How to build a genealogy timeline in Notion (with linked views)

Track your ancestors, spot gaps and tell clearer stories – all by using one Notion database,

Why I needed a new timeline tool

I have over 11,000 people in my family tree. Even using family history software and online family trees, I still find it difficult to visualise the big picture. That’s why I’ve been using Excel for timelines. It handles large datasets and allows flexible views.

But once I began using Notion for research planning and notes, I had to test whether a genealogy timeline would be a useful tool for organising my family history research. It is—and it’s now one of my favourite tools. In this post, I’ll show you why a timeline in Notion is useful, how it complements Excel, and how to build one yourself.

If you’re new to using Notion for genealogy, read my earlier posts in this series first to set up your foundational databases and projects.

Why timelines help your genealogy research

Timelines are not just lists of events. A good genealogy timeline helps you:

• Understand how people, places, and events are connected
• Track movement patterns and shared locations
• Reveal missing information or research gaps
• Spot errors and inconsistencies
• Plan your next steps more effectively
• See individuals in their family, historical and social context
• Compare individuals, families or generations across time
• Tell richer, more accurate stories.

Timelines are a powerful way to visualise your family tree, and track events in chronological and geographical order.

Why build your timeline in Notion

If you’re already using Notion for research planning and note taking, adding a timeline makes sense. But you don’t need to create multiple timelines. In fact, it’s better to build just one.

Notion’s database features let you:

• Keep all events in one master timeline
• Filter and sort views by surname, location, grandparent line, and more
• Use linked views to display custom subsets on different pages
• Keep individuals in context—across families, places, and family lines
• Avoid duplication and minimise data errors.

By including everyone in the same timeline database in Notion, you can see the big picture and also streamline your genealogy research workflow.

This does not mean you no longer need timelines in Excel or another program. Those timelines will still be useful, for different purposes. I will explore these other types of timelines in other articles.

Essential elements of a genealogy timeline

As a minimum, your genealogy timeline should include:

• date (best as a year)
• place (ideally split into three columns)
• person/people
• event.

You can enhance your timeline by adding:

• surnames
• relationship to you
• grandparent line
• event type
• family tree ID number
• source citations and notes.

Step-by-Step: Create your genealogy timeline database in Notion

Set up the database

• Go to your Notion Home Page.
• Type /database – full page and select it.
• Rename the table to Timeline.
• Click the column title and rename the first column as Event.
• Add the following columns (Notion calls them ‘properties’):

COLUMN	TYPE	PURPOSE
2 – Year	Number	Sort chronologically
3 – Country	Select	Enables location filtering
4 – County/State	Select	More specific filtering
5 – Town/Suburb/Village	Text	Precise place name
6 – GP line	Select	One or your 4 grandparent lines
7 – People	Text	Names of individuals involved
8 – Surname	Select	Identify the family line
9 – Event type	Select	Birth, death, marriage etc
10 – ID	Number	Unique identifier number
11 – Relationship to me	Select	Filter by generation, e.g. parents or 2x great grandparents

Tip:

Use ‘Select’ type where dropdown lists are helpful. Use ‘Text’ type for long or messy lists like place names or ancestors.

Explanation of key columns

• Event (Column 1): Each entry in column 1 creates a page, so each entry in that column needs to be unique. That is why I do not put the Year in column 1 (as you will have multiple events for a year). Be consistent with the format, e.g. [event] [first name][surname].
• GP line (Column 6): Lets you filter events by grandparent line.
• Surname (Column 8): Helps group events for a family line.
• Event type (Column 9): Reveals missing event types (e.g. no birth record).
• ID (Column 10): Links to the profile in your family history software.

You can rearrange columns by dragging them. I move Year to the left of Event so the timeline displays in chronological order (the Year column still stays as column 2, even if it is in a different place).

Adding information and new events to the timeline

To add a new event:

• Open the Timeline Database Page
• Click + New Page (at the bottom of the table)
• Fill out the relevant fields.

You can also add events from any linked view of the Timeline database, or automate entry using a macro button (explained in Family History Macro Buttons in Notion).

Using linked views for custom timelines

Use linked views to create filtered versions of your timeline on any page. These linked views are always synced with your main genealogy timeline database, making Notion a great tool for family history research planning and analysis.

Grandparent line example

To create a filtered timeline by GP line:

• Open one of your grandparent line project pages
• Type /linked view database and press enter
• Search for and select the Timeline Database
• Click on the Filter button (3 lines, top right)
• Filter by GP line and choose the relevant line.

Repeat this process for all of your grandparent line project pages.

Country or place example

To create a filtered timeline by location:

• Open a project page for a country
• Insert a linked view as above
• Filter by Country or County/State.

This gives you location-based timelines to track movement patterns and solve a variety of research challenges.

A family history research tool

Timelines bring structure and clarity to your family history.

Building a timeline in Notion helps you organise data, identify research leads, and stay focused. It helps you:

• Track events across family lines, times and places
• Spot gaps and inconsistencies, and identify research leads
• Connect research notes and planning in one workspace.
• Use it alongside your Excel timelines for maximum benefit.

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Read more about genealogy timelines. Watch this space for future articles on timelines and more demonstrations of uses of Notion for genealogy.

Check out my comparison of genealogy timeline tools.

If you want to read more of my work, you may like my book, The Good Genealogist.