create a masterpiece just for your family.  

Annual Favorites 2019: Blended Families

So these two charts made it on to our list because the were such a spectacular display for a blended family.  The man in the center had three wives.  The first two wives also had children from other marriages.  So while he wanted all of his children on the chart, one of the charts had the children from the first wife's subsequent marriage--for that side of the family, and the other chart had he second wife's children from a previous marriage--for that side of the family.  He was able to give each part of the family a chart that included their step-siblings.  It was really quite brilliant. 

The first blended family all blended together

When you add the flags, and especially all of the photos--including the group photos.  Both charts were truly spectacular.  He was also able to add his current wife although they don't have any children together.  A beautiful, inclusive family.

The second blended family all blended together

So again, no matter how your family relationships are arranged, we can arrange them correctly on the chart.  It doesn't even have to be perfect in the file you send us.  When you send in your information, the designer we assign to you will send you an initial mock up and then we'll work with you, including other mock ups to move and arrange everyone exactly the way you want to display them.  Want to show the scoundrel of a son-in-law because he fathered your beautiful grandchildren?  Great, we can do that.  Want to take the scoundrel out?  No problem.  We can do that too.  In-laws and outlaws and all the ways a family blends together.  Whatever you want to look at on your wall is what we'll develop for you. 

And there's no obligation until you are happy with it.  Once you approve the design, you can click on the order link we send and place your order.  It truly will be perfect for you.  You can get started by clicking on the "get started" button on the front of our website.  Just wait until you see the perfect chart for your own family.  I promise it will be just as amazing as these two charts.

Annual Favorites 2019: Something Different

I just fall in love with all of the charts we do, but these have a special place in my heart this year.  We've done some really awesome non-traditional charts.  Some are similar to what you've seen here before, but some are of a completely different caliber.  As usual, we're always up for a new challenge.  

AKC pedigree (Isn't he the cutest?)

Apparently I've never said it on the blog before, but I think I've mentioned it a few times in lectures or on social media, I've always wanted to do a dog pedigree.  This year I finally got the chance.  And isn't this just the most adorable dog you've ever seen?  His name is Mr.Mister and he is a purebred Maltese.  Oh my goodness so much adorableness.  And if you look close, the names of his ancestors are just as adorable. We don't usually get to chart out names quite that unique on human charts.

A Royal Scottish line

While we've done direct line charts before, this one was special with the clean crisp layout and the two crests.  A beautiful way to help Dad show off his Scottish pride--directly back to Robert the Bruce.  I'm not sure, but I think this client made it on to the highly favored daughter-in-law list with this one.  We're happy to help you on to that list too.  We've got a well-used direct ladder there.

Piano Teaching Lineage

This was another unique chart for the year showing the piano teaching lineage of this great musician.  His instructors go back to Mozart, Liszt, Beethoven, Czerny, and J.S. Bach.  The chart weaves in and out with instructors who taught multiple people (the ultimate kissing cousins chart if it had been family.)  It was a complicated one but we figured it out.  And the 27x19 canvas hangs proudly in the studio.  The pride is definitely justified on this one.

Inspiring Military Heritage

This chart was a gift from a sister to her brother.  Wow!  Anybody would be lucky to have a sister like that right?  Going straight up the patriarchal line, this family had an amazing military heritage spanning back to the mid 1600s.  We were able to add stories, documents and a timeline along the bottom that explained everything and really brought it all together into one story.  I'm sure the 30x36 canvas was a treasured gift.

So if you want to be the hero in your family, with a traditional format or not, we can help you out.  Feel free to give us a call at 801-872-4278 and we'd be happy to discuss your ideas over the phone.  Or come find us at RootsTech in a couple of weeks (or at any of the conferences on our calendar) where you can see these amazing charts and talk to a designer in person.  We can't wait to get to work on your most fascinating ideas.

Annual Favorites 2019: Amazing All in One Charts

Some of the most impressive charts we do are our "all-in-one" charts.  To my knowledge, we are the only place on the planet where you can send a genealogy file and ask for everyone in the file, and then get back something that actually looks reasonably understandable.  As I've discussed before, there is an option to show everyone in the Family Tree Maker software, and that is really helpful and works well, but the charts usually turn out rather disjointed and quite large.  Our designers can create something much more condensed and logical.  It takes a human touch to create something clear and legible because every family is different.  

These are the charts I really love because they are so impressive. But we usually only choose a few for for our annual favorites because I think the can be a bit overwhelming to the typical genealogist.  The are inspiring though right?  We are doing more and more of these types of charts and we're more than happy to help you get it ALL out where you can see it and inspire your family members.  

Originally 20 feet wide and 3 feet tall.  We've chosen this chart for our backdrop at the upcoming RootsTech conference.

Imagine walking into the family reunion with this beauty.  It shows all four lines of the family tree with cousins, aunts, uncles, ancestors and descendants.  The pictures are beautiful and Karli did a great job with the layout so that it was all very understandable.

This chart shows the extensive family lines in a more reasonable format

This chart was originally 3.5 feet tall and just over 7 feet wide.  If you were to plot it out with one of the genealogy softwares, you would have a much larger chart with tons of white space in order to accommodate the extensive ancestor lines, not to mention that the more modern lines would have been substantially more complicated.  Again, the personalized touch of one of our designers comes to the rescue.  We were able to wrap things around so that the lines were obvious and everyone made it into the smaller size.

EVERYONE in the family

This beautiful chart include eight lines of the family tree that were all color coded so that the chart was clear to understand.  There are many ways we can help you display all of your family, even with cousins who married each other, blended families and an extensive family tree.  No matter who complicated your family relationships are, we are up to the task and have alot of experience making sure everyone is included.  No matter how your family is arranged, we can create a chart for you.  We are the experts at non traditional formats including lineage charts, adoptions, in-law lines, and extended cousins. 

So let our designers give your family tree a try.  You can send your information to us at http://www.familychartmasters.com/consult.  There's no obligation until we go to print because we are confident we can come up with something you love. Just wait until you see your own family.  Our all in one charts are really breathtaking.  

Annual Favorites 2019: Beautiful Photos

So I have to start off our week of the Annual Favorites Collection with the beautiful photo charts we've selected this year.  We love helping you create beautiful charts and nothing is better than having beautiful photos to incorporate.  Often, when clients chart their beautiful photos with us, we're just as enamored with them as you are.  We love getting to know these gorgeous people.  And we're excited to share them with you. Take a look:

Honoring Mother

Celebrate Mom's birthday in style.  Knock her socks off with this chart.  Five children are color coded and all of the children, grand children, and great grandchildren fit into a 20x24 chart. 

Honoring Ancestors

Honor mother's proud heritage with a beautiful chart including a map watermark with her home state.  Even a few perfect pictures make all the difference.

All the descendant family in a reasonable size

Color coding helps the viewer follow this descendancy chart that we designed to stay in a reasonable size even though there are multiple lines and lots of cousins.  Beautiful photos make the family come to life.

Ancestors and Descendants - Ethnicity and Photos

What a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary.  This chart shows siblings, ancestors, cousins and descendants of the main couple with beautiful photos and maps watermarks showing off the ethnicity of the family.

Honoring Mom and Dad

What a beautiful way to celebrate the family of this adorable couple.  A meaningful, emotional gift to thank Mom and Dad for everything they've done for the family.

Descendancy with a main line of beautiful photos

The main line of photos on this chart focuses the viewer's attention, yet the chart shows off all the cousins and aunts and uncles.  What a beautiful family.  Six generations in only 24x36.

Crisp Clean and Modern with all the details

Beautiful modern fonts and a clean crisp style show off this family's amazing photos.  Icons give detail and pictures make the heritage of this family interesting and accessible.

36x50 The Family Masterpiece on Canvas

The last generation of this chart is stacked on top of each other so as to get to the immigrant origins of this family.  A blended family with amazing roots.  This masterpiece was 36 inches tall and 50 inches wide--beautiful on canvas.

Mom and Dad's ancestors with their siblings.  All the Aunts and Uncles

This chart shows three generations of ancestors with all of the siblings along with the main couple's three children. 

Any of these charts make a beautiful centerpiece to your home, or an amazing meaningful gift.  Send your information in for a free consultation and our designers will work with you, sending previews until it is exactly perfect for your family.  Once you approve your chart, you can place your order and we'll send it right out.  We'll help you really impress and inspire your family.

Watch for new posts on our Annual Favorites collection all week this week.  We have so much more to show you.

Where to see us in the first half of 2019

from the Family ChartMasters Calendar

Save the Date

We are looking forward to 2019! When will we see you? 

  

27 Feb - 2 Mar 2019 RootsTech in Salt Lake City.  We just received word that we have a great spot up front to show off our charts in the vendor's hall.  We're super excited to display our 2018 favorites and all of the new trends we are working with to show off your family history.  I'll be giving a new lecture "Heirloom, Documentation or Junk"

3-6 Apr 2019 New England Regional Genealogical Conference in Manchester New Hampshire.  We love New England and we're always so excited to see this conference roll around again.  I'll be giving my super popular Archiving Lessons From My Great-Grandfather's Family History Records lecture as well as the 6 Steps to Choreograph Your Research Across the Internet.  I have to leave this conference a little early so we're actually looking for a little help in the booth.  If you are planning to be close by (or know someone who is) and want a free ticket to the conference and some extra money, let us know in a return email.  

1-4th May 2019 Ohio State Genealogical Conference in Mason Ohio.  We haven't been back to Ohio for a while so we're super excited about this one.  I'll be speaking on Where to Start When You Get Stuck, and Heirloom, Documentation or Junk.  Will we see you there?
30 May-1 Jun 2019 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank California.  It's the 50th anniversary of one of our favorite conferences so we'll be doing something special there to celebrate.  Stay tuned. 

Family History Puts History in Context

From our newsletter.

We've done charts for some amazing families this holiday season.  All families are amazing, but there were a few details this year that were striking.  We did one for a mob family that was fascinating.  We created a chart for a wealthy, self-made American family that married into one of the great European dynasties with lots of intrigue and difficult situations.  And my personal favorite--one of our charts included an astronaut who had died--the place of death listed was not on the earth.  It is such an honor to be able to help display these family histories.  

Without giving too many details, I have to tell you how striking it was for me to see history within the context of a family.  To see the photos of the humble beginnings and how each family had changed and shifted through time was amazing.  And seeing where each family is now, the relationships they've developed and the great heights and depths they have gone through was so moving to me.  And I'm not even a member of these families.  With every chart we send off, we hope that the family loves it as much as we do.  

Whether or not you can look up your family members in Wikipedia, seeing your own people and the way your family has moved through time is much more spectacular than all the examples we could ever show you in our gallery.  And our talented designers always come up with incredible, personalized designs for each of our client's incredible families.  Let us know when you are ready for a family history masterpiece.  We're excited to help you show off your incredible history too.