- Ways to Use Archoral
Honor Every Person Who Makes Your Life Feel Like Home
Archoral helps you capture the stories, relationships, and shared memories of your chosen family — the friends, neighbors, mentors, teachers, teammates, and community members who shaped your world.
Why chosen family matters
Some of the most meaningful connections in our lives come from:
- Friendships
- LGBTQ+ chosen families
- Church families
- Neighbors
- Coworkers
- Roommates
- Teammates
- Mentors
- Classmates
- Military “brothers and sisters”
- Community groups
- Support networks
- Long-term partnerships and
- Relationships that don’t fit
- Traditional labels
Traditional genealogy tools don’t allow you to represent these relationships in a meaningful way — or at all.
Archoral does.
Because your archive should reflect your real life, not just your lineage.
How archoral supports chosen family & community
Create Profiles for Everyone Who Matters
Profiles aren’t limited to blood relatives.
Add profiles for:
- Best friends
- Same-sex partners
- Long-term dating partners
- Spiritual family
- Drag family
- Siblings-at-heart
- Mentors
- Childhood friends
- Found family
- Neighbors who raised you
- Coworkers who became lifelong friends
- Your “crew” or “tribe”
If they shaped you, they belong in your archive.
Add Real-Life Relationships (Beyond Genealogy Rules)
Archoral supports 14,000+ relationship types, including:
- Chosen sister/brother
- Partner
- Spouse
- Roommate
- Teammate
- Godparent/godchild
- Best friend
- Mentor/mentee
- Caregiver
- Neighbor
- Church family
- “Like a parent”
- “Like a sibling”
- Life partner
- Co-parent
- Community roles
There is no “wrong” relationship type — Archoral is built for complexity.
Capture Shared Stories & Moments
Add stories that define your chosen family:
- How you met
- Road trips
- Holidays together
- Support during hard times
- College memories
- Inside jokes
- Weddings, births, transitions
- Grief and celebrations
- The traditions you built together
Storytelling transforms these relationships into cherished history.
Add Places Where Your Community Lived & Gathered
Chosen family and community often revolve around:
- Apartments shared
- Neighborhood hangout spots
- Clubs
- Churches and temples
- Community centers
- Workplaces
- Cafés
- Bars
- Campuses
- Favorite travel spots
Locations help show the geography of belonging.
Create Collections for Your Community Groups
Collections let you document:
- Friendship groups
- LGBTQ+ families
- Church choirs
- Youth groups
- College roommates
- Support circles
- Sports teams
- Artistic or creative communities
- Traveling groups
- Holiday traditions
- “Friendsgiving” circles
Each Collection becomes a time capsule of shared life.
Add Textures That Capture Identity & Connection
Textures matter especially for chosen families:
- Personal rituals
- Shared hobbies
- Creative identities
- Nicknames
- Shared humor
- Fandoms
- Values
- Roles (“the organizer, the artistic one, the protector”)
- Key objects or outfits
- Queer identity and gender
- Journeys
- Community traditions
Textures ensure the full person — and the full relationship — is preserved.
LGBTQ+ Chosen Family
Profiles → relationships (partners, chosen siblings) → stories → locations (bars, community centers, first apartment) → textures (identity, roles, shared traditions).
Legacy preserved in a way traditional trees cannot hold.
- Example 1
Best Friends Since Childhood
- Example 2
Church Family or Youth Group
- Example 3
Found Family Through Hardship
- Example 4
Why archoral is perfect for community & chosen family
- Profiles for everyone
- Relationship types that reflect real life
- LGBTQ+ inclusive
- Honors friendships with the same weight as family
- Communities can be documented as groups
- Shows how your life was shaped by people, not just lineage
A more accurate and emotionally truthful picture.