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Family History Essay | How to Write? and 400 Words Essay on Family History

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Family History Essay: A family involves individuals living respectively that structure a gathering of people inside a local area. Individuals making this gathering are dependent upon connections either by birth or blood, and it involves at any rate two grown-ups as guardians and grandparents, along with little youngsters. The relatives have a common association between them. Thus, an exposition about family ancestry is a rundown of a person’s social personality and the equal relationship(s) he/she imparts to individuals living respectively.

Adapting family ancestry is indispensable to comprehend our economic well-being, mankind, and variety. History saves our recollections for ages to comprehend what their identity is and their geographic beginning. Having decent information on family foundation allows you to see the value in the things or penances made before by grandparents to encounter better things throughout everyday life. A person’s underlying foundations and beginning bring a self-appreciation revelation. Likewise, expounding on your family ancestry is one method of protecting its legacy for people in the future.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

How to Write a Family History Essay?

When composing a, there is a consistent construction you should continue in giving out your contentions. An appropriate diagram will deliver an energizing show of each segment, and it will interest the peruser. The standard design of an article has a presentation, body, and end. Here is a magnificent illustration of a layout for a family ancestry article:

• Topic: My Family History
• Introduction (Outline): Write a short brief about your family background and why your family is important
• Body: Write about your family members, how you live together and who your neighbors
• Conclusion: Rehashing your conflict, Sum up your key thoughts, and Give a last remark or reflection about the paper

Essay on Family History 400 Words in English

Would you need to know how everything began until here? My grandpa disclosed to me that he met my grandmother at a show where probably the best craftsman was performing during one of the late spring occasions in London. As he was moving alone, my grandpa moved toward a wonderful woman (who might turn into his perfect partner) to request that she dance together. They later consented to meet for a supper date. Our family lives in London. Without a doubt, this is the best family, and it’s an honor to be essential for it.

Each individual includes different sides inside his/her family; my fatherly side begins from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Despite the fact that my extraordinary granddad comes from Spain, my grandpa and grandmother live in London. My granddad is Indo-British who functioned as a barkeep, no big surprise he adored shows! My dad fills in as a traditionalist for amphibian fauna while my mom works in the bread kitchen. My mom and father met in a store when they were both shopping.

Despite the fact that we live in a similar city, my grandparents have their loft, a separation from our own. We live as a group of five; father, mum, and three youngsters. As we as a whole live in a similar city, we (me and my two sisters) incidentally visit our grandparents during the end of the week to invest some energy with them; grandpa and I were doing some planting while my sisters and grandmother do cook and other house tasks. The connection between our extraordinary guardians and our own is extremely phenomenal.

At Christmas, every one of my youngsters, mum, and father travel to our grandparents for an entire week. During the new year, we get together at our home, my parent’s home, to invite the year as a whole family. Now and again during the end of the week, we normally invest the majority of our energy on the seashore swimming, besides on chapel days. As a family, our number one food is rotisserie fish, rice, and vegetables. In any case, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

All in all, the social conjunction between us is fantastic, which has made a powerful common bond for the family. From visiting one another, investing energy in the seashore, getting together suppers to usher in the new year, and observing Christmas as a family, the bond continues to develop. I’m favored to be essential for a particularly incredible family.

FAQ’s on Family History Essay

Question 1. Why is it important to know family history?

Answer: Knowing your family ancestry is vital. It empowers one to self-find himself inside the general public and like the heredity. At the point when you find out about your family’s past, you will comprehend the things you see and experience today. Composing an article on family ancestry requires a ton of comprehension and consideration regarding the viewpoints you need to depict. The basic factor being the family foundation, at that point seeing how you need to design and scribble down your thoughts.

Question 2. What are the points that can be mentioned in a family history essay?

Answer: You can write about family members, relations, values and traditions of your family. Write down the places from where your ancestors belong or the origin of your family. Also, mention the family reunion or gatherings or the occasions when you all get together.

Question 3. What family really means?

Answer: Family implies having somebody to adore you unequivocally disregarding you and your weaknesses. Family is cherishing and supporting each other in any event when it is difficult to do as such. It’s being the best individual you could be with the goal that you may motivate your adoration ones.

Question 4. Why do we need family?

Answer: Family is the absolute most significant impact on a youngster’s life. From their first snapshots of life, kids rely upon guardians and family to ensure them and accommodate their necessities. Kids flourish when guardians can effectively advance their positive development and improvement.

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Essay about Family: What It Is and How to Nail It

Humans naturally seek belonging within families, finding comfort in knowing someone always cares. Yet, families can also stir up insecurities and mental health struggles.

Family dynamics continue to intrigue researchers across different fields. Every year, new studies explore how these relationships shape our minds and emotions.

In this article, our dissertation service will guide you through writing a family essay. You can also dive into our list of topics for inspiration and explore some standout examples to spark your creativity.

What is Family Essay

A family essay takes a close look at the bonds and experiences within families. It's a common academic assignment, especially in subjects like sociology, psychology, and literature.

So, what's involved exactly? Simply put, it's an exploration of what family signifies to you. You might reflect on cherished family memories or contemplate the portrayal of families in various media.

What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile – you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life.

If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can explore different perspectives and select topics that resonate with various aspects of family life.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

A family essay typically follows a free-form style, unless specified otherwise, and adheres to the classic 5-paragraph structure. As you jot down your thoughts, aim to infuse your essay with inspiration and the essence of creative writing, unless your family essay topics lean towards complexity or science.

Here are some easy-to-follow tips from our essay service experts:

• Focus on a Specific Aspect: Instead of a broad overview, delve into a specific angle that piques your interest, such as exploring how birth order influences sibling dynamics or examining the evolving role of grandparents in modern families.
• Share Personal Anecdotes: Start your family essay introduction with a personal touch by sharing stories from your own experiences. Whether it's about a favorite tradition, a special trip, or a tough time, these stories make your writing more interesting.
• Use Real-life Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples or anecdotes. Draw from sources like movies, books, historical events, or personal interviews to bring your ideas to life.
• Explore Cultural Diversity: Consider the diverse array of family structures across different cultures. Compare traditional values, extended family systems, or the unique hurdles faced by multicultural families.
• Take a Stance: Engage with contentious topics such as homeschooling, reproductive technologies, or governmental policies impacting families. Ensure your arguments are supported by solid evidence.
• Delve into Psychology: Explore the psychological underpinnings of family dynamics, touching on concepts like attachment theory, childhood trauma, or patterns of dysfunction within families.
• Emphasize Positivity: Share uplifting stories of families overcoming adversity or discuss strategies for nurturing strong, supportive family bonds.
• Offer Practical Solutions: Wrap up your essay by proposing actionable solutions to common family challenges, such as fostering better communication, achieving work-life balance, or advocating for family-friendly policies.

Family Essay Topics

When it comes to writing, essay topics about family are often considered easier because we're intimately familiar with our own families. The more you understand about your family dynamics, traditions, and experiences, the clearer your ideas become.

If you're feeling uninspired or unsure of where to start, don't worry! Below, we have compiled a list of good family essay topics to help get your creative juices flowing. Whether you're assigned this type of essay or simply want to explore the topic, these suggestions from our history essay writer are tailored to spark your imagination and prompt meaningful reflection on different aspects of family life.

So, take a moment to peruse the list. Choose the essay topics about family that resonate most with you. Then, dive in and start exploring your family's stories, traditions, and connections through your writing.

• Supporting Family Through Tough Times
• Staying Connected with Relatives
• Empathy and Compassion in Family Life
• Strengthening Bonds Through Family Gatherings
• Quality Time with Family: How Vital Is It?
• Navigating Family Relationships Across Generations
• Learning Kindness and Generosity in a Large Family
• Communication in Healthy Family Dynamics
• Forgiveness in Family Conflict Resolution
• Building Trust Among Extended Family
• Defining Family in Today's World
• Understanding Nuclear Family: Various Views and Cultural Differences
• Understanding Family Dynamics: Relationships Within the Family Unit
• What Defines a Family Member?
• Modernizing the Nuclear Family Concept
• Exploring Shared Beliefs Among Family Members
• Evolution of the Concept of Family Love Over Time
• Examining Family Expectations
• Modern Standards and the Idea of an Ideal Family
• Life Experiences and Perceptions of Family Life
• Genetics and Extended Family Connections
• Utilizing Family Trees for Ancestral Links
• The Role of Younger Siblings in Family Dynamics
• Tracing Family History Through Oral Tradition and Genealogy
• Tracing Family Values Through Your Family Tree
• Exploring Your Elder Sister's Legacy in the Family Tree
• Connecting Daily Habits to Family History
• Documenting and Preserving Your Family's Legacy
• Navigating Online Records and DNA Testing for Family History
• Tradition as a Tool for Family Resilience
• Involving Family in Daily Life to Maintain Traditions
• Creating New Traditions for a Small Family
• The Role of Traditions in Family Happiness
• Family Recipes and Bonding at House Parties
• Quality Time: The Secret Tradition for Family Happiness
• The Joy of Cousins Visiting for Christmas
• Including Family in Birthday Celebrations
• Balancing Traditions and Unconditional Love
• Building Family Bonds Through Traditions

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Family Essay Example

For a better grasp of the essay on family, our team of skilled writers has crafted a great example. It looks into the subject matter, allowing you to explore and understand the intricacies involved in creating compelling family essays. So, check out our meticulously crafted sample to discover how to craft essays that are not only well-written but also thought-provoking and impactful.

Final Outlook

In wrapping up, let's remember: a family essay gives students a chance to showcase their academic skills and creativity by sharing personal stories. However, it's important to stick to academic standards when writing about these topics. We hope our list of topics sparked your creativity and got you on your way to a reflective journey. And if you hit a rough patch, you can just ask us to ' do my essay for me ' for top-notch results!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay about Family

Family essays seem like something school children could be assigned at elementary schools, but family is no less important than climate change for our society today, and therefore it is one of the most central research themes.

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions on family-related topics. Before you conduct research, scroll through them and find out how to write an essay about your family.

How to Write an Essay About Your Family History?

How to write an essay about a family member, how to write an essay about family and roots, how to write an essay about the importance of family.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How to Write Your Family History

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Choose a Format

Define the scope, set realistic deadlines.

• Choose a Plot and Themes

Do Your Background Research

• Don't Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

Include an Index and Source Citations

• Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University
• B.A., Carnegie Mellon University

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.

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 you'd 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, you'll 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 family's 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 you're 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 family's 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.

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 you're 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.

Even though you'll 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/Migration
• Rags to Riches
• Pioneer or Farm Life
• War Survival

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 family's life. Even when your ancestors didn't 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 haven't already, be sure to interview all of your living relatives. Family stories told in a relative's own words will add a personal touch to your book.

Don't 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.

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.

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How to Write an Essay About My Family History

A family comprises of people living together that form a social group within a community. The people creating this group are subject to relationships either by birth or blood, and it comprises at least two adults as parents and grandparents, together with young children. The family members have a mutual connection between them. Therefore, an essay about family history is a synopsis of an individual's social identity and the reciprocal relationship(s) he/she shares with the people living together. Learning family history is vital to understand our social status, humanity, and diversity. History keeps our memories for generations to understand who they are and their geographic origin. Having a good knowledge of family background lets you appreciate the things or sacrifices made before by grandparents to experience better things in life. An individual's roots and origin bring a sense of self-discovery. Also, writing about your family history is one way of preserving its heritage for future generations.

How to Start A Family History Essay

Outline writing, tips concerning writing a family history essay introduction, how to write body paragraphs, how to write a conclusion for a family history essay, essay revision, essay proofreading, make citations, catchy titles for an essay about family history, short example of a college essay about family history.

• How to Get the Best Family History Essay

Buy Pre-written Essay Examples on The Topic

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When writing an essay, there is a logical structure you must follow in giving out your arguments. A proper outline will produce an exciting presentation of every section, and it will fascinate the reader. The standard structure of an essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is an excellent example of an outline for a family history essay:

• Introduction
• Short family background information
• Importance of writing about the family
• Body (paragraphs)
• Family members; grandparents, parents, and children
• The community in which family resides
• Form of livelihood
• Conclusion (a summarizing paragraph)
• Restating your contention
• Summarize your key ideas
• Provide a final comment or reflection about the essay

When writing a presentation about family history, you need to provide a hook to the readers, to make them interested to know much about the family. You can start with facts or anecdotes about grandparents; for example, how they met on the first date and opted to make a family together, you can as well describe the circumstances. You can also provide an insight into a situation by your ancestors that impacted your life experience—the other thing to include in the short background information about your family. Remember to provide a clear and debatable thesis statement that will serve as the roadmap for your discussion in the paper.

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The body paragraphs contain the arguments one needs to discuss the subject topic. Every section includes the main idea or explanatory statement as the first sentence; the primary purpose is a debatable point that you need to prove. The length of a paragraph depends on the accurate measurement of ideas. In most cases, a section has about five sentences; but it can be as short or long as you want, depending on what you discuss. A paragraph has the main statement, supporting sentence(s) with evidence, and concluding sentences. When crafting the body, ensure a clear flow of ideas, connecting from one argument to the other. Transitional words, when used accordingly, can provide a nice transition and flow of ideas from one paragraph to the other. The commonly used transitional words or phrases include moreover, also, therefore, consequently, hence, thus, finally, etc.

A conclusion is as crucial as the introduction; it is the final recap of what your essay entails. The ending paragraph contains three main parts that form a full section. First, remind the audience of your thesis statement and show its relation to the essay topic. Second, provide a summary of the key arguments that you discussed in the body paragraphs. Third, it is advisable to add a final comment or general reflection about the essay. It's important to state that you should use different wording in the conclusion when restating statements and arguments. Also, remember to use signal words at the start of concluding paragraphs like in conclusion, finish, etc.

Revision is an opportunity for a student to review the content in his/her paper and identify parts that need improvement. Some students start revising as they begin drafting their essays. During revision, you need to restructure and rearrange sentences to enhance your work quality and ensure the message reaches your audience well. Revising gives you a chance to recheck whether the essay has a short main idea and a thesis statement, a specific purpose, whether the introduction is strong enough to hook the audience and organization of the article. Also, you check if there is a clear transition from one paragraph to another and ascertain if the conclusion is competent enough to emphasize the purpose of the paper.

Nothing is more frustrating than submitting an essay to earn dismal grade due to silly common mistakes. Proofreading is an essential stage in the editing process. It is an opportunity for reviewing the paper, identifying and correcting common mistakes such as typos, punctuation, grammatical errors, etc. Since proofreading is the final part of the editing, proofread only after finishing the other editing stages like revision. It is advisable to get help from another pair of eyes; you can send the paper to your friend to help you in the same process. There are online proofreading tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway, which you can use to proofread, but you should not only rely on grammar checkers. Remember to proofread the document at least three times.

Making citations is an essential way of keeping references for the sources of content you used. As you are editing, you may make several changes to the document. Do not forget to correctly provide citations for every fact or quote you obtained from other sources. There are different citation formats such as APA, MLA, etc.; therefore, you need to ensure correct usage of quotes depending on the requirement by your professor. The sources you cite present the list of references or bibliography at the end of your essay for easy reference.

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• Our Circle and Family Heritage
• A Lifetime of Love
• Because of Two Lovebirds, I Am Here
• The Family Archives
• The Family Ties
• Branches of The Family Tree
• The Generational Genes
• Forever as a Family
• It All Started with a Date
• Bits of Yesteryears

Would you want to know how it all started until here? My grandpa told me that he met my grandma at a concert where one of the greatest artists was performing during one of the summer holidays in New York City. As he was dancing alone, my grandpa approached a beautiful lady (who would become his soulmate) to ask her to dance together. They later agreed to meet for a dinner date. Our family lives in New York. Undoubtedly, this is the best family, and it's an honor to be part of it.

Every person has two sides within his/her family; my paternal side originates from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Although my great grandfather comes from Canada, my grandpa and grandma live in New York. My grandfather is Afro-American who worked as a bartender, no wonder he loved concerts! My father works as a conservationist for aquatic fauna while my mother works in the bakery. My mother and father met in a supermarket when they were both doing shopping.

Although we live in the same city, my grandparents have their apartment, a distance from ours. We live as a family of five; dad, mum, and three children. As we all live in the same city, we (me and my two sisters) occasionally visit our grandparents during the weekends to spend some time with them; grandpa and I were doing some gardening while my sisters and grandma do cook and other house chores. The bond between our great parents and ours is very excellent.

At Christmas, all my children, mum, and dad travel to our grandparents for a whole week. During the new year, we get together at our house, my parent's house, to welcome the year as an entire family. Sometimes during the weekends, we usually spend most of our time on the beach swimming, except on church days. As a family, our favorite food is deep-fried fish, rice, and vegetables. However, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

In conclusion, the social co-existence between us is excellent, which has created a robust mutual bond for the family. From visiting each other, spending time on the beach, having to get together meals to usher the new year, and celebrating Christmas as a family, the bond keeps growing. I am privileged to be part of such a great family.

How to Get the Best Family History Essay?

Every student would want to produce the best essay possible to earn a better grade. One way of getting information is through previously written materials such as essay samples. Pre-written essay samples have become popular recently among college students due to the vital information they offer. There are several sites, such as Essay Kitchen, that provide pre-written essays on family history at affordable prices. Students can use the essay samples to obtain enough content and idea about paper outline the professor expect; thus, producing a quality article.

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Knowing your family history is very important. It enables one to self-discover himself within the society and appreciate the lineage. When you learn about your family's past, you will understand the things you see and experience today. Writing an essay on family history requires a lot of understanding and attention to the aspects you need to describe. The critical factor being family background, then understanding how you need to structure and jot down your ideas.

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Family History Writing Prompts (Over 40!)

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Use your research in new and creative ways! The editors of Family Tree Magazine have compiled this list of family history writing prompts to help you get inspired. The answers you provide can be shared on a family history website, put into a book or kept with other genealogy records.

Family History Writing Prompts

Imagine you are one of your descendants, far in the future, writing about your present self. Write about an event from your own history from that perspective

Imagine you are a newspaper reporter and write an article about an event in your family history based on your research. Remember to include the who, what, when, where and why if you can!

Imagine your family represented as a literal “tree.” What kind of tree best represents your family’s story? What does it look like and why?

Did you grow up with any family traditions? What is the history behind the tradition? Do you practice any family traditions now?

Choose an event from your family’s history and write an alternative ending to it. Perhaps someone made a different choice or didn’t survive something; how would the course of your family’s history have changed?

Pick two ancestors from your family’s history who didn’t know each other, then imagine a scene where the two meet. What would they talk about, and what would their first impressions be of each other?

Imagine a holiday celebration your ancestor participated in. Narrate it as accurately as possible.

Write a thank-you-note to an ancestor. Who are you thanking? What did they contribute that you are thankful for?

What types of meals did your ancestor eat? Describe a mealtime scene from your family’s history.

Choose a favorite couple from your family’s history (or imagine one) and write a love note or poem they might have shared. Take the historical period into consideration!

Write one or more “six word stories” about your family’s history. Channel your inner-Hemingway .

Write about surname origins. Do your findings lineup or conflict with what you know or believe about your ancestors’ homeland? If not, highlight the puzzle and try to piece together a plausible answer to it.

What’s the whackiest or most interesting story you’ve heard passed down in your family or discovered in your research?

What types of clothes did your ancestors wear? Pick and ancestor and describe them in detail; what are they wearing and why?

Are there any naming traditions in your family? Write the story of how that tradition started or the stories of ancestors with that name.

Imagine your ancestor encountering something for the first time (new place, new food, new invention, etc.). Describe their first impression in detail.

Write a letter as if you are one of your ancestors. Who is the letter for and what does it say?

Imagine your ancestor making a big decision and narrate how they arrived at their conclusion.

Ask a child, grandchild or sibling what one thing they would like to know or learn about their family history. Ask them why they want to know that piece of information.

Looking at your family history, write down five life lessons you feel you’ve learned from your ancestors. Write an essay for the benefit of sharing with your children, grandchildren, and future descendants.

If you were to write a book about your family history or an ancestor’s history, what genre would it be and why?

Do you have a favorite quote or family saying from your history? Write the story of how that quote or saying came to be.

Imagine your ancestor had social media during their lifetime. Write a Facebook post or series of tweets describing something they’re witnessing in real-time.

Select a family heirloom (watch, quilt, Bible, etc.) and write a narrative from its perspective . Where has it been? How did your ancestor acquire it, and what would it have encountered throughout the years? What important family milestones might it have witnessed?

Imagine a typical day for a female ancestor. What time did she wake up, and what did she do throughout the day?

Select two ancestors who lived in different time periods, and describe a scene of the two interacting with each other over dinner. What do they talk about? What do they have in common?

Imagine and describe an event in your family’s history from an outsider/observer’s perspective. What was it like to be there? How did the event make them feel?

If your family history/ancestor’s story was a novel, what would the theme be?

Imagine a route your ancestor took frequently in his or her daily life. Describe that route in detail. What did they see? What noises could they hear? Where were they going?

Think of your ancestor as a character in a story; describe them as an author would. Go into as much detail as possible: what do they look like, how does their voice sound, what are their strongest personality traits?

Record a memory of one of your ancestors that you want to pass down to future generations —a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. Set the scene: How old were each of you at the time? What happened? Why is this a memory you treasure?

Write a brief biography of yourself —everything an ancestor might want to know about you. After all, someday your ancestors will want to know as much about you as you do about yours!

Come up with a pitch for your ancestor’s biography. Is it a sultry tell-all, or a just-the-facts? What major theme(s) does it cover? Be sure to give the bio a title and sub-title, and write the book’s summary as it would appear on the back cover.

Select an ancestor who served in the military, and write a letter to him or her from the perspective of a loved one on the home front. Ask about his or her health, or the conditions in the war. Read real-life wartime letters for inspiration.

Write a paragraph describing three items your ancestor would never leave home without. Why are these objects so important to your ancestor? Where did they come from?

Identify a major event that happened during your ancestor’s lifetime, and (as your ancestor) write a first-person journal entry describing it. What would your ancestor have thought about it? Would he have found it exciting? Frightening? Frustrating?

Write a paragraph or two about your ancestor and their best friend. Imagine an adventure they had (real or imagined) based on what you know of their childhood and the time period and place they lived.

Imagine one or more of your ancestors as the characters in a fairy tale or fable. What role would they play, and what is the setting? What would be their fate?

Pick an ancestor from the 1800s, drop him into today, and (as your ancestor) write a letter to family members still in the 1800s. How would he describe today? What surprises him? What questions would he have?

Write a diary or journal entry that details your immigrant ancestor’s journey. What are their impressions of their fellow passengers? Research passenger lists and ship descriptions to make your description more accurate.

Describe your ancestors’ wedding. Study marriage certificates, wedding banns and photos, and contemporary clothing and rituals to fill in details.

Describe the first meeting between two of your ancestors who would later get married. What are their first impressions of each other? Include any details you know about your ancestor’s appearance, occupation, age at that time, etc.

Pick an ancestor’s hometown and do some research on how it was during your ancestor’s time. Use historical pictures/postcards and city directories to learn about the town, then write a brief tourism ad for the locale highlighting the town’s attractions.

Imagine the first time your ancestor got to vote. Write a letter from them to a relative detailing their impressions. Where was their polling place? What was the process like? What about the other people in line?

Select two ancestors who lived in different centuries, and describe a scene of the two interacting with each other. What do they talk about? How are they different from one another?

Select your favorite family photo, and write about the moments just before and/or after the photo was taken. Why was it taken? Was your ancestor happy to be in it?

Write a letter to an ancestor you’ve never met. Include questions you’ve always wanted to ask him or her, plus some that reflect what you’ve already learned about your ancestor (for example, “Do you enjoy your new job?” or “How are you coping with your father’s death?”).

Share these ideas with your students, writing group or genealogy group!

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Create a Family History

• Ancestors Season 2: Writing a Family History - video
• New Year's Resolution: Write Your Life Story #52Stories - FamilySearch blog article
• 1 Introduction Happy Family.jpg
• 2 What Is a Family History?
• 3 Why Create a Family History?
• 4.1 Before You Begin
• 5.1 Layout Decisions
• 6 Things to Consider as You Write
• 7 Start Writing
• 8 Other Things to Include
• 9 Time to Review and Evaluate
• 10 After the Review
• 11 Resources
• 12 Ideas for Teachers
• 13 Teaching Ideas
• 14 See also

Introduction Happy Family.jpg [ edit | edit source ]

This lesson will help you explore some of the ways to preserve your unique family heritage.

What Is a Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

A family history is a record of a family and of the lives of family members. It is usually written as a book, and this lesson will give ideas and instructions on writing a family history book. But a family history can take many forms, including the following:

• A record of your family with you as a child, containing recollections of your parents and other living ancestors.
• A record of your family with you as a parent, containing recollections of your children and your other descendants.
• A written history of an ancestor containing several generations of family information going back in time.
• An ancestral family history with a chapter for the couple you start with and additional chapters for each descendant family.
• A collection of family traditions and their origins.
• Newsletters.
• Time capsules.
• Family organization books.
• A genetic family history, which identifies specific physical traits (eye color, height, weight, complexion, and so on), causes of death, family illnesses.
• Family recipe collections.
• Heritage albums. More than a scrapbook; a heritage album is a record of the life of a family and includes photographs, documents, and so on.
• A record of your findings and experiences as you begin with one ancestor and work backwards, a story of research and discoveries.

Why Create a Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

A family history can be a great blessing to you and to your posterity and those who come after you. You and they can learn from the events, thoughts, and growth in your life and in the lives of your ancestors, even from those things that may otherwise seem mundane. Among the reasons to create a family history are the following:

• People want to know who they are and where they come from.
• A family history can help you gain knowledge and appreciation for those who have gone before you, where and how they lived, why they made the choices they made, and how they shaped the family’s future.
• It will help you gain greater understanding of yourself and how you fit in the overall picture of your family.
• It will help preserve family stories for future generations.

When To Create Your Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

Start now to write a family history, even if you only work on it a few minutes a day. Those minutes—and the work you do—will add up over time, and you will accomplish much as you work regularly and consistently.

Do not procrastinate working on your family history. The longer you wait, the more likely it will be that older family members may die or become invalid without passing along the memories that could be so valuable for you. You will never finish gathering family information or researching your ancestors, so don’t put off writing; you can always do a second volume to include new information you discover. Or you can do a binder of stories, which is easy to update.

Set a realistic time schedule. This will be a big project. Schedule enough time to gather information, organize it, and compile it into a finished format.

Before You Begin [ edit | edit source ]

The first step is to choose which type of family history you would like to create. Consider the resources available to you, the materials you have, and your skills and interests. Determine what kind of family history would be most beneficial to you and others. Consider also how you will focus your family history. Consider the following possibilities if you are going to create a written family history:

• Do you want to document all the ancestors of a family member?
• Do you want to identify an ancestral couple and document all their descendants?
• Do you want to focus on one family in a geographic location?

Beginning Your Work [ edit | edit source ]

Before you spend a lot of time in research and writing, you should determine what you already know and where there are gaps in your knowledge. Start by writing down what you know about your subject—this writing might be an outline, it might be a paragraph or a few pages of free writing (without regard to grammar or to connecting the sentences in a logical way), or it might take another form.

Once you have determined what you know, you can begin to organize it according to the form of history you have decided to create. If you are writing a book, you can determine what chapters will appear in the book. Will you organize the book chronologically? Will you divide it into chapters that deal with each branch of a family? If you have enough information, you might also determine how you will organize each individual chapter. To help you organize your information, you could consider creating a timeline for those people who are the focus of your work.

Look over what you have organized, and determine what gaps there are in your knowledge. What don’t you know that you need to know to carry out your plan? 3 The next step is to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Gather items and information related to the people you plan to write about in your history. Store everything you find in a safe and secure place. Keep in mind that you can continue writing your history as you gather information. If you wait to begin writing until you have finished gathering information, you may never get around to writing your history. Also it is often best to write when the gathered information is fresh on your mind.

The following ideas might help you as you gather information:

• Interview all living relatives who may remember events in the lives of your subjects. Or perhaps they never met the subjects but they remember stories of them as told by older family members. Another possibility is that they may remember community and world events that affected your ancestor, even if they do not know how your ancestor experienced the events personally.
• Interview friends, neighbors, work associates, or others who might have known something about those people your history will focus on.
• Gather photographs and illustrations that will add to the story—family portraits, photographs of family events, announcements of weddings or other events, pictures of churches and schools attended, the old family home, and so on. If a relative is reluctant to give you original documents, artifacts or photographs, ask if you can make copies or if you can photograph the items.
• Learn more about the geographic area where the individuals lived.
• Weather, geography, and politics will have had a direct effect on your family. Learn more about the time period and the world and community events.
• Consider studying old medical terms. Obituaries, death certificates, and doctor and hospital records generally give details of illnesses and cause of death. It is usually helpful to know what today’s illnesses were called in earlier time periods.
• Be honest in your writing. When you write fiction, you can be as creative with the facts as you want. When you write history, however, you must be careful how you interpret facts. History allows for some interpretation to a degree. But if you are unsure of facts and you have to make judgments, let readers know that you offer your own interpretation not what actually happened. Recognize that every person sees and records the same event from their own perspective and although different than another, neither may be right or wrong.

Layout Decisions [ edit | edit source ]

As you are gathering and organizing information, decide how you plan to lay out your family history. The following list is helpful if you plan on writing a book. You may add or delete some of these as the work progresses, but it is good to have a format in mind as you begin.

• Frontispiece
• Table of contents
• List of photographs and illustrations
• Narrative (the actual story)

Things to Consider as You Write [ edit | edit source ]

You will make good progress if you follow a consistent schedule in creating your family history. The following ideas may help you as you write your family history.

• Do not try to include all the information you have about every family member. Doing so will overwhelm or bore the reader. Be thorough, but be selective.
• Be honest. If you are going to include sensitive information, don’t try to minimize the real impact. Nor should you exaggerate the negative for the sake of interest or sensationalism.
• Be sensitive. Some events are fascinating and true but because of the delicate nature of those events, you may not want to include the information in your history. Time is usually the best deciding factor. If people are still living who were affected by the sensitive event, you may not want to include it in your history. You may consider writing what your research has uncovered, however, and putting it away to use later when it can be revealed without hurting others.
• Fictional histories (histories based on factual names and places but woven around events and experiences that may not have actually happened to your ancestors) are very popular. They can be fun to read. Family histories, however, are not the place for fictional accounts.

Start Writing [ edit | edit source ]

As you begin writing, do not get bogged down with anxieties you might have about writing. Get the information, stories, feelings, and outcomes recorded. Don’t worry about style, grammar, and punctuation at this point; you can polish your writing later. The following suggestions may help you if you are writing a book for your family history:

• As you include stories and statements from family members, don’t overly edit their words. Sometimes it is very effective to include unique speech patterns, grammatical errors, and the style of the speaker. You should be careful,however, to avoid making someone look less educated.
• Stories and accounts about the family or individuals.
• Photographs and illustrations that document events.
• Additional documents that supplement your stories.
• Discuss sensitive material with anyone you think may be concerned or affected by the material before you include it in your writing.
• Tell the truth, but don’t be offensive or defensive.
• Try to understand the choices and challenges your ancestors faced. Try to get your readers to empathize with each character.
• How did your ancestor get his property? Did he homestead? Did he inherit it? If he bought it, how did he get the money to purchase the land? How did he finance it?
• Did he have to clear trees, dig irrigation ditches, or build a road to his property?
• What was your ancestor’s profession? What was it like to have the job he had?
• What was an average day like in his profession or trade at that same time?
• Did your ancestor have to contend with hostile neighbors? Did they find neighbors who were helpful and supportive in times of need?
• How did your ancestor celebrate holidays and special events?
• Would your ancestors have used a particular dialect? If they emigrated to a new location in their lifetime, how did they adjust to their new culture?
• How did your ancestors deal with disasters that happened during their lifetimes (economic difficulties, epidemics, clashes in cultures, floods, droughts, and so on).
• The less you know about your ancestors, the more you will have to use general historical information about their place and time to put them into historical perspective.
• Don’t let your writing become a list of dates and places. Include stories and background information to bring dates and places to life.
• Get permission from living persons before you write anything about them.
• Talk about the joys and mistakes of the people you write about, their triumphs, tragedies, and hardships.
• Write a chapter; leave it for a few days, and then go back to it. Does it makes sense? Is it interesting as you review it?

Other Things to Include [ edit | edit source ]

Images and visual aids help readers visualize places and events and can portray what words cannot. It is often difficult to give an accurate description of a person. One photograph will do what a page of written text cannot do. Visuals that will help readers include the following:

• Photographs
• Maps showing the area your people lived or where they immigrated from
• Certificates
• Journal entries
• Copies of newspaper articles
• Copies of letters
• Official documents (wills, deeds, vital records, and so on)
• Personal writing, such as poems, stories, recollections, and so on
• Art work by a family member

Time to Review and Evaluate [ edit | edit source ]

After you finish your writing, find a relative or friend who can review your work. Ask yourself and other reviewers the following questions:

• Do you feel involved as you read? Do you care about the outcome of the history?
• Do the stories flow well? Does one story, idea, sentence, or event transition well into the next one? If not, how can the connection between them be strengthened?
• Have you made the identity of the people in the stories clear? For example, if you speak about Grandma, have you explained which grandma, or do you explain which aunt you refer to when you say “My aunt gave me my favorite Christmas gift that year”?
• Does anything need clarification?
• Is the writing too technical or too hard to read?
• Are the sentences too long or complicated?
• Is there too much detail?
• Are there any spelling errors?
• How is the grammar? (Often grammar mistakes are obvious if the material is read aloud.)
• Are the same words or expressions used too often? For example, is the phrase “I remember” used too much?
• Is the history clear and well organized?
• Do the stories need to be reduced, or do details need to be added to make them more enjoyable?
• Are people described well enough?
• Are names, dates, and places accurate?
• Is the proper tense used throughout the history?

Now is the time to review and correct the appearance of your work. Consider line spacing, headings of chapters, and sections of work. Now is also the time to decide where to insert photographs, letters, copies of letters, and so on.

After the Review [ edit | edit source ]

After the review, express gratitude for the efforts of those who helped you, and then use what you feel is valuable. Continue polishing your work. 7

Resources [ edit | edit source ]

• A selection of resources for writing family histories.
• A guide for writing family histories.
• This surgeon general’s Web site helps build the health histories of family members and ancestors.
• How to Write Your Personal and Family History —a resource manual by Keith E. Banks. General resource for personal and family history writing.
• Writing Family Histories and Memoirs by Kirk Polking. An outline of why and how to write different types of family histories, with brief information on basic research.
• Scrapbooking Your Family History by Maureen A Taylor. Organizing and preserving materials for family history based on memory books.
• Writing Up Your Family History by John Titford. Information on preparing, writing, and publishing your family history.
• You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. Guide to writing your family history.

Ideas for Teachers [ edit | edit source ]

This class can be taught in two or more weeks if you need extra time for class members to work on activities outside of class. The extra time will give class members the opportunity to discuss issues involved in creating a family history, followed by a week to start their work and bring it into class for review.

The following suggestions will help you present the information in this lesson. Choose information from the lesson that will be most helpful to your class members, and consider the best way to present that information.

Consider the needs of your class members, and plan and adapt the materials to suit their needs.

Teaching Goals

• Help students understand that there are a variety of ways that a family history can be created and preserved.
• Help students understand issues to consider when beginning a family history.
• Help students understand what should be included within a family history.
• After reviewing the students’ progress in their family history research, help them know if they are ready to begin writing a family history.

Preparing to Teach

The following suggestions are important if you are working with your class members for the first time.

• Contact your class members before the first class period and get to know a little about each student.
• Ask about their expectations for the class.
• Assess their experience with writing and with family history. Determine if they have read other family histories.
• Ask how much they know about their family.
• If you can find them, bring several examples of family histories other people have created.

Teaching Ideas [ edit | edit source ]

During the first class

• Bring several examples of family histories you have found. Share how you feel about these histories. Ask if any of the class members have a history of an ancestor that is significant to them. Discuss how the relations and descendants of your class members might feel about the family history they are planning to write.
• Ask class members why they want to create a family history. Remember that there are no wrong answers.
• Discuss with class members who will benefit from the family history.
• Discuss different types of family histories. What interests do the class members have?
• Have students consider which family or line they want to pursue.
• Have students write a paragraph about why they are writing the history. This paragraph may become an introduction.
• Ask class members to come next week with a brief family story and if possible an artifact that relates to the story.
• Encourage the class members to begin gathering information and objects they will use as they begin to create their family history.

During the second class

• Ask class members what information and or objects they found that might prove helpful in creating a family history.
• If class members have begun writing a family history, ask them if they would be willing to share what they have created.
• Have the students who desire, exchange stories. Give them time to read the stories and then have the class members discuss the stories and ask questions about them for enrichment and clarification.
• Have students discuss whether they want to change or modify the focus of their family history project after their work so far.
• Review the list of Websites and books.
• You may want to invite and encourage students to set a goal for when they will complete their personal history

See also [ edit | edit source ]

What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected

• New to Genealogy

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How to Go From Boring to Brilliant Family History Writing

So, you’ve done so much family history research that you’re drowning in facts and you’ve decided – that’s it – I’ve got to start writing some of this up!

Only now you are stuck. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Unless you’re a bit of a Marvin (from Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) you are probably perfectly fine at telling stories. I mean, we tell snippets of stories all the time, whether it’s moaning to the postman about our encounter with a grumpy lady in Tesco’s. Or explaining our Great-Grandfather to our 3rd cousin twice removed. We tell stories daily.

It’s often only when we come to write these stories down that we struggle. We can’t find the “right” words. We lose our voice. We get bogged down in details. We forget about our core story. The thing that made us want to tell it in the first place. We either stare at a blank white page, unable to even start writing OR we write tons of words – read them back and decide we’d like to delete the lot.

In this article, I’ll share some tips that’ll transform your family history writing. I’m not saying you are going to become a world-renowned author. We’re not all JK Rowling. But, when you give your cousin Sue the story about your great-gran, you can be sure she’ll read it, enjoy it and therefore remember it.

Table of Contents

Before you start writing your family history, decide your audience.

Sometimes our audience is clear, such as I’m writing this for my children. But, we don’t always have a particular person in mind. You may be writing up your family history for fun, to check for gaps in your research, as ‘cousin bait’, as a blog for fellow genealogists or professional reasons.

That’s fine, but you need to try to imagine who might be reading. Let’s use my blog post on my Woodrow witch ancestor as an example. It could attract unknown cousins, fellow genealogists or person’s interested in family history. It might attract those that like reading true stories.

These readers all have some things in common. They are unlikely to be children. They are likely to enjoy history. Yet, some readers may have lots of family history knowledge, others none at all. I need to ensure I don’t alienate anyone. For example, I use language appropriate to their reading age but without jargon.

Envisioning your audience, their likes and dislikes will help inform your writing.

Decide On The Message For Each Piece of Family History Writing

Your writing doesn’t have to have a deep and meaningful message. But, it does have to have some sort of point. For example, my blog post ‘ Blue Blood ‘ explores my illegitimate ancestor. I wanted to make my research journey clear and to inform readers of the parentage of my ancestor. That was my message. Whereas, my blog post ‘A Hidden Victim of Ripper Mania ‘ had a statement at its heart. I wanted to use my ancestor’s story to explore the effect of constricted gender roles. I wanted to show her story of suicide as a possible consequence of Victorian rigidity.

Regardless of whether your message is divisive, exploratory or informative, decide it before you start. Don’t let it get lost or diluted. Keep checking on your message. Are you getting to the point? Is it clear?

Set A Plan & Avoid Tangents

Before writing your family history make a plan. Exactly which ancestors are you going to cover? Over what time? Who will you start with? How will you break up their story? How does this plan work with your decided audience? Where will you show your message?

Setting a plan will give your writing structure. It’ll ensure you cover all the points you want to explore. It’ll ensure your message comes through. It’ll help you weed out or avoid random tangents.

Odd pieces of off-topic text can be very distracting. It’s easy to fall into a trap of including things because they are ‘interesting’. This is an error. Adding random pieces of content dilutes your story. It starts to feel rambling and the message becomes lost.

Writing Your Family History

If you can't write it, say it.

One of my favourite writing styles, especially for short stories, is ‘conversational’. I like to feel like the writer is sat next to me, sharing their tale over a cuppa. That’s not always easy to emulate. So cheat! Record yourself whilst you explain the story.

You don’t need anything fancy to do this. Download the free app Otter ( Google Play or Apple Store ) onto your phone. This nifty programme will listen to you talk and convert your words into text. It’s not perfect but its accuracy is impressive.

Next, take that speech-to-text and edit it. Use it as a starting point and build upon it.

Pay special attention to the words you use or turns of phase. This is your real voice. Use those phases in your family history writing to make it feel more authentic.

Use Endnotes or Footnotes to separate your family history writing from sources

You don’t have to put all your details within the body of the text. I have read a lot of family histories that start like this:

“My ancestor, John Brown was born on 5th June 1857. He was christened on 10 June 1857 in St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke. His older brother, Thomas was christened on the same day. Thomas was born on 20th March 1855.”

For an instant win, try putting some of those details in footnotes or endnotes, alongside any source information. Doing so transforms our sentence, to something like this:

“John and his older brother Thomas were both christened in the summer of 1857 at St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke.”

Bring Your Family History Writing To Life

Reading a list of facts is boring. We need details to help spark our imagination. Writing family history is challenging because we need both accuracy and imagination.

Let’s look at our 1857 christening example. It took place in the summer and it’d be easy to presume that the weather was hot. We need to check though! That June may have been infamous for its terrible weather.

Our example took place in a church. We may look at a photo of that stone building and presume it looked the same way in 1857. Again we need to check. What if the church flooded that year? What if the building we see today is a replica?

Once we’ve got our confirmed details though, we can use them to create texts rich in detail:

“Summer 1857 was hot and the parishioners of St Michael’s Church must have felt relieved to sit within the cool of the church’s thick stone walls. On 10th June the Brown family filled the congregation. A generation of bottoms squashed into the tiny pews. I imagine the new Brown babies (Thomas and John) cried as the icy holy water splashed onto their foreheads. Three years before them, a daughter had been baptised using that same deep stone font. Her little bottom was missing from the row of Browns that watched the ceremony. Perhaps her mother, Elizabeth was thinking of her as she hushed her son’s bawl…”

Find The Right Words

Successful authors tend to have a fantastic vocabulary. Reading widely can help you to expand your own. But, you can also use a thesaurus to aid you – especially if you find you are using the same words repetitively. There are loads of free thesaurus’ online.

It is also worth bearing in mind that old adage, “show not tell”. If you find your text is full of adjectives (describing words) then start pruning them! Replacing those adjectives with strong nouns can actually enhance your writing.

I recommend reading “ Kill Your Adjectives “. It really explains this concept in much more detail and gives some great examples.

Use Tech To Help With Grammar

Even the very best of writers make mistakes. That’s why they have proof readers and editors. Now, whilst using a real-life person is always best, that’s not always possible. So, use apps to try to fill the gap. Hemingway is a free editor. Type in your text and using various colours, it’ll highlight sections that use a passive voice or are hard to read. It’ll point out your use of adverbs too. Fixing these errors will lead to better writing. 

Other apps that can help include, Grammarly (a free app or chrome extension). It will point out all your spelling and grammatical errors. Underlined. In red. I hate it. I love it. It’s one of those kinds of relationships.

Editing and Proof-Reading

Apps aside, nothing beats a human eye on your work. In an ideal world, once completed, put your writing away. Leave it for at least a couple of weeks before you pick it up and start editing. Then finally hand it to someone else to read. Proof-reading is a talent. It’s why people get paid to do it! So, do what you can. Pass it to who you can. Don’t beat yourself up if 3 months later you look at it again and there’s an apostrophe in the wrong place.

Enhance Your Family History Writing

An image is worth 1000 words.

Those of us writing up our family history today have a huge advantage over our ancestors. We have the mighty power of the internet. Within seconds we can have access to quality photographs to add to our work.

Use images to “back up” the detail you’ve written or to separate large pieces of writing. These don’t have to be images of your ancestors. Use photos of buildings, maps, artwork, newspapers. Mix it up!

On a practical note, ensure you are not breaking any copyright laws. On Google Images select Settings-Advanced Search and filter by ‘Usage Rights’ to find images marked as shareable. Read the different levels of copyright and attribute your images as appropriate. If in doubt, check with whoever owns the image before you use it. If you can’t find someone to ask and are still unsure, then don’t use it. And yes, I know exactly how frustrating that can be!

Geograph is great for free images of places and buildings within the UK. You can also utilise sites like Unsplash , Pixabay  and Pexels to find free pictures. Use Canva to curate your own images and text graphics.

Add Charts To Your Family History Writing

Make use of another advantage available to modern genealogists. Create and add family tree diagrams to your text. These not only break up long passages but make the text itself easier to follow. Use charts to explain genetic relationships. Create these either within your family tree package or using Microsoft PowerPoint or Excel, or your Mac or Google equivalent.

Break Up Your Family History Writing

Depending on the length of your family history writing, consider using tools to make it easier to navigate. Very long works benefit from contents pages and indexes. All easily created in Word.

Shorter pieces may benefit from section breaks and sub-headings.

Give It A Title

People make snap decisions about what to read. Give your text the very best chance by giving it a great title. Use the Headline Analyser to see which of your ideas is worth pursuing. Or browse these 100+ blog title ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Do You Enjoy Writing Your Family History Stories?

Writing up your family history should be enjoyable. Be honest with yourself. If writing your family history feels like a form of torture then don’t do it! It’ll come through in your writing anyway. Writing up your ancestors’ lives is not the only method of recording their histories. You could simply do some oral recordings. You could try making a presentation.

Or you could join my Curious Descendants Club! With regular workshops and challenges, this Club is designed to help you write your family history. You can find all the details here, including testimonials from existing members .

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Why Is Family History Important?

Do you want to know why family history is important? The study of one’s family history is more than just a pedigree chart. In this post, find five reasons why family history is crucial for understanding the past, present, and future.

In a recent post on this site, I wrote about the difference between family history and genealogy . It was during writing on this topic when I realized that I identify as a family historian.

When you listen to people talk about their family’s history, even when they don’t know more than just a few vague details, it is clear that family history is a key part of one’s identity and how they perceive that they connect to their world.

5 Reasons Family History is Important

Oddly enough, if you talk to different people in the same family, you’ll find that their own view of their family’s story varies slightly from person to person. This is true even in my own family.

This really got me thinking about the role that my family’s history has played in my own understanding of the world, my community, my family, and my place in them. I realized that family history is truly a crucial part of how we see ourselves.

Below, you’ll find five reasons why I believe family history is important for everyone. No matter the family and no matter the history.

You will be wiser if you study family history

One side benefit that most people don’t realize until they become engrossed in genealogy records is that you just learn things doing family history research.

I have to admit that I’ve always loved history. Reading historical fiction and non-fiction novels about historical topics is one my favorite pastimes.

Even though I’m naturally interested in just about any kind of history, I had no idea just how much history I would learn while doing genealogy.

All of the learning that we do while digging up information about our ancestors has the potential to just make us wiser than we were before.

Family historians can change the future by providing representation and diversity

Much of the history in school textbooks and history books is heavily weighted towards telling the story of the victorious, the rich, the powerful, and the majority.

Sadly, the same is often true for family histories and pedigrees. Everyone wants to find their connection with nobility or someone famous in their family tree.

When I first set out to do genealogy, one of my goals was to disprove one of our most popular family stories. We are descended from someone very famous: my 11th great-grandfather.

It’s important to note that I have about 8,192 11th great-grandparents. My famous 11th great-grandfather only accounts for .01% of my existence.

His story has been important to my maternal grandmother’s family for generations, and so I know we can’t ignore it. Even so, I’m sure that many of the 8,191 11th great-grandparents were just as interesting.

Many of them likely had an equal – or greater – affect on the family’s trajectory.

Family historians have the unique opportunity to tell their family’s complete story.

For example, we can help eliminate sexism in genealogy by focusing on our family’s female ancestral lines, or increase diversity in family histories by including research about our ancestors who belonged to a minority group or lived in poverty instead of affluence.

Discovering ancestors can help us form a new identity

Our family history plays an important part in how we view ourselves. Family stories, traditions, culture, and religion are key elements of how people form their identity and view their relationship with the wider community.

Throughout the process of genealogy research, we might discover that important aspects of our family’s story was unknown, or even intentionally omitted. We may also be inspired or motivated by the struggles of our ancestors.

This is my favorite reason that family history is important. Over the past several years, my view about who I am has changed, and I believe that this is due to learning the true, complete story about my family history.

I realized that 13 of my 16 great-great grandparents were immigrants or the children of immigrants. All but one of those immigrant great-great grandparents was about as poor as a person can be, coming to the US with few personal belongings and no money to speak of.

Learning about the stories of each immigrant ancestor, including what they left behind, how they struggled, and what they achieved, helped me realize the staggering sacrifices that were made by them so that their descendants, including me, could have the life that I have.

Learning about family history can be healing

Many people find that learning about their family history can be healing. Whether we learn about an individual’s struggle or historical context, this understanding can filter down to our own lives.

I didn’t know one of my grandfathers well, but the little I know about him and the few personal interactions that I had with him have left me with a negative impression of him. Even so, I know that he is an important part of who I am and how I grew up.

There’s no avoiding it.

Furthermore, he was the product of his upbringing and the pain and suffering of his ancestors – both recent and distant. Learning about where he came from has given me a different, more compassionate lens with which to view his life.

More importantly, I can understand how his life and history affected me. By understanding him, I can make sure that harmful patterns aren’t passed down in my family.

I can also be more forgiving. That’s important, too.

It provides you with a mission and importance

Everyone plays an important role in the world, whether they know it or not. By studying family history, we become even more vital to the present and the future.

We are the documentarians of our family’s story. Family historians collect and interpret historical evidence, document it and preserve it for future generations.

Our mark will be left for our descendants. They will take up where we left off and build upon the family story that we created for them.

This sounds like an important mission to me!

I hope that this post has provided you with many ideas about how family history is important for our understanding of the past, present, and future, as well as how it can enrich our lives.

If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, or if you would like to share your own ideas about how family history is important, I would love for you to join us in the discussion below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Share the knowledge!

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Friday 24th of March 2023

very good i hated it

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

Great job not even my parents read stuff like this, but I love to read this type of genre.

Sunday 26th of March 2023

Thank you for reading it!

i had to read this for a school assignment

@Kable, tho it is good

Lyle Jessee

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I really enjoyed reading your words about family history! I feel energized to forge onward in my self-appointed role as a family historian. It is a lonely role! Sad but true, not everyone shares my passion for it.

Saturday 25th of December 2021

Thank you for this post. I really loved it.

Thursday 6th of January 2022

Thank you so much, Sarah!! I really appreciate your comment. Sincerely, Mercedes

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Family / Family History

Family History Essay Examples

Genogram analysis of my family.

Genograms are a visual representation of a person’s family, relationships between members, and medical and mental health histories. It is more in-depth than a family tree because it provides more extensive information about the family and each member. In this work "My Family: Genogram Analysis...

Family: a Descriptive Exploration of Parental Roles

My name is Ammy. I am studying psychology. I am from Bangladesh. With my parents we are permanent resident of USA since I was 3 years old. In my family, I have my father, my mother and a sister. I am the younger child of...

Tell Us Your Family Story: the Memory for Your Ancestors

As home assignment we had to write 'Tell us your story essay' as every person has at least one story to share. My story is actually known by a lot of people. You ever heard of the Hatfield and McCoy feud or war? Well either...

The Significance of Family History: Understanding Roots and Building Connections

Family history, often referred to as genealogy, is a tapestry of stories, experiences, and legacies passed down from one generation to another. While it may appear as a collection of names and dates, family history holds profound importance that extends beyond the past. This essay...

Alcoholism in My Family History

Alcoholism. It starts with a sip, then a drink, then a few more. Before you know it the person you thought you knew is spiraling. Their personality is changing, they say things they say they don't mean, they do things that they say they regret,...

The Relationship of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

The president of any country is considered as the number one citizen in the country, which means that virtually every aspect of his or her life is subject to public scrutiny. This public scrutiny begins with the declaration to run for public office, the need...

The Role of Media and Family Life in Increasing of Violence in Youth

According to Merriam Webster, the definition of crime is an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law. Crime has always and continues to be a growing problem in the United States. Unfortunately, there...

Ersan İlyasova's Bio, Career Stats, Family Life & Other Interesting Facts

Ersan llyasova has quite an interesting career timeline. Unlike most footballers in the league, he has plied his trade in the Turkish Basketball League, Spain, and now makes regular appearances in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Apart from his good looks, Ersan poses a threat...

Overview of Reality Tv Shows Involving Real-life Issues in Famous Families

From watching an incredible weight loss journey to getting a breathtaking makeover, following the process of other people going after their dreams or just living their drama-filled lives on television, we have watched while family TV evolves right before our eyes as the years roll...

My Program for Juvenile Detention Centers

My program will be based on the model that I created and explained in the first part of the assignment. I chose to do a treatment program for teenage boys between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in juvenile detention centers. I will base my...

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