How to Write a Family History

Writing a family history is not as simple as most people think. Past generations did not keep records like the ones kept today. And although people did try to keep some records, often they were only the basic information, such as birth, marriage, and death. People who did keep dairies or journals were often the wealthy, with the time to write and money for the paper and ink. So true histories of most families are hard to come by.

But if you are serious about putting your family's history down on paper, be prepared to do a lot of legwork. Of course you'll have to spend some time at the courthouse, researching old birth, marriage, and death certificates. But you will also have to take time to visit relatives, especially the older ones. They hold a wealth of past history and are usually more than willing to tell you all about their childhoods as well as that of their parents and grandparents.

I actually would advise you to try to set up some type of family gathering to get as many of the older relatives as possible together. A family reunion is a fantastic place to gain a lot of past history. If that is not possible, then just set up a meeting with some of your older aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Explain ahead of time what you are doing, and ask them to write down some stories they remember and the names of past relatives and their spouses. Ask them for old papers you could possible copy, such as old birth certificates or marriage certificates. But be prepared to get different versions of the same story. No one ever remembers a story exactly the same.

After gathering as many facts and some really great stories about your ancestors, make a trip to the courthouse (or you could join one of the family tree research sites on the internet). Use the names and dates you gathered from your older relatives to look up additional information. Also be sure to include any second marriages and stepchildren. They are often enfolded into families so completely that people forget they may have different last names. The census is another excellent place to find information about families. It was done usually about every ten years.

After you have gathered the most important data, begin as far back as possible. You may not have a lot of information about your earlier ancestors, but list as much as you can. But be accurate. If you enclose a story someone told you, be sure to state something like "this story has been passed down" as others may not remember it the same way. But do put as many of the old family tales as you can in the story. These are what people will remember the most, not the dates and who married who.