Family History Format

[Just Kia]

So, you've got the data - the who, where and when. You've got some pictures, some area history...

Now, how do you put it all into a readable format for the non-genealogists in your family?

[RJ_Paton]

Have a read at some of these

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,158638.0.html

[lizdb]

Print it out and put together in a book form. Type up those little additional stories that you have pieced together too as well as keeping the certs censuses etc.
Will suit all whether they are computer literate or not. Will survive the test of time when floppy discs (ooo they've gone already!) CD's and memory sticks are all obselete, when we are on Windows Visa Wista Dista Lista Xista version 3975, (sorry previous versions incompatible), when very few things are still in paper form (or maybe they will be for the very same reasons) and therefore it will be a real interesting family heirloom .....

need I go on? convinced?
yes, time consuming (very, believe me) but so worth it!

[Just Kia]

Thanks for the link Falkyrn =)

LMAO Liz - so true.

My biggest problem is turning this happened on this date and then that happened on that date into something more "readable" for the non-genealogist.
I put the whole tree online for family members but it seems they are getting a wee lost in the "data" and missing then fun side of things, so I'm trying to form my data into more of a book for them.

Reading through those links though I think I'm going to try and start with one of the older ancestors and try to work on an approx 200 year span and see how we go.

[RJ_Paton]

"readable" for the non-genealogist.

Therein lies your real problem ....... you would need to try and find something to hook their interest and while it may be relatively simple (no pun intended) to tailor a package for one person that same tailoring may not suit the next person etc etc.

[Mogsmum]

When a fairly distant relative (knowing I'd 'done some research') mentioned that she knew little or nothing about her Mother's family, she was far more interested in the 'meat' rather than just the genealogical bare bones.   I printed out the tree then, in book form, followed it up with separate pages on each individual, using their name and Record ID to identify family members with same name - the really fun part was doing the index (proving that, even in the computer age, there is definitely still a place for the 5 x 3 index card!)