Parallel Sets
How John Stadum's family flows across six generations — from a Norwegian immigrant to the Lloyd and Bode branches of today. Each ribbon traces a person from their generation through family branch, region, and living status.
Family Flow Across Generations
Trace the Stadum line from John (Gen 1) through six generations. The chart dimensions are: Generation → Family Branch → US Region → Status.
About Parallel Sets
Parallel Sets extend the parallel coordinates plot to categorical data, showing how groups split and recombine across multiple dimensions.
Originally introduced by Bendix, Kosara, and Hauser (2005), parallel sets reveal proportional flows between categories — similar to a Sankey diagram but applied to multi-dimensional categorical data. Each ribbon has a width proportional to the number of individuals it represents.
For family history, this format answers questions like: How does the Stadum branch split into Lloyd and Bode lines? Which generation has the most living members in the Midwest?
Four dimensions shown
- Generation — numbered 1–6 from John Stadum forward
- Branch — Stadum, Lloyd (via Amy), or Bode (via Kathy)
- Region — Midwest, West, or Unknown
- Status — Living or Deceased
Data Behind the Chart
Each person is encoded across four categorical dimensions. Living status is as of 2026.
| Name | Gen | Branch | Region | Status |
|---|