Short sayings fit under a chart title
A saying for a family tree has to be read in one look, often in small type under a title, or stitched, painted or engraved on a gift. Eight words is a sound limit. Every line below was written for this guide, so it can be copied into your own chart without a credit.
For the title of a chart
- Many branches, one root
- Where we come from, drawn on one page
- Every name here is why we are here
- Roots first, then branches
- One tree, room for everyone
For a reunion or a gift
- Grown in one garden, scattered by the wind
- Still adding leaves
- Planted long ago, tended by all of us
- Different branches, same shade
- We keep the names so the stories stay
For the tree of a child
- These are my people
- I am the newest leaf
- Look how far the branches go
- Everyone on this tree was little once
Photo captions name the people, the place and the year
A caption has a different job from a saying. It tells a reader fifty years from now who is in the picture, so facts come first and feeling second. Write the people from left to right, then the place, then the year, and add the word about when the year is a guess.
A second line can carry one detail the family tells about the picture. The patterns below use the fictional Pryce family, and each one can be filled with your own names.
Captions that give the facts
- Edith and Harold Pryce at the allotment gate, Leeds, about 1962
- Left to right, Margaret, Alan and June on the front step, 1967
- Four generations at the eightieth birthday of Edith, Cardiff, 2011
- Harold, aged about 20, in his first working boots
Second lines with a detail
- He grew the beans and she gave them away
- Nobody remembers whose dog this was
- The coat was borrowed and so was the car
- Her mother made the dress from a tablecloth
For an album cover or a chapter page
- The years on the allotment, 1955 to 1970
- Before any of us were born
- The house on the hill and everyone who lived in it
Memorial page wording starts with the name and the years
A memorial page in a family tree book or on a printed chart holds four things, namely the full name, the years, one line about the person and the names of the people they belong to. Choose the line with the people who knew the person best, and leave the cause of death out unless the family wants it there.
Opening words
- In loving memory of Edith May Pryce, 1931–2019
- Remembering Harold Pryce, 1928–2004
One line about the person
- She kept the garden and the family growing
- He taught three generations to ride a bicycle
- Her kitchen was where everyone ended up
- She wrote to every one of us
Closing words
- Mother of Margaret, Alan and June, and grandmother of Nora and Ben
- Remembered by his children, his grandchildren and the whole street
- Her branch of the tree is still growing
Match the length of the line to its setting
The same words do not fit a wall chart, a caption and a memorial page. Before choosing a line, measure the space and count the words it will hold at a size people can read.
The guide to a family tree book layout shows the pages these lines sit on.
| Setting | Length that fits | Where the line goes |
|---|---|---|
| Framed chart | Up to eight words | Under the title, in italics, smaller than the family name |
| Title page of a book | One sentence of up to 15 words | On its own in the lower third of the page |
| Photo caption | One line of facts and one optional line | Under or beside the picture, in the same place on every page |
| Memorial page | A name, the years and one line | Centred, with white space around it |
Five older quotations come with their sources
Many quotations passed around as family sayings are credited to the wrong person or to nobody. The five below were checked against the text of each work on 10 November 2026. All were published before 1900, so the rights of their authors expired long ago.
The three Bible verses are from the King James Version of 1611. That translation is still covered by Crown rights in the United Kingdom, so check before printing long passages there.
| Quotation | Author or book | Source | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.” | Book of Proverbs | Proverbs 17:6, King James Version (1611) | A chart of grandparents and grandchildren |
| “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.” | Book of Ecclesiastes | Ecclesiastes 1:4, King James Version (1611) | A title page or a memorial page |
| “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” | Book of Psalms | Psalm 145:4, King James Version (1611) | A family with a shared faith |
| “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.” | Edmund Burke | Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) | The opening page of a family history |
| “Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.” | George Eliot | Adam Bede (1859), chapter 10 | A memorial page |
Name the author when you borrow a line
For anything written by someone else, print the name of the author under the line and keep a note of the book and the year. If you cannot find the line in the work it is said to come from, treat it as unverified and choose another.
Words by living or recent writers are protected by copyright in most countries. A short quotation with the name of the author, in a book made for the family, is usually accepted, but the rules differ between countries and are stricter for anything sold. This is general information and not legal advice. When in doubt, write your own line.
Write your own line from one true detail
The family tree quotes people keep are the ones that could only belong to their family. Start from a fact, such as a place, a trade, a habit or a phrase that a grandparent used, and say it plainly.
- Pick one detail
Choose a place, an object or a habit that every relative would recognise.
- Say what it did
Write one sentence about what that detail meant in the family, in the words you would use aloud.
- Cut it to fit
Remove every word the line can lose, and count what is left against the setting.
- Read it to a relative
Ask someone who was there whether it sounds true, and change it if they hesitate.
Common questions
Whether the original lines need a credit
No. The original lines on this page were written to be copied into your own charts, albums and memorial pages, and they need no credit. The older quotations should keep their author and source.
How long a family tree quote should be
Up to eight words under a chart title and up to 15 on a title page. A memorial line can run to a full sentence.
Sources and methodology
We make Genogram Builder. We used the references below for this guide. Last checked on 10 November 2026.
Draw the tree that the line will sit beside. No account is needed to begin.