Author Topic: Writing up your family history  (Read 962 times)

Offline stewpot72

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Writing up your family history
« on: Tuesday 08 December 20 13:59 GMT (UK) »
Hi
Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way/format to write up a family history. I am using Word and will have about 50 pages of plain text. I was going to paste, in the appendices, copies of certificates, census records etc but it was becoming unwieldy, so, with my PC copy, I have inserted hyperlinks to every document I hold. I can't think of an easy way to send all of that out to everyone so I will be circulating a copy without hyperlinks, just a typed up record.
The problem I am wrestling with is how best to make the narrative flow. At its simplest, I have divided the document into the two current families and in each section have gone backwards, listing parents, grandparents etc, with all relevant dates and special events included.
This has given all the details but not, I think, in an easily understood way. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 08 December 20 14:10 GMT (UK) »
I'd recommend a family tree programme, once you have it all on word you can insert BMDs, Census', Pics et all in their position in your tree & you can alter the format as you go for spacing etc. to keep full families on 1 page rather than spilling over to the next page.

You only need to spend the time on perfecting it once then print any amount of copies.

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline chiddicks

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #2 on: Monday 14 December 20 21:21 GMT (UK) »
Hi Stewpot,
I have been writing up the biographies and life stories of my ancestors for the last few years. I have completed all my great-grandparents and have currently completed 10 out of 16 of my 2 x great grandparents.

Will attach some links, but have a look and feel free to ask any questions etc.


https://chiddicksfamilytree.com/2017/08/19/the-life-and-times-of-matthew-chiddicks/


https://chiddicksfamilytree.com/2019/08/17/the-life-and-times-of-john-edwin-barnes/


https://chiddicksfamilytree.com/2020/08/02/the-life-and-times-of-thomas-wootton/


https://chiddicksfamilytree.com/2020/05/06/the-life-and-times-of-emma-sophia-lukes/




https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

Searching the names Chiddicks, Keyes, Wootton, Daniels, Lake, Lukes, Day, Barnes

Offline mijath

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #3 on: Monday 14 December 20 23:13 GMT (UK) »
I separate my family history into surnames.

For each surname in my ancestry I have a folder and then subfolders for each generation of that family - in these I put all my sources, which are mostly images of documents.

In the main folder for the surname I have one Word document which gives an overview of each generation, working backwards, containing basic information such as date and place of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial. In another Word document I write the history of the family in a narrative, again working backwards, pulling together all information from my sources.

This may seem odd or excessively complicated but it works for me. I can manage the vast amount of research. One downside is that it makes everything quite siloed when the history of families can be quite intertwined after couples marry.

Thorpe, Feak & Townsend (Norfolk) / Ormandy & Slater (Dalton-in-Furness) / Corner (Liverpool) / Wray (Lincolnshire) / Fidler, Bridge & Turner (Derbyshire)


Offline Palladium

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 15 December 20 07:37 GMT (UK) »
I don't know if - The Complete Genealogy Reporter - http://www.tcgr.bufton.org/  - fits your requirements? It generates a pdf file with various options from your gedcom information.
WESTMORLAND/LANCASHIRE
Heap, Armer, McNamara, Nelson
ESSEX/NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Humphrey, Potton, Snow

Offline chiddicks

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 15 December 20 11:42 GMT (UK) »
Here's how I organise my system, I am a great believer in if you have a system and it works for you then stick with it. Mine has evolved over many years and I have added bits along the way.

https://chiddicksfamilytree.com/2020/01/30/organising-your-family-history/
I separate my family history into surnames.

For each surname in my ancestry I have a folder and then subfolders for each generation of that family - in these I put all my sources, which are mostly images of documents.

In the main folder for the surname I have one Word document which gives an overview of each generation, working backwards, containing basic information such as date and place of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial. In another Word document I write the history of the family in a narrative, again working backwards, pulling together all information from my sources.

This may seem odd or excessively complicated but it works for me. I can manage the vast amount of research. One downside is that it makes everything quite siloed when the history of families can be quite intertwined after couples marry.
https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

Searching the names Chiddicks, Keyes, Wootton, Daniels, Lake, Lukes, Day, Barnes

Offline stewpot72

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #6 on: Friday 18 December 20 17:21 GMT (UK) »
Thank you all for your suggestions. I am particularly impressed with Chiddicks work but I'm not sure I can put in enough time to achieve a similar, remarkable, result. I will certainly "pinch" the Individual Family Record Sheet though.
Regards to everyone. 

Offline chiddicks

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #7 on: Friday 18 December 20 19:11 GMT (UK) »
Thank you all for your suggestions. I am particularly impressed with Chiddicks work but I'm not sure I can put in enough time to achieve a similar, remarkable, result. I will certainly "pinch" the Individual Family Record Sheet though.
Regards to everyone.

Thanks stewpot, but honestly you can do it, just one biography at a time, take your time, it’s taken me a few years to do mine.

Drop me a pm with your email and I’ll send you the sheets
https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

Searching the names Chiddicks, Keyes, Wootton, Daniels, Lake, Lukes, Day, Barnes

Offline stewpot72

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Re: Writing up your family history
« Reply #8 on: Monday 21 December 20 12:05 GMT (UK) »
Many thanks for your kind offer. I have typed up the record as a table in a Word document which more or less replicates your work. I'll have to see if I can find time as you suggest but what with bird watching, allotment, ongoing family research,  jobs around the house...