Some resources are so integral to family history research we take them for granted. Can you imagine doing genealogy without pedigree charts, for example? Once upon a time, though, family historians had no other choice but to record their lineages free-form - on rocks, scrolls or the insides of their tunics - until some pioneering pedigree recorder came up with the standardized format we all know and love.

Which got us thinking: How the heck did some of our favorite genealogy tools come into being? We decided to find out. This timeline traces the roots of nine fundamental family history resources, revealing how yesterday's genealogical innovations grew into the standbys today's researchers rely on.