Build Your Family Tree with Claude

Tick off each step as you go. Your progress is saved on this browser.

1. STEP 01

   Build your starting tree

   Open Claude and share only the family details you are comfortable using. Approximate years and broad locations are enough for living relatives.

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   I want to build my full family tree. Interview me one question at a time about the relatives I already know, including names, relationships, approximate birth and death years, and places connected to them. Do not ask for exact addresses, phone numbers, account details, ID numbers, or other sensitive information. When we finish, organize everything into a clean starting tree. Mark missing or uncertain details as unknown instead of guessing.

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2. STEP 02

   Research the family names

   Ask Claude for possible surname history, then keep it separate from your proven family line. A name origin is a clue, not evidence that two people are related.

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   Based on the surnames and places in my starting tree, research the possible origins, spelling variations, migration patterns, and historical context of each family name. Cite every source with a working link. Keep general surname history separate from facts proven about my relatives. Clearly label anything uncertain, disputed, or based only on a name match.

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3. STEP 03

   Package the research brief

   Stay in the same chat and turn everything into one clean brief. This gives Cowork the context it needs without carrying over private clutter.

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   Turn everything from this chat into one self-contained family research brief for Cowork. Include confirmed people, relationships, approximate dates and places, surname variations, known gaps, and the questions still to answer. Separate confirmed facts, family recollections, and guesses. Add rules to protect living people and verify every proposed relationship. Do not include exact addresses or other sensitive details about living relatives.

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4. STEP 04

   Connect Claude in Chrome

   In Claude Desktop, open Settings, choose Connectors, find Claude in Chrome, select Configure, and toggle it on. Install the browser extension if prompted. Claude in Chrome requires a paid Claude plan and must be enabled for the Cowork session where you want to use it.

5. STEP 05

   Research public sources in Cowork

   Return to the Claude home screen, open Cowork, paste your research brief, and enable Claude in Chrome for that session. Keep browser approvals on so you can review where it goes.

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   Using Claude in Chrome, research public web sources for possible deceased relatives connected to this family. Check public records indexes, publicly accessible genealogy pages, obituaries, cemetery indexes, digitized newspapers, and archives. Do not access paid or private sources, and do not search for or expose sensitive information about living people. Create a source table with: person, proposed relationship, dates and places, evidence, source title, source URL, confidence level of confirmed, likely, possible, or conflicting, and missing evidence. Never add a relationship from a name match alone. Pause before opening any suspicious or sensitive page.

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6. STEP 06

   Audit every connection

   Before drawing the tree, make Claude separate sourced facts from guesses and identify the exact records that are still missing.

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   Audit every person and relationship in the source table. Require at least two independent sources for each new relationship where possible. If a source only repeats another public family tree, do not count it as independent evidence. List any conflicts, explain what prevents a conclusion, and tell me which original record I should find next.

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7. STEP 07

   Build the visual family tree

   Claude can create a custom visual in Chat or Cowork. Keep uncertain branches outside the main tree so the finished diagram does not turn guesses into facts.

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   Using the audited research, build a clean visual family tree with only the people and relationships marked confirmed or likely. Put possible and conflicting connections in a separate section with a clear legend. Add a compact source key. Use birth and death years only when sourced, and do not include exact addresses or sensitive details about living people. Make the visual easy to update and let me download it as SVG or HTML.

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A FEW THINGS THAT HELP

Get more out of it.

• Keep browser approvals on and review each site before Claude continues.
• Stay logged out of banking, email, health, and other sensitive accounts during browser research.
• Start with relatives you know and work backward one generation at a time.
• Search spelling variations, maiden names, nicknames, nearby towns, and wider date ranges.
• Open the original record when possible. Search indexes, shared trees, and AI summaries can contain errors.
• Do not upload birth certificates, IDs, exact addresses, or private details about living relatives.