How to Write a Family History Project

How to Write a Family History Project Writing a family history may seem like a daunting task, but when the relatives start nagging, you can follow these five  easy steps to make your family history project a reality. Choose a Format What do you envision for your family history project? A simple photocopied booklet shared only with family members or a full-scale, hard-bound book to serve as a reference for other genealogists? Perhaps youd rather produce a family newsletter, cookbook, or website. Now is the time to be honest with yourself about the type of family history that meetings your needs and your schedule. Otherwise, youll have a half-finished product nagging you for years to come. Considering your interests, potential audience, and the types of materials you have to work with, here are some forms your family history can take: Memoir/Narrative: A combination of story and personal experience, memoirs,  and narratives do not need to be all-inclusive or objective. Memoirs usually focus on a specific episode or time period in the life of a single ancestor, while a narrative generally encompasses a group of ancestors.Cookbook: Share your familys favorite recipes while writing about the people who created them. A fun project to assemble, cookbooks help carry on the family tradition  of cooking and eating together.Scrapbook or Album: If youre fortunate enough to have a large collection of family photos and memorabilia, a scrapbook or photo album can be a fun way to tell your familys story. Include your photos in chronological order and include stories, descriptions, and family trees to complement the pictures. Most family histories are generally narrative in nature, with a combination of personal stories, photos, and family trees. Define the Scope Do you intend to write mostly about just one particular relative, or everyone in your family tree? As the author, you need to choose a focus for your family history book. Some possibilities include: Single Line of Descent:  Begin  with the earliest known ancestor for a particular surname and follows him/her through a single line of descent (to yourself, for example). Each chapter of your book would cover one ancestor or generation.All Descendants Of...:  Begin  with an individual or couple and cover all of their descendants, with chapters organized by generation. If youre focusing your family history on an immigrant ancestor, this is a good way to go.Grandparents:  Include  a section on each of your four grandparents, or eight great-grandparents, or sixteen great-great-grandparents if you are feeling  ambitious. Each individual section should focus on one grandparent and work backward through their ancestry or forward from his/her earliest known ancestor. Again, these suggestions can easily be adapted to fit your interests, time constraints,  and creativity. Set Realistic Deadlines Even though youll likely find yourself scrambling to meet them, deadlines force you to complete each stage of your project. The goal here is to get each piece done within a specified time frame. Revising and polishing can always be done later. The best way to meet these deadlines is to schedule writing time, just as you would a visit to the doctor or the hairdresser. Choose a Plot and  Themes Thinking of your ancestors as characters in your family  story, ask yourself: what problems and obstacles did they face? A plot gives your family history interest and focus. Popular family history plots and themes include: Immigration/MigrationRags to RichesPioneer or Farm LifeWar Survival Do Your Background Research If you want your family history to read more like a suspense novel than a dull, dry textbook,  it is important to make the reader feel like an eyewitness to your familys life. Even when your ancestors didnt leave accounts of their daily lives, social histories can help you learn about the experiences of people in a given time and place. Read town and city histories to learn what life was life during certain periods of interest.  Research timelines  of wars, natural disasters, and epidemics to see if any might have influenced your ancestors. Read up on the fashions, art, transportation, and common foods of the time. If you havent already, be sure to interview all of your living relatives. Family stories told in a relatives own words will add a personal touch to your book. Dont Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents Photos, pedigree charts, maps, and other illustrations can also add interest to family history and help break up the writing into manageable chunks for the reader. Be sure to include detailed captions for any photos or illustrations that you incorporate. Include an Index and Source Citations Source citations are an essential part of any family book, to both provide credibility to your research, and to leave a trail that others can follow to verify your findings.