By Linda Bergren Polich. October is Family History Month – a great time to start writing your family history. It starts with a story!
Have you compiled your family history research into a book form, to share with others? If the answer is yes, good for you! Or does the thought of writing a family history book overwhelm you? Do you want to take on this project, but you’re not sure where to start? It starts with a story!
Don’t start this project staring a blank computer screen, wondering how you are ever going to get all your research into book format! Remember the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Well, that’s how you start writing your family history! It starts with a story!
Choose an ancestor – any ancestor – and write down everything you know about him or her. Gather documents, including vital records, newspaper articles, and other information. Just concentrate on that one ancestor. It starts with a story!
Then add another ancestor – either from the same family group, or from a different line. And then another ancestor – and then another. Think of each of your ancestors as a chapter in your family history book. You can add chapters on a regular basis – like Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” (see link below) … or do it on your own schedule. It starts with a story!
Here are a few good resources to check out:
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Amy Johnson Crow
Cyndi’s List – Writing Your Family’s History (cyndislist.com)
Stay tuned to hear lots more about writing your family history in 2022. You can do this … remember, it starts with a story!
Happy Writing!
