Pedigree Forge includes a large collection of built-in templates for transcribing common genealogical documents. Templates provide a structured form matching the layout of the original document, making transcription faster and more consistent than entering free text.
To use a template, select it from the Template drop-down on the Sources panel, then click the pencil icon to open the transcript editor. See Source transcripts for the basics.
| Template | Period |
|---|---|
| 1841 Census | 1841 |
| 1851 Census | 1851 |
| 1861–1901 Census | 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 |
| 1911 Census | 1911 |
| 1921 Census | 1921 |
| 1939 Register | 1939 |
Specialist census variants are also available for institutions, ships, naval vessels, and army records for applicable years.
| Template | Period |
|---|---|
| 1911 Scotland | 1911 |
| 1921 Scotland | 1921 |
| Template | Period |
|---|---|
| 1901 Ireland | 1901 |
| 1911 Ireland | 1911 |
| Template | Document |
|---|---|
| BIRTH1837 | Birth certificate (1837 onwards) |
| BIRTH1969 | Birth certificate (1969 onwards) |
| MARRIAGE1837 | Marriage certificate (1837 onwards) |
| MARRIAGE1837 (Parish) | Marriage certificate (parish variant) |
| DEAT1837 | Death certificate (1837 onwards) |
| DEAT1969 | Death certificate (1969 onwards) |
Templates for Scottish birth, death, and marriage records from 1855 onwards, with multiple version variants reflecting changes to the certificate format over time.
| Template | Document |
|---|---|
| Irish Death 1864 | Death certificate (1864 onwards) |
Templates for birth, marriage, and death records from:
| Template | Period |
|---|---|
| Baptism 1786 | Baptisms (pre-1813 printed registers) |
| Baptism 1813 | Baptisms (Rose’s Act format, 1813 onwards) |
| Baptism 1813 Multiple | Multiple baptisms per page |
| Burial 1786 | Burials (pre-1813 printed registers) |
| Burial 1813 | Burials (1813 onwards) |
| Burial 1813 Multiple | Multiple burials per page |
| Marriage 1754 | Marriages (Hardwicke’s Act, 1754 onwards) |
| Marriage 1813 | Marriages (1813 onwards) |
Templates for various World War I army service record forms and other military documents:
| Template | Document |
|---|---|
| Tithe | Tithe apportionment records |
Many template fields offer auto-completion for common values. For example, census occupation fields suggest frequently occurring entries like "Scholar", "Ag Lab" (agricultural labourer), and others. Press Enter to accept or keep typing to enter your own value.
Different fields use different suggestion lists:
When consecutive rows share the same value (common in census transcripts), press Ctrl+D to copy the value from the cell above.
Census templates allow you to add extra rows for additional household members. Right-click in the table area and select the appropriate option from the context menu.
Spell checking runs within template fields. Original spellings from the document can be flagged as "ignored" rather than corrected — they appear underlined in magenta to show they have been reviewed. See Spell checking.
Each source can have a Fact type and Date set on the Sources panel. When a template is selected, the fact type is often set automatically (e.g. selecting DEAT1837 sets the fact type to "Death"). These fields enable the source-first workflow — importing a fact directly from a source into a person’s record.
You can create your own templates as JSON files. Place them in your user templates directory:
Custom templates appear in the Template drop-down alongside the built-in ones.
For the full JSON format specification, section types, field properties, and worked examples, see the Source Template Format Reference.