Family Group Sheet

What Is a Family Group Sheet?
Creating a Family Group Sheet
For Whom?
Sorting

Layout

Children Family Fields

Fonts


Format
Sources
Pictures
Title

Destination
Privacy Filter

What Is a Family Group Sheet?

A family group sheet is a report that shows information about one immediate family. This typically includes the husband, wife, and children. The family group sheet originally became popular primarily through its heavy use by the LDS (an abbreviation for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Reunion adheres to the traditional layout of family group sheets — one which conveys information about a family and its members. Family group sheets do not include details about other families in which a husband or wife is a member.

Example of a Family Group Sheet

Here is a family group sheet printed in the classic format made popular by the LDS...

Here is a family group sheet as it would appear on the iPad (this example shows just one of many web styles offered by Reunion)...

Creating a Family Group Sheet

To create a family group sheet...

  1. Click Reports in the navbar.
  2. Click Family Group Sheet in the list of reports.

A panel with several options appears in the center of Reunion's window.

For Whom?

You have the option to create a family group sheet for...

Example: A Family Group Sheet for All of My Ancestors

Let's say you want to print a family group sheet for the families of your direct ancestors. Here's the easy way to do it...

  1. From your family record, select Mark in the navbar.
  2. Click the Who button and select Ancestors.
  3. Select your name next to "of."
  4. Make sure the Unmark everybody first button is checked.
  5. Click Mark. This will mark all of your direct ancestors.
  6. From the navbar, select Reports > Family Group Sheet.
  7. Click Families with a marked spouse. Now you're ready to automatically create a family group sheet for all of your direct ancestors.
Sorting Family Group Sheets

If you choose to create family group sheets for all families or families with a marked spouse, you can sort the family group sheets using the Sort by button.

This menu contains any custom sorts you have saved (in the List window).

When family group sheets are sorted by last name, the settings in the General Settings window are applied to multiple word surnames, such as Van Halen.

In the context of sorting couples, the "Last Name, First Name " is a constructed name. This table shows how the "Last Name, First Name" is constructed:

Husband's Name Wife's Name Last Name, First Name
John Doe Jane Smith John Doe
John Doe [none] John Doe
[none] Jane Smith Jane Smith

Similarly, in the context of sorting couples, the "Family Name" is a constructed name. This table shows examples of family names:

Husband's Name Wife's Name Family Name
John Doe Jane Smith John Doe & Jane Smith
John Doe [none] John Doe
[none] Jane Smith Jane Smith
Layout

The layout of family group sheets can be defined and changed by clicking the Layout button in the Reports > Family Group Sheet panel and choosing Define Layouts.

Most of the layout settings for family group sheets are common to other reports and are discussed here. One layout setting unique to family group sheets is explained below.

Children Family Fields

The layout setting Children Family Fields refers to the family fields for children in a family group sheet, which are chosen independently of the family fields for the source couple. (These are chosen in the Family Fields setting — see above example.)

One of the items in the Children Family Fields list is Children. If checked, the family group sheets will include a space under each child for a list of the child's children. In other words, if you create a family group sheet for you and your spouse, your children are included, and a line under each of your children is included for your grandchildren.

Fonts in Family Groups Sheets

To change the fonts used in family group sheets whose destination is Printer...

  1. Click Reports in the navbar.
  2. Click Family Group Sheet in the list of reports.
  3. Click the Fonts button.

You can pick a different font for primary names, secondary names, and data. These terms are explained in the following table:

primary names
names of the husband, wife, and children
secondary names
names of father, mother, and (other) spouses
everything else
everything else

By default, sheets use Helvetica and Courier font for a traditional look. However, many fonts allow more characters in the same amount of horizontal space. Thus, if you have longer entries that are being cropped in sheets, you could try using another font.

The font for the field names (a.k.a. titles or labels) can't be changed in person and family group sheets whose destination is Printer.

Note: For new family group sheets whose destination is your word processor, the font is set in Reunion > Settings > Reports > RTF. Learn more.