Family matriarch
Eleanor Whitmore
1904-1987
York, England
The family tree maker for your whole family story.
Lineage is a family tree maker for creating an interactive record of the people, relationships, photos, places, dates, and stories that make up your family. Start from scratch or import a GEDCOM file, invite relatives to help, control who can see the tree, and export your work at any time.
- Registered users
- 5K
- Family trees created
- 5.2K
- Joined this week
- 122
Thomas Whitmore
Husband - 1901-1972
Margaret Hale
Daughter - 1932-2018
James Hale
Grandson - b. 1955
A Sunday in the garden
York, England - 1964
A memory from Margaret
“Mum made every Sunday feel like an occasion. The garden table was always waiting, even when it rained.”
Remembered in 2004
- Free to start
- No credit card
- Private by default
- GEDCOM import
- Export anytime
Try the product
Explore the interactive Dutton family tree
Trace the Duttons from 1883 and 1923 through Yellowstone. Click a person, search for a relative, filter generations, change the layout, zoom, or fit the whole family into view.
Preparing the sample family tree…
Ready to build with your own names and stories? Your saved tree includes editing, sharing, media, events, places, and export tools.
Build your own treeWhy Lineage
A family tree people can understand, contribute to, and keep
Lineage is designed around the three things that matter after the first name goes on the canvas.
01
Make relationships clear
Turn complicated branches, multiple partners, and generations of relatives into a tree you can actually navigate.
02
Build it together
Invite relatives as viewers or editors so the people with the memories can add what only they know.
03
Keep control of the record
Choose what stays private, decide who gets access, and export a portable copy whenever you want.
How it works
From a first name to a living family archive
Start small. Lineage keeps the process straightforward as your research and family participation grow.
- 01
Start or import
Begin with yourself, choose another relative, or upload an existing GEDCOM file.
- 02
Connect and enrich
Add parents, partners, children, dates, places, photos, documents, and stories.
- 03
Invite and preserve
Share with family, gather corrections, and export a lasting copy of the work.
Family tree creation features
Everything you need to create a useful family tree
The visual builder is only the beginning. Each person becomes a structured profile connected to the rest of the family archive.
Visual relationship editor
Add and reorganize parents, children, siblings, and partners on an interactive canvas.
Rich person profiles
Keep names, dates, places, biographies, occupations, and custom details together.
Photos and media
Attach portraits, albums, scanned records, and documents to the right people.
Events and timelines
Organize births, marriages, migrations, milestones, and other family events.
Places and maps
Connect family members to the locations that shaped their lives and movements.
Search and focused views
Find any person and explore ancestors, descendants, branches, or relationship paths.
Family tree use cases
One family tree maker, many kinds of lineage
Use Lineage for personal genealogy, historical research, education, or any story where relationships matter.
Families
Preserve relatives, photos, and stories across generations.
Genealogists
Organize research and untangle complex branches.
Historians
Map dynasties, communities, and succession.
Educators
Make history and social relationships visual.
Writers
Keep fictional families and character histories consistent.
Portable by design
Your family history should never be held hostage
Bring existing research into Lineage, decide who can see it, and take a copy with you whenever you choose.
Import a GEDCOM filePrivate when you want it
Keep a tree private and explicitly choose viewers or editors.
Import existing research
Move family data from GEDCOM, CSV, or JSON instead of starting over.
Export without lock-in
Download GEDCOM, JSON, PDF, or PNG copies of your family tree.
Ownership stays with you
Your family data is yours. Lineage does not sell it to third parties.
Family tree examples
See how different stories take shape
Explore static previews, then open the full trees to study how Lineage handles real, historical, and mythological families.
Community proof
Built around the work family historians actually do
The clearest feedback we hear is that family history needs a calmer, more visual home.
“I started with a few names and, within an evening, had a tree I could finally share with my cousins.”
“The visual editor makes complicated relationships easy to understand. It feels made for building, not selling records.”
“My relatives can add the details I do not know, while I still control what is private. That balance matters.”
A builder-first alternative
Switch without rebuilding years of research
Lineage is for people who want a modern family tree maker, not another records database or a diagram file that becomes difficult to maintain.
| What matters | Lineage | Record platforms | Diagram tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Build and preserve your tree | Search historical records | Draw general diagrams |
| Genealogy-aware relationships | Built in | Built in | Manual |
| Interactive family views | Multiple focused views | Usually a standard tree | Manual layouts |
| Portable genealogy data | GEDCOM import and export | Varies by service | Usually not GEDCOM |
| Ownership approach | Export whenever you want | Depends on service | Own the file |
| Starting cost | Free access | Often record-access led | Free or paid |
Lineage free access includes current usage limits.
Free access
Independently fundedFree
No subscription required
Start building your family tree
Build and preserve your family history at no cost. Reasonable limits help keep Lineage reliable while it grows.
Everything you need to get started
Current usage limits
- Create 1 family tree
- Add up to 250 people
- Invite up to 2 collaborators
- Upload up to 10 photos or documents
- Upload files up to 2 MB each
- Import and export GEDCOM files
No credit card required. Limits may increase as Lineage grows.
Family tree maker FAQ
Questions before you begin
Straight answers about building, importing, sharing, and owning your family tree.
Start building free01What is a family tree maker?
A family tree maker is software for recording people and the relationships between them. Lineage adds profiles, dates, places, media, collaboration, privacy controls, and export to the visual tree.
02Can I make a family tree for free?
Yes. Lineage is currently self-funded and free to use. Today you can create 1 family tree, add up to 250 people, invite up to 2 collaborators, and upload up to 10 photos or documents. No credit card is required.
03Do I need genealogy experience?
No. Start with one person and add known parents, partners, siblings, and children. You can improve dates, places, sources, and stories later.
04Can I import a tree from another service?
Yes. Export a GEDCOM file from most genealogy services and import it into Lineage. CSV and JSON imports are also supported.
05Can relatives help build the tree?
Yes. Invite family members as viewers or editors. Editors can contribute information while you keep control over access.
06Is my family tree private?
You decide. Keep the tree private, invite specific people, share a read-only link, or publish a tree when that is appropriate.
07Who owns the information I add?
You do. Your family information remains yours, and Lineage does not sell it to third parties.
08Can I export my family tree?
Yes. Export portable GEDCOM or JSON data, or create PDF and PNG copies for sharing and archiving.
09What happens if I reach a current limit?
Lineage shows usage and limits inside your account. Existing trees remain available; you can export your work at any time.
10Does Lineage find historical records?
Lineage is primarily a family tree builder and archive. It is not positioned as a historical records database.
Give your family story somewhere to live
Start with the people you know today. Add the dates, photos, places, and stories as your family helps fill in the rest.
Free access - No credit card - GEDCOM import and export