So, you’ve made a good start on tracing your family tree and found some fascinating ancestors, what next? Now's the time to (metaphorically) put pen to paper, and write up your family stories. To follow we have steps to help you plan, write and publish your family history.

With our handy check list and step-by-step guide you will probably be pleasantly surprised and find that this seemingly daunting task is very doable - and actually enjoyable. So, grab a 'coffee' and let's begin.

How to write your family history: the check list

• How to plan your family history writing
• Thinking about your audience
• Thinking about the historical context
• Creating a timeline
• What images are available to you? Postcards, documents, maps, your family tree.
• Stuck on where to start writing your family history? Just pick a point
• Starting to write your family history
• Chronology versus themes
• A good example of how to start a family story
• Remember that context
• Keep thinking of your reader
• Include quotations
• Thoughts on possible difficult aspects
• Don't forget yourself
• Your finished family history
• Fact-checking & proof-reading
• Back to images - now is a good time to choose
• Publishing & printing
• Tips to keep helping your reader
• The index
• Sources
• Finding out more

1. How to write your family history - How to plan it

Whether you’re aiming to produce a a series of short accounts, a small booklet or a complete family history tome, the basics are the same: make a plan before you start to write. What elements should your plan include?

• Think about who your intended audience is. This will impact on the extent (ie how long your written piece is) and your voice (colloquial, friendly, aimed at children, or for storage in a repository.
• Consider the context. If you’re writing for relatives, you can stick largely to featuring your own ancestors and their immediate environment, however in most instances (whether your audience comprises relatives or a wider readership), context is important for your story. By including the historical context you will help your readers understand the time period covered more fully. Context can take the form of written coverage of, for instance, major events or developments in the local area, items of national news, or information as to the life experiences of people in particular lines of work for instance.

Timeline tip! You may find it helpful to start drawing up a timeline. On this you can include key dates from your family history, and key dates from local and national history too. You could use Excel, a simple list in Word, or even a large piece of paper to accomplish this.

• What images are available to you? We all know that a 'picture tells a thousand words' and when writing family history material, images are no less important. You may be fortunate to have photographs of the relevant family members to include in your account. What do to if you don't, however? There are many other sources of images which will definitely engage the attention of your reader.

1. Source old postcards of the area, to see it as it was in times gone by.
2. Include historic documents that you have found. Remember that your reader may very well not be as familiar as you are with the records we use for family history, so be sure to include explanatory captions and annotations to help them understand what you're showing them.
3. Maps are always fascinating to pore over and provide evocative clues too, showing for instance how rural an area was in the past, perhaps.
4. Your family tree! Don't forget to include your family tree in your family history writing. If possible you could include the entire tree, or a link to an online version. If not possible, due to space restrictions, then don't worry. You can easily include excerpts from your tree of the relevant people and branches. While you are familiar with your ancestors' names, many of your family members may not be. A tree will help them to keep track of the 'characters' in your account. As with the other images, include a helpful caption to help your readers orientate themselves and understand the way in which they are related to the people shown in the excerpt of the tree.

When choosing images, be sure you have permission of the image owner. Very often images online will state the copyright status. If you're unsure you can always make contact with the owner.

Stuck on where to begin writing your family history? Just pick a point

It may be that you have a family story that you're burning to write. If so, make a start with this. It's your family history, for you to write in the manner and order that suits you.

If you're feeling a little flummoxed as to where to begin, you may decide to tackle the writing methodically. For instance, for simplicity, you may wish to concentrate on either your maternal or paternal line. Alternatively you may wish to concentrate on a particular family line. Or you may wish to start with the most recent generations and work backwards.

You may find it helpful too, to look through your research notes. You may find that doing so will help you decide on a timeframe, a theme and the ancestors or branches to focus on.

Remember that writing up your family history is your project to do in the way that you want. Once you make that start you will find that it gets easier!

2. Starting to write up your family history

Deciding where to start: Before you begin, take a moment to consider your reader. You’re going to be taking the bare facts from certificates, censuses, directories, etc, and weaving these into an appealing account.

A good example of how to start a family story

A good way to start your story is to begin at an exciting moment.

Opening with words such as ‘Alice Hemingway was born on 1 October 1940’ will do little to engage your reader. Instead, a few extra words to put that fact into context could make all the difference: ‘Alice Hemingway made her entry into the world on 1 October 1940, in a busy hospital which was struggling to operate during the London blitz'.

Chronology versus themes - You don’t have to write your family history as an exact chronology; consider whether the tale of your ancestors might be better arranged into themed chapters such as marriage, childhood, working life, etc.

Remember that context - As mentioned above, you could also include details of local or national events to put the lives of your ancestors into context.

For example, say which monarch was on the throne when an ancestor was born, or how many people lived in your home village at the time your great-grandparents set up home there.

Top tip! Keep thinking of your reader! - Remember, not all of your readers will share your enthusiasm for dates, so ‘softer’ details such as local news, popular songs of the time and styles of dress will enliven the text.

Include quotations. You could also include excerpts from sources such as letters and diaries – allowing your ancestors to speak for themselves.

Thoughts on possible difficult aspects... Don’t be afraid to include the ‘black sheep’ among your ancestors – people’s faults and failings are another way of bringing the story to life. IT can also be comforting, realising and remembering that our ancestors experienced difficulties, just as we do today.

Having said that, while there are many benefits of telling a 'warts and all' account, beware of including information which affects people who are still alive and could be upset by the family’s story. Very often the passing of time makes difficult chapters in the family story easier to hear. The right of living people to privacy and respect is paramount, however, particularly if you are writing your family history for wider dissemination, for instance on your blog or published in a family history book or article.

Top tip - don't forget yourself! We mentioned above that one of the places to begin your family story is with yourself. We're mentioning it here again, as many family historians can tend to overlook their own lives. However your chapter is clearly important, for future generations.

3. Printing your finished family history

Fact-checking & proof-reading. Once you’ve completed your story, if possible pass it on to a friend or relative who can check it for grammatical errors.

Back to images - if you've not already chosen your images, now is a good time to. Consider which illustrations would help bring the text to life. Photos, letters, tickets and certificates can all help brighten up the pages and allow your reader to literally picture the family’s story, as to maps, documents and excerpts from your family tree.

Printing & publishing. When you’ve printed your final version, consider depositing a copy with your local family history society, particularly if you’ve included a large number of ancestors, as your work may help someone else researching the same surname.

You may also like to publish it on your family history website, or include excerpts in the life story fields of your online family tree, for instance on Ancestry, or as memories on your Family Search tree. There are numerous ways in which to help to spread and share your family story, both with your known family members, and more distant kin with whom you've yet to make a connection.

Tips to keep helping your reader

• The index: Consider using an index to help readers locate a particular topic. Useful details to include names, places, occupations, events, topics.
• Sources: List your sources. Depending on the formality of your family history, you may have included your source citations as footnotes or endnotes. Alternatively you may have provided a list at the end of your work. Sources will help future researchers to follow up on your research steps.
• Finding out more. Have a ‘further reading’ section for books, blogs etc you found helpful.

Originally published March 2020. Reviewed August 2024.