Write and Publish Your Genealogy Book Faster with This Flexible Template! - Ancestor Profiles

[@junebutka6571]

I do a Hypothesis theory in red for the draft for future research. By putting in red it reminds me more is needed . I date the hypothesis.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

OOOOOOOOO I like that idea. Red for hypothesis so it jumps out and then add a date!!!!! LOVE THIS idea.

[@brigittetheall9187]

@@junebutka6571 I like the dating since those hypothesis change overtime. Great idea.

[@PSmith-r]

I enjoy fun facts. I would also include economic fun facts. The cost of milk, eggs, rent, cars, etc..

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Good idea. Darn I can't believe I forgot that. Thanks what the comment section if for.

[@johannesmith1979]

I just purchased your book "A Recipe for Writing Family History," and I'm presently reading it. I love connecting dates and events in my ancestors' lives to historical events as well as their economic reality. I really appreciate your videos and comments. They're thought-provoking and insightful. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Aww! I'm so glad you're finding the book and videos helpful. Motivating family historians to write family stories, not just capture names and dates, is my passion. I've always felt there were folks I could encourage and I'm pleased to know I'm helping you. You've brightened my day.

[@donnapolentz6490]

I liked the myths and legends section. Keeping the stories and notions that have been passed down. The template will help me expand on some unfinished profiles I am writing. Thanks!

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Glad you enjoyed the video and like the myths section. I have heard many people don't want to record the myths and legends as they fear to do so perpetuates falsehoods. I have learned in 30 years of research and interacting with others that 1) myths are as much part of our family identity as reality and 2) myths perpetuate if someone doesn't document why they are false. Folks can still believe whatever they want, but they may have to say, "The family legends says ..." rather than "It absolutely is true that ...."

[@jholmansky]

My rambling thoughts as I watch this: I love the idea of a myths and legends section, and I'm happy you addressed that! I also loved the way you color-coded the timeline. When I watched this, I thought "I'd add pictures throughout -- not in a separate section," and then you covered that saying it's a change you would make too. I think pictures throughout make it more visually appealing for the readers. In terms of the research journey, I've found the average family member doesn't care, unless I made some truly interesting connection. The future research section is something I'd add only for myself. Again, family members who aren't genealogists won't care so it will create clutter in a book format. In general, I share your views on the template approach, that it's a nice launching-off point, but maybe not the best format to share with family. We have to keep our audience in mind when we write, and most of our family members aren't genealogy nerds. Non-genealogists want stories, pictures, a few fun facts, and maybe a mini-tree (I really liked the mini-tree idea!) -- not a somewhat dry report. Thanks for another great video!

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

I love your rambling thoughts. Keep them coming. So glad that you had a thought and then I addressed it. Apparently you and I share the same thought patterns. Should we be scared?

[@jholmansky]

@@WriteYourFamilyHistory Haha! Maybe not scared. As Anne of Green Gables would say, it sounds like we're "Kindred spirits."

[@Cynthia_G-NC]

Wow. You presented a clean and clear template for writing a person's profile. Showing us how you would use it is also helpful. I can see how bringing all the facts known about a particular ancestor is valuable, and the perfect way to change a blank page to several pages of facts that can be used in a story. I recall that one of your key tips to keep a story from being boring is to use a 'hook'. Therefore, I will place a heading in my version of the template labeled 'Story Hook', and I might have more than one line or phrase that I put into that section when I'm not sure at the draft time which choice will make my story most interesting. My experience in starting a written story, such as a profile, is that not all of my gathered details are actually used in the end story. My writing goes faster when I have too much, and I have to decide what to leave out, rather than having to interrupt the writing task to look up additional details. Using a template, and giving us an example, is a wonderful tool. Thanks. -cg

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

My pleasure. The hook idea is wonderful and does pull in some of my other tips. Well done. I think one of June's comment also mentions a quick summary / synopsis does this as well. So, I love how the community is sharing wonderful tips in addition to my content. Let's keep the learning going!!!

[@treeclimber2]

I'm really looking forward to working with this template! Thank you!

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

You are so welcome! Let me know how it goes. Also, if you have any trouble getting the template, please let me know.

[@junebutka6571]

In a story a quick synopsis of family helps, not the specific that can be put in a group sheet at the end. ie. Mary and John had three children, each 18 months apart. The eldest Mary was born in Lowell, Mass. The next two, Isaac and Joe were born in Brookline, New Hampshire. This helps to show there is family and a relocation of family. Just a thought.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

I like that idea!! Thanks for another gem.

[@brigittetheall9187]

I really like your “rearranged” template and addition of Myths and Legend section, I never know how to incorporate family lores. If you add census to the document, do you add the all page or just a clipping of the family?

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Oh, great question. I think for this project, you want to zoom in on the information about a specific ancestor. And, you have to consider viewability. Some census records have a long line of information. If we were to print everything out in one long line, we wouldn't be able to view it. So, I would clip the census record and use captions to say "this is a continuation of the row in the image above." What do you think?

[@brigittetheall9187]

@ thank you! You answered my question precisely.

[@junebutka6571]

Maybe a brief overview of the family social environment before the profiles. I set one of my books up that way. "Over the thirty-eight years of my Parent's life journey they moved twenty-one times due to my father teaching car mechanics. A time before computers and cell phones,.." A draft overview of how I started that section.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Sweet! I love this idea. You're dropping a lot of goodness in this feed. Thanks so much.

[@constanza1648]

Research journey could be a little off topic if your data drives you through other path totally different, but could be a good idea to keep in mind for an introduction section (obviously as a brief explanation of what are you trying to obtain and why): "This jouney began this way and was boosted when I found the incredible story about the relation between A and B with the big help of my cousin C". Introduction can be a fantastic place to write a paragraph about the family members or friends you want to thank (even you can add a page with acknowledgment). Of course, templates should be a guide or an inspiration, not a form which force you to fulfill all the questions. That's why it's "flexible". You should have all the options available and then decide which one is better to tell the story you are trying to communicate.

[@constanza1648]

About social history: if you are writing about several people in the same location/period, you can make a "context" chapter or section with all the "social history" about the place you are working on. This way even you can explain about the long history of that place: how the town or village evolved during time. (At the begining of the XVIII century was a little village but at the end of the century the population was 50000 thousand people... and this changes the way of life of people in this town this way and that way...).

[@constanza1648]

I was writting along with the vid and then I tried to check with more detail the answer of the question that motivates all the vid. As an historian myself, I want to cry a little. Even if some of the ideas are ok, the use of "just google it" or "sources ... pretty loosely" are against all I was educated for. Genealogy is part of History discipline. To do it properly requires to follow the proffesional ethics, and this includes to check info in the right sources (not just "google it") and to cite precisely the location of the information you include (the exception are pretty common facts that no need to be proven, for example Independence day).

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Thanks for helping me (and others) think through the Research Journey section a little more. I will definitely consider that more fully. Plus, if I take the template and expand it into a book... I'm thinking (based on what you wrote) that this could be front material to acknowledge and preface the entire publication. Thanks for watching and comment to help me think through this more.!

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

I LOVE the "context" chapter idea for multiple persons. Thanks so much.

[@constanza1648]

@@WriteYourFamilyHistory Thanks to you for all your work during this time. I love your vids, even if sometimes your ideas are not well fit into my own research because strategies and sources are different in differen places. But you encourage me to keep going all the time. I know for your vids that it's been a difficult time for you for all that hate and bad feedback you found along the way, but the community is bigger than that and we love you and support you!

[@agwilderman]

for the photos, can you put the caption on the photo?

[@junebutka6571]

I would add the family inventors on the World leaders list.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

To be clear, you mean if you have family members who invented things, you would list them out. I like that idea. I don't have any such relatives, but my great-grandfather published research papers on the spectrometer (which lead to the development of fiber optics). I can see using his published research and the installation of fiber optic cables in my area as a fun part of my story (and those of his other descendants) in addition to his story. Thanks for the idea.

[@Cheneyjoan]

If I was using one, i would put research journey in either a preface or appendix.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

The way I'm picturing what you're saying is that one template becomes one book and the preface/appendix would have the research journey. Am I picturing what you're saying? Or do you have a different picture. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of preface of appendix. Other commenter also mentioned the use of a preface, so it's a great tip. However, they seemed to have suggested using it for either an expanded story or a compilation of profiles. I'm trying to imagine a preface or appendix for one profile if that's what you're suggesting.

[@brigittetheall9187]

@@Cheneyjoan I put mine in the preface where I also Acknowledge any collaboration, or previous printed genealogical work (even if incorrect because disproving is part of the research.

[@stephanieholland5833]

Regarding the surname history/meaning/etc. Don’t do it if the name has more than two or three (max) possible meanings. I did, and the result was that no one knows even now what the name means, and it was a waste of space and printing ink.

[@WriteYourFamilyHistory]

Hee, hee, hee. I can see the confusion and the benefit of your tip. Thanks for watching and sharing!