Linear Geneagraphs
Below are sample pics of the Edwards and Hayes linears.
The cool thing about this approach to graphing out the family lines is that you can go back for generations in a very small area of space. The branched charts get unwieldy pretty quickly. There is a trick to following the generations back. First, the female progenitors are designated with the odd numbers. The male progenitors are identified with even numbers.
So, if you want to know the parents of someone, double the number which will always give you an even number. This is the number of the male progenitor. The female progenitor of the previous generation is found by subtracting one from the male progenitor's number. You can identify great grandparents and so forth by simply doubling the numbers back the appropriate number of generations. Pretty slick!
A Portable Geneology Database
We're in the process of developing a standalone geneology database that anyone can use with their browser. The information is stored in plain text with JavaScript Object Notation. This information is held in the same file as the HTML, CSS and JavaScript elements and scripts. If you have ever used a TiddlyWiki, then you know how convenient this is. You can carry the data around with you wherever you are. A pic of the prototype that we are working on at the moment is below. More information as we get to the beta stage. (To see the pic more clearly, right click on it and select "open image in a new tab".)
