how to write a family tree essay

9 Tips for Getting Started on Writing Your Family History

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Written by Diane Haddad, unless otherwise noted.

Once you’ve been doing genealogy research for a while, and you have a family tree or a computer hard drive or a filing cabinet with a bunch of notes and old records, you might wonder what to do with it all. Or perhaps you’ve always harbored the dream of sharing your family history, and you’re not sure how.

It’s a hard truth: Few people have much use for an unstructured assortment of documents and computer files. Even folks who are curious about their family history—and that describes most I’ve met—aren’t likely to sort through your research and rebuild the store of knowledge you’ve amassed over years.

If your family research is to live beyond you, you’ll need to do the work of putting it into some shareable, lasting form. That usually means summarizing your finds in writing, maybe enhanced with photos and images of interesting documents. Whether you go all-out with a self-published hardback or just pass out stapled pages at the next family reunion, you’ll create a legacy—a framework others can use to understand your family’s story and the genealogical evidence you’ve gathered.

We can’t promise the project will be a breeze, but we can promise it’ll be easier when you follow these tips and use our handy organizing worksheet.

1. Know Your Purpose

Before you begin, it’s important to know what you hope to accomplish with this writing project. Do you want to summarize all your research, share your family legacy, pass down the stories Grandpa told, tell how your family fits into local history, share the story of an ancestor or family you admire, celebrate your ethnic heritage, or something else?

A strong focus makes the project more manageable, says Sunny Jane Morton, author of Story of My Life . “A small, finished project is better than a three-volume tome that exists only in your dreams.”

Need help narrowing the scope? Morton advises looking at your research for the most compelling story or interesting person. Author Sophia Wilson, who penned an 160,000-word history of her family, started her project by writing as many family stories as she could think of, then turning them into short biographies of the people involved. She wrote every day for at least 15 minutes, but sometimes for hours at a time. Taken together, those biographies served as the starting point for her project.

Alternately, you could choose a topic that commemorates an upcoming family milestone, such as your parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Or you might start with whatever is most doable.

Your audience is an important aspect of your goal. For a project just family will see, you might use a casual writing style, refer to relatives with familiar titles (“Great-grandpa Thornton”), and use in-text source information. If other genealogists will read your work in a newsletter, journal or published book, you’ll want a more authoritative style with an emphasis on your research process, and formal source citations in footnotes and source lists.

Think about your audience’s age (or level of maturity), too. Wilson recalls how her research turned up stories that might not be appropriate to a younger audience. “Instead of shifting the focus of my book, I decided that children could simply read the unvarnished truth once they were mature enough,” Wilson says. “Age-appropriate stories could be extracted and adapted for a younger audience, for whom I would also write at a lower reading level.”

“I kept coming back to what I wanted the project to accomplish (preserving and sharing memories for the younger generation) and letting that guide my decisions,” she says.

2. Make a Plan

An outline gives you a framework for building your project, especially if it involves multiple people or a long time span. Make a list of elements you want to include. Don’t worry about organizing the list yet.

Here’s an example for my maternal family history opus:

a family tree of Mom’s family
information about the places the family came from with a map, including why so many immigrated from each place
names and immigration details of all the immigrant ancestors: Henry Seeger, Eduard Thoss, Mary Mairose, Thomas Frost, Edward Norris, Elizabeth Butler, Henry Hoernemann, Anna Maria Weyer, and so on.
where these families settled in the United States, their jobs and their children
Eduard Thoss tavern in Northern Kentucky
info on Cincinnati Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, where so many settled
Dierkes boys in family cemetery plot
Henry Seeger’s cigar store, with photos and timeline, and two babies who died as infants
Thomas Frost/Mary Wolking divorce
Ade Thoss and the Covington Blue Sox
possible family connection to Windthorst, Kan.
death of Elizabeth Teipel Thoss and several of her children
Benjamin Teipel trap-shooting invention and death
Civil War service of Frank and Benjamin Thoss
firefighter Raymond Norris and Newton Tea & Spice Co. Fire
how Grandma and Grandpa met

Your list might cause you to rethink your project scope. For example, I’m seeing that I could divide up my project by family branches, breaking it down into smaller parts (and this is only part of my list).

When you know the topics you want to cover, arrange them in an order that makes sense to you. You could do chronological order, geographical order (group all information related to Germany, all immigration information, all second generation information), family branches one at a time, or some other arrangement. You could opt for a general overview then add several shorter profiles of specific ancestors or families.

Wilson shares how she thought about structure while planning her project:

One option would be maintaining individual biographies, organized in the book by birth year, generation or location. Or I could combine all biographies into a single narrative chronology, or even organize the stories by theme (women, farming, culture, etc.). I opted for the most straightforward and comprehensive order: chronological. With this approach, I gained a deeper understanding of how my ancestors’ lives developed over time, and how one event flowed into another.

Next, create an outline by organizing topics into sections or chapters. Read published family histories for examples. One of my favorites is Family by Ian Frazier.

3. Say It with Pictures

Pictures and graphs will engage your readers, help them follow complicated lineages and show what you’re talking about. “Plan as you go which pictures, documents, maps, charts and genealogical reports will best illustrate your narrative,” Morton advises.

Depending how many photos and documents you’ve found, you’ll want to winnow the options to those from key moments in your family history, selecting those that will reproduce well in the finished product. Consider adding transcriptions for hard-to-read or foreign-language documents.

Keep copyright in mind. If you plan to publish your work (including on a website), get permission from the copyright holder or owner of any images you didn’t create or that aren’t in your personal collection. For a quick read about understanding copyright laws, check out this article .

4. Get Organized and Utilize Apps

Now you’re ready to write. As you work, go over your records for families and people you’re writing about. Wilson developed a filing system that automatically sorted documents by individual. “I created a separate document for every event so I could easily insert new findings, titling each with the event, the date and the location,” she says. “I then grouped the documents into folders, one folder for each year.”

To help you organize source references, add in-text references with the title, author and page or record number in parentheses when you use information from a record, article, book or website. Also create a bibliography of sources as you go. This should include everything needed to find that source again: title, author, publisher or creator (such as the National Archives), publication date and place, website, etc.

Later, when your project is mostly complete, you can keep the in-text references, or number the references and create footnotes (short-form citations at the bottom of the page) or end notes (short-form citations at the end of a chapter). Include the bibliography at the end of your work. For help with source citations, use the book Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical Publishing Co.).

You might have a writing head start if you can pull together blog posts or short essays you’ve already written about your family history. Your genealogy software or online tree might offer a timeline you can follow, or even generate a narrative report for you. For an ambitious project or if you do a lot of writing, you might invest in software such as Scrivener . Additionally, writing apps can help you create an outline, organize and edit your story.

Read: How to Create a Genealogy Source Citation

5. Generate Ideas through Prompts and Research

If you’re still having trouble knowing what to write, try answering the family history writing prompts in a book such as Stories From My Grandparent or from Family Tree Magazine . These will help you flesh out ideas and take your family stories in new directions.

Revisit your research for story ideas, and let what you find in documents inspire you. Wilson consulted books (both digital and physical) about her ancestors’ location and ethnic group, as well as documents on genealogy websites like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. One book on Ancestry.com contained all the church records for her ancestors, some written by her great-great-great-grandfather’s best friend.

Wilson also revisited local histories and newspapers she had found early in her project. “Now that I was further in my research, I recognized more names and better understood the relationships among them,” she says. “People I had dismissed as “townsfolk” turned out to be in-laws and close friends of my lineal ancestors.”

6. Seek Out Help

Look for writers’ groups and classes in your community. From online groups to friends and family members, having a community you can rely on for feedback and encouragement is essential.

Reaching out can also lead to new research finds, important for sourcing the details in your stories. Wilson connected with other family historians, as well as genealogical societies and libraries (who scanned entire chapters of reference books for her to consult). One cousin-in-law even sent her photos and a relevant family keepsake they found on eBay.

7. Begin in the Middle

Don’t let the “how to start” roadblock stall your project right out of the gate. If you don’t know how to begin, just start writing a story you like—maybe it’s about an ancestor’s immigration, military service or venture to the wrong side of the law. The words will flow from there.

“My goal wasn’t perfection, just to get memories on the page,” Wilson says about her first step of writing family biographies. “I didn’t waste time checking spelling and grammar—that would come later.” An interesting or dramatic event is often the best way to begin a story, anyway. Remember, you’re not carving in stone: You can always rearrange things later.

8. Write Naturally

If you’re writing for relatives, pretend you’re telling your family story to a friend. If you’re writing for a publication, tailor your work to that publication’s style.

Wilson had to wrestle with how to balance facts she found in her research with storytelling. “I thought of how much I hated history class growing up—all those names-places-dates to memorize, and no story to latch onto,” Wilson says. “I resolved to … strive for historical accuracy without resorting to the dry tone of a textbook.”

9. Take Your Time

A deadline can motivate you, but give yourself plenty of time. You want this project to add fulfillment to your family research, not cause stress. Start now and work on your writing project a little at a time, once a week or every evening if you can manage it. Imagine where you’ll be a year from now.

A version of this article appeared in the December 2018 issue of Family Tree Magazine , written by Diane Haddad. Sophia Wilson’s article on the steps she took to write her family history narrative appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Family Tree Magazine .

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Examples of Family Tree

Categories: Family History

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Published: Mar 13, 2024

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Understanding family history, impact on personal identity, preserving family legacies.

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Family Tree and Its Importance Essay

A family tree is a representation of the lineages of a particular family mainly consisting of relatives stretching as far as possibly establishable by the family. A simple family tree would basically constitute of great grand parents, grand parents, parents, siblings, cousins and so on.

With the continued complexity of modern livelihoods, development professionals in all cadres of work have opted for more details that should be included in family tree so as to be of more use (Adams, 2009). This is the basis upon which such variances of family tree as family medical tree have been suggested and used in the medical field for keeping medical information for specific families.

This is important especially considering that there are some medical cases that are genetic and therefore follow through the family. Knowledge of this medical consideration is important and can be used for treatment and preparedness of persons in that family (Halsey, 2009). This paper talks about family medical tree by considering specific questions of interest and giving short synoptic briefs about each question as discussed below.

Why is it important to know your family medical history?

Knowledge of family medical history is important particularly for specific medical conditions that are genetic and therefore run through given families.

This knowledge helps in the better treatment and handling of medical conditions within the family. It helps for medical practitioners to know of conditions in the family that can be inherited or which predispose family members to certain risks (Pisacano, 2009).

Does knowing your family history make you more aware of personal risk factors?

Yes. Knowledge of my family medical history makes me more aware of personal risk factors that I am likely to be exposed to by the virtue of being in my family.

Knowledge of family medical history is further important because certain health related sicknesses are so prevalent in the family and therefore can be passed down to children thereby making me more prone to such sicknesses in the event that there are there. With this knowledge therefore, I can better prepare for some of these cases (Stange, Zyzanski, Jaen, Callahan, Kelly, Gillanders, et al., 1998).

How might being aware of your medical family history help you?

Knowledge of my medical family history has many ways in which it can be of help to me and one of the main areas is to help me in my preparation for my health.

This is important for my current preparation as well as for my future too (Stange, Zyzanski, Jaen, Callahan, Kelly, Gillanders, et al., 1998). In a time and age where insurance policies and providers are flooding the market offering all sorts of services, it is almost paramount for these providers to know some of these conditions so as to better prepare for their services they provide.

Life insurance policies mainly base most of their terms on medical conditions of persons and it is the knowledge of my family medical history that will put me at a vintage point when taking medical covers and other related insurance policies (Stange, Zyzanski, Jaen, Callahan, Kelly, Gillanders, et al., 1998).

In conclusion, family medical history is very important for the families just as much as it is important for national planning and development for countries. This in a snapshot briefly explains what family medical history is and its importance for families and its relations (Stange, Zyzanski, Jaen, Callahan, Kelly, Gillanders, et al., 1998).

Adams, B. (2009). Patient Brochure. American Board of Family Medicine, 5(10), 218- 300.

Halsey, A. (2009). Primary-Care Doctor Shortage May Undermine Reform Efforts . The Washington Post.

Pisacano, N. (2009). History of the Specialty. American Board of Family Medicine, 3 (5), 282- 291.

Stange, K., Zyzanski, S., Jaen, C., Callahan, E., Kelly, R., Gillanders, W. et al. (1998). Illuminating the ‘Black Box. Journal of Family Practice , 46(5), 377-389.

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How to Write Your Family History

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American History
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Choose a Format

Define the scope, set realistic deadlines.

Choose a Plot and Themes

Do Your Background Research

Don't Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

Include an Index and Source Citations

Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University
B.A., Carnegie Mellon University

Writing a family history may seem like a daunting task, but when the relatives start nagging, you can follow these five easy steps to make your family history project a reality.

What do you envision for your family history project? A simple photocopied booklet shared only with family members or a full-scale, hard-bound book to serve as a reference for other genealogists? Perhaps you'd rather produce a family newsletter, cookbook, or website. Now is the time to be honest with yourself about the type of family history that meetings your needs and your schedule. Otherwise, you'll have a half-finished product nagging you for years to come.

Considering your interests, potential audience, and the types of materials you have to work with, here are some forms your family history can take:

Memoir/Narrative: A combination of story and personal experience, memoirs, and narratives do not need to be all-inclusive or objective. Memoirs usually focus on a specific episode or time period in the life of a single ancestor, while a narrative generally encompasses a group of ancestors.
Cookbook: Share your family's favorite recipes while writing about the people who created them. A fun project to assemble, cookbooks help carry on the family tradition of cooking and eating together.
Scrapbook or Album: If you're fortunate enough to have a large collection of family photos and memorabilia, a scrapbook or photo album can be a fun way to tell your family's story. Include your photos in chronological order and include stories, descriptions, and family trees to complement the pictures.

Most family histories are generally narrative in nature, with a combination of personal stories, photos, and family trees.

Do you intend to write mostly about just one particular relative, or everyone in your family tree ? As the author, you need to choose a focus for your family history book. Some possibilities include:

Single Line of Descent: Begin with the earliest known ancestor for a particular surname and follows him/her through a single line of descent (to yourself, for example). Each chapter of your book would cover one ancestor or generation.
All Descendants Of...: Begin with an individual or couple and cover all of their descendants, with chapters organized by generation. If you're focusing your family history on an immigrant ancestor, this is a good way to go.
Grandparents: Include a section on each of your four grandparents, or eight great-grandparents, or sixteen great-great-grandparents if you are feeling ambitious. Each individual section should focus on one grandparent and work backward through their ancestry or forward from his/her earliest known ancestor.

Again, these suggestions can easily be adapted to fit your interests, time constraints, and creativity.

Even though you'll likely find yourself scrambling to meet them, deadlines force you to complete each stage of your project. The goal here is to get each piece done within a specified time frame. Revising and polishing can always be done later. The best way to meet these deadlines is to schedule writing time, just as you would a visit to the doctor or the hairdresser.

Choose a Plot and Themes

Thinking of your ancestors as characters in your family story, ask yourself: what problems and obstacles did they face? A plot gives your family history interest and focus. Popular family history plots and themes include:

Immigration/Migration
Rags to Riches
Pioneer or Farm Life
War Survival

If you want your family history to read more like a suspense novel than a dull, dry textbook, it is important to make the reader feel like an eyewitness to your family's life. Even when your ancestors didn't leave accounts of their daily lives, social histories can help you learn about the experiences of people in a given time and place. Read town and city histories to learn what life was life during certain periods of interest. Research timelines of wars, natural disasters, and epidemics to see if any might have influenced your ancestors. Read up on the fashions, art, transportation, and common foods of the time. If you haven't already, be sure to interview all of your living relatives. Family stories told in a relative's own words will add a personal touch to your book.

Don't Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

Photos, pedigree charts, maps, and other illustrations can also add interest to family history and help break up the writing into manageable chunks for the reader. Be sure to include detailed captions for any photos or illustrations that you incorporate.

Source citations are an essential part of any family book, to both provide credibility to your research, and to leave a trail that others can follow to verify your findings.

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Essay Editor

How Should I Go About Writing My Family Essay?: Examples and Tips

Family is an integral part of every individual's life. Delving into the intricate layers of family relationships and dynamics can yield a captivating essay. Here's a comprehensive guide with examples and tips to guide you through the process.

What Topics Should I Write About for My Family Essay?

Choosing the right topic is essential. Here are some suggestions:

Writing a Family Tree Dive into your roots! A family tree can be more than names and dates; it can narrate stories of ancestors, their challenges, achievements, and legacies. For instance, "When I looked into our family tree, I discovered that my great-grandfather was a sailor who traveled the world and had countless tales of adventures, some of which have become legendary bedtime stories in our family."

Describing My Family in My Essay Discuss each family member in detail. "My sister, with her fiery red hair and matching temper, is the exact opposite of my calm and analytical brother. Yet, when they come together, they create the most amazing music, with him on the piano and her singing."

Writing About a Personal Memory Share a poignant memory. "I remember the time when our cat, Whiskers, went missing. The entire family turned detectives overnight, searching for clues, putting up posters, and even setting up a 'cat trap' with her favorite treats. The adventure ended with Whiskers found sleeping peacefully in the neighbor's shed, unaware of the chaos she had caused."

Dos and Don’ts When Writing a Family Stories Essay

Be authentic.
Use vivid descriptions and dialogues.
Respect privacy; ask permission if sharing personal details.
Avoid making generalizations.
Refrain from being overly negative or critical.
Don't plagiarize; every family's story is unique.

Customize your content with our AI rewrite tool, where each word counts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good hook for an essay on my family? As Tolstoy once said, 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Our family, though, has found its unique shade of happiness.
What should I include in an essay about me and my family? Descriptions of family members, memories, traditions, challenges, and lessons.
How should I start an essay all about my family? Every time I think of the word 'home,' an image of our old cottage, Sunday dinners, and loud family debates comes to mind.
How long should my essay about my family be? Length depends on the requirement; academic essays typically range from 500-1000 words, while personal essays can vary.
How do I make my family essay engaging? Incorporate stories, memories, and emotions.
Is it okay to discuss family challenges in my essay? Yes, but be sensitive and respectful.
Can I add humor to my family essay? Yes, as long as it's in good taste.

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Family tree

How to Make a Family Tree: Step-by-Step Guide & Online Tools

Daniella Levy

How to Make a Family Tree: Step-by-Step Guide & Online Tools

Making a family tree is the first, foundational step on the journey to discover your family history. As you explore and enrich your knowledge about your family’s past, the family tree becomes the backbone of your research, enabling you to plot out and understand the relationships between your relatives.

MyHeritage makes it a breeze to start building a family tree. Try it now!

Family trees can take many different forms, and how you choose to make one depends on your goals. In this article, we’ll discuss creating a family tree for genealogical research purposes.

How to draw a family tree

Before you begin sketching out the tree, it’s a good idea to write down the names of the people you wish to include in the tree. This will give you an idea of how big the tree will need to be and how to map it out.

When you’re ready to start drawing your tree, start with yourself: write your name towards the bottom of the page, leaving room to add your own kids and grandkids if you have them. You might like to add a birth date and place as well.

Next, add your parents’ names and details above yours. Typically, the father is placed on the left and the mother on the right, but it doesn’t really matter, as long as the order is consistent throughout the tree.

The lines on a family tree indicate the different types of relationships. A horizontal line connects people from the same generation, while a vertical line connects parents to children. A solid line drawn between two individuals indicates a marriage, while a dotted line indicates a divorce or separation.

Draw a line between your parents. Then, draw a vertical line to you from the line connecting them. If you have siblings, add their names next to yours, and draw a horizontal line above your names, then vertical lines to connect each of your siblings. At this point, your tree will look something like this:

Now add parents and siblings for each of your parents the way you did for yourself: your grandparents above each of your parents with lines connecting them to each other and to their children. Repeat this step for additional relatives to fill out the tree.

As the tree grows, you’ll quickly find that things start to get complicated: how do you fit in all your uncles and aunts with their spouses and children? You may need to start over a few times to find the right format to fit all the family members you wish to include in your tree. Even so, as soon as you expand the tree to include more than 3 or 4 generations, or cousins of increasing degrees, you’re eventually going to run out of room on the page.

At this point, you’ll want to consider building your family tree online.

There are many advantages to building a family tree online. An online tree is kept safe and accessible from anywhere, and you can print as many copies of it as you like. It’s also much easier to edit and add to your tree online, because space on the page is no longer an issue. You can even create full, detailed profiles of each family member, including photographs, historical records, stories, and more. Additionally, when you build a family tree online, you can share it and collaborate with family members. Family tree building websites like MyHeritage also offer advanced features that help you find new relatives, discover historical records that mention your ancestor, keep your family tree free of errors, and more.

To get started, visit myheritage.com and sign up.

How to start a family tree online with MyHeritage

When you sign up for an account on MyHeritage, you will be asked to enter your name and birth date as well as the names of your parents. Once you create your account, you’ll be prompted to enter details on each of your grandparents. Together, these 7 individuals (you, your two parents, and your 4 grandparents) constitute what we call the “magic 7”: the core family tree unit from which you will build out the rest of your tree.

Why “magic”? Because once you enter the basic details of these 7 individuals, our algorithms will very likely already be able to find Smart Matches™ for you, which will allow you to add details to your tree and even additional profiles from other trees on MyHeritage that include these individuals. You may also start to receive Record Matches with historical records on MyHeritage that mention those individuals.

Where do you go next? That depends on your goals. You may want to add profiles for other first-degree relatives, such as spouses, siblings, and children, and build out to include uncles, aunts, and cousins. The more detail you add, and the more profiles you add to your tree, the more likely you are to receive Smart Matches™, Record Matches, and Instant Discoveries™ . You can also add profile photos for each family member, or scan and upload family photos and tag your family members in them. You can even use the MyHeritage photo features to repair, animate, enhance, or colorize old family photos.

Using different family tree formats

The traditional family tree format — the one with the horizontal and vertical lines connecting the different generations that we started sketching above — is the default format on MyHeritage, called “Family view”:

Family view screenshot on MyHeritage - how to make a family tree

There are additional format options, however, that have their own unique advantages. MyHeritage offers three additional views you can use when building and working with your tree.

Pedigree view

In this format, the root individual appears on the left side of the screen, and each generation of direct ancestors appears in a new column on the right:

This view is particularly useful when focusing on an individual’s direct ancestors, because it cuts out all the “noise” of the other relatives, and is more compact, displaying more generations over a smaller area.

Fan view is similar to Pedigree view in that it only includes direct ancestors and can display more generations over a smaller space, but this time it features the root individual at the bottom center of the screen, with generations of ancestors arranged in arches radiating out.

Fan view of the family tree on MyHeritage

Using this view, you can also switch to “color mode,” which displays just the root individual with each branch of the family marked in a different color and the associated ancestral surnames on top:

Fan view of the family tree using color mode on MyHeritage

This view simply provides a comprehensive list of all the individuals in your family tree. While this may be less visually appealing than the other formats, it’s a good way to get a bird’s eye view of your tree and use the filter and sort options to focus on certain profiles.

List view of the family tree on MyHeritage

Learn more about using the different tree views in this article: Making the Most of the Different Tree Views on MyHeritage , or the how-to video below:

Family Tree Timeline

The Family Tree Timeline is a unique way to view your family tree on MyHeritage: it allows you to explore how your family history unfolded over time. The Timeline is a visual representation of one individual from your family tree and his or her direct ancestors. The lifespans of these individuals are mapped on the same axis to allow you to see them in relation to each other, which can provide refreshing insights into your family history.

The Timeline shows the ages of your ancestors at various points in their lives: how old they were when they had children, how long they lived, and how their lifespans overlapped with those of other family members, or major world events.

Learn more about the Family Tree Timeline here: Exploring Your Family Tree Timeline

PedigreeMap™

PedigreeMap™ is another unique MyHeritage feature that allows you to explore your family history from another angle: this time, from a geographic perspective. PedigreeMap™ plots important events from your family tree on a map of the world, allowing you to visualize the places that play a role in your family history.

Learn more about using PedigreeMap™ here: How to Use PedigreeMap™

How to make a family tree chart

In addition to the basic tree building functions and the different tree views, MyHeritage offers a free feature that allows you to create a customizable, beautifully designed tree chart that you can share as a PDF or print and frame.

Using the chart feature, you can select from 8 different chart formats and either choose from dozens of preset styles or customize the design with the colors, fonts, background images, and design elements you prefer. You can also choose how many generations and how much information about each individual to include in the chart.

Once your chart has been generated, you can download it as a PDF to print at home or send to a local printing service. If your chart is larger than a standard printer page, you can choose to download it as a multiple-page image, which you can then print and piece together.

To get started building your chart, visit your MyHeritage family site , hover your mouse over the “Family tree” tab in the navigation bar, then select “Print charts & books.”

Learn more about creating a family tree chart on MyHeritage here: How to Make a Family Tree Chart or Book on MyHeritage

How to build a family tree website

Building a family tree on MyHeritage automatically creates a family tree website that you can use as an online meeting place for your family to work on your tree. No expertise or technological know-how is necessary! You can invite family members and set permissions so they can add comments and photos and/or edit details in your tree. You can also use your family site to keep track of upcoming events in your family such as birthdays and anniversaries, and even plan family events and send greetings to family members who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary.

Start building your tree on MyHeritage today!

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How to Make a Family Tree Diagram (+ Examples)

By Daleska Pedriquez , May 26, 2023

Family trees are created to show the ancestry and family history of an individual.

Making a family tree diagram can help you discover things about your past and feel more connected to your heritage.

Learn how to make a family tree diagram in this post and get examples from Venngage as well as a step-by-step guide on how to use our Family Tree Maker .

Want to create a family tree diagram but not sure where to start? Check out our customizable family tree diagram templates to start off on the right path.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a family tree?

4 steps to make a family tree diagram.

5 family tree examples

FAQs about family tree diagrams

A family tree is a diagram that traces a person’s lineage by showing their ancestors and the generations of families that were built throughout the years.

Here is an example:

Based on its name, a family tree is structured like a tree, with the individual as the ‘root’ and their parents, grandparents, and ancestors making up the ‘leaves’ one level at a time.

In a family tree chart, lines are used to connect family members and portray their relationships. Each family member is represented by a shape like a box or a circle with usually their photo inside.

What is the history of making family tree diagrams?

Genealogy or the study of families was the earliest form and application of family trees.

Historically, in Western civilizations, family trees, also known as genealogy charts, were used to depict the ancestry of kings and nobles and verify their claims to royalty and power.

Family trees were maintained for years on end. The family tree of Confucius, for example, is already 2,500 years old and is recorded as the world’s largest family tree with 2 million known descendants.

Today, a genealogy chart is no longer just for aristocrats and important people, but for everyone to record their family history and maintain their family tree.

Should you create a family tree?

If you would like to know more about your family or you want to start recording your family history, then you should definitely make your own family tree.

It is also a great way to find out how your family story relates to important historical events.

More importantly, a family tree can help you identify genetic traits and conditions that run in your family. These are often referred to as genograms .

Related: 10+ Genogram Examples (and How to Create Them)

To start creating your family tree diagram, simply follow these steps:

Step 1: Research and prepare information

The first thing you need to do before you start drawing your family tree is to gather information about your family. You can check official birth records and DNA test results or simply talk to a relative or any member of your family who has knowledge about your ancestry.

The first thing you need to do before you start drawing your family tree is to gather information about your family. In addition to checking official birth records and conversing with relatives knowledgeable about your ancestry, considering DNA testing can provide profound insights. For those of Asian descent, you can discover your Asian heritage with these DNA tests , offering a detailed exploration of your ancestral roots.

Depending on how much information you will be able to acquire, it should help you determine how big and how detailed you want your family tree to be. Decide on how many generations you want to include and what information you will display for each family member, such as maiden name, year of birth, and role in the family.

Step 2: Draft your family tree drawing

To draw your family tree, start with a box representing yourself or the ancestor you want to begin with. Family trees can be diagrammed either from the top, bottom or horizontally as long as the root will always be yourself.

Here is an example of a family tree that’s drawn horizontally:

Blue Simple Family Tree Diagram Template

Add more boxes until all your family members have been included. Instead of drawing by hand, save time by using an intuitive design tool like Venngage’s Family Tree Maker to create your family tree. It is specifically made for both designers and non-designers alike so it is extremely easy to use.

Venngage’s Family Tree Maker can help you better visualize your family tree through its user-friendly editor with drag-and-drop features. It allows you to change and connect shapes, add labels, and edit colors and other design elements in a matter of seconds.

Venngage also has dozens of free diagrams and templates that you can customize to make the process even faster and easier.

Step 3: Label the leaves of the tree

Most family trees usually outline up to four generations only to make them easier to understand. That said, make sure that family members and their relationships with each other are clearly illustrated by labeling each box or ‘leaf’ correctly.

Indicate names and roles and any additional information you think may be relevant. Use lines to display relationships between spouses and connect parents with direct descendants like children and grandchildren.

Step 4: Design your family tree diagram

Now, this is the part where you enhance and finalize your family tree. Use family photos to add faces to the people you are trying to introduce with your tree. Color-coordinate shapes, lines, or labels to group generations, differentiate deceased from living relatives, and create a distinction between different relationships.

To make your family tree more attractive and engaging, you can design it with icons, graphics, illustrations, or backgrounds – all of which are provided for free in Venngage’s library. You can also make use of a family tree softwar e to streamline research and access to valuable resources.

Venngage also has a business feature called My Brand Kit that enables you to add your company’s logo, color palette, and fonts to all your designs with a single click.

For example, you can make a family tree diagram template reflect your brand design by uploading your brand logo, fonts, and color palette using Venngage’s branding feature.

Not only are Venngage templates free to use and professionally designed, but they are also tailored for various use cases and industries to fit your exact needs and requirements.

A business account also includes the real-time collaboration feature , so you can invite members of your team to work simultaneously on a project.

Venngage allows you to share your family tree online as well as download it as a PNG or PDF file. That way, your design will always be presentation-ready.

5 Family Tree examples

Here are some family tree examples for inspiration that you can use to create a family tree:

1. Simple family tree

This simple family tree template has a distinguishable tree-like shape and features such as branches and colors. It is editable in Microsoft Excel and Word.

2. Ancestry family tree

If you want a unique and more effectively illustrated family tree, this is the template you’re looking for. It has a horizontal layout with the starting point placed in the middle and extending to the left and right to better display ancestors from both sides of the family:

3. Blank family tree

For a more organized and unified family tree, this template is what you should use. It focuses on the structure of the tree and the arrangement of its parts through clearly defined connections and allotting only small spaces for each family member:

4. Graphic family tree

Here’s a template that you can use if you want to represent family members with icons or graphic illustrations instead of photos. It also uses roles as labels instead of names, which is more effective at portraying relationships.

5. Four generation family tree

Last but not least, here’s a perfect example of a family tree that depicts four generations of family members. If you want your family tree diagram to focus on distant relatives instead of immediate family members, then this template will come in handy:

How can you make a family tree diagram with Venngage?

Venngage’s Family Tree Maker lets you create a family tree diagram in 4 simple steps:

Sign up to create an account and use the Family Tree Maker for free
Choose a free template from Venngage’s Templates library
Edit the template to create new shapes, reconnect the lines, add labels, and upload your own images or choose free stock photos and graphics from our library
Download your family tree as a PDF or PNG file or share it online with your family and friends

Is there a template for a family tree?

There are many family tree templates available online. However, using Venngage’s templates means you can also use the smart editor for free and not have to download or purchase a graphic design software just to edit a template. Venngage also offers a Genogram Maker .

How do you start a family tree online?

You can use a variety of online design platforms and software to create a family tree but they may require you to purchase plans and templates. Fortunately, Venngage is a free tool and has free templates to help you create a family tree without any restrictions.

What program do you use to make a family tree?

When it comes to creating a family tree, you have plenty of options including traditional tools like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. Check out this blog for the top family tree software picks.

However, if you’re looking for a user-friendly and visually appealing experience, consider Venngage! Venngage provides customizable family tree templates , allowing you to personalize and showcase your family connections with ease. The easy-to-use interface simplifies the process, making it easy for anyone to create a unique and engaging family tree.

Create a family tree using Venngage’s Family Tree Maker to better visualize family relationships

Making a family tree diagram can help you learn about your family history and understand the connections between family members. Use Venngage’s Family Tree Maker to create a well-defined family tree.

Family History Narrative

A little more than a decade ago, genealogists like me started to get the hang of nonfiction storytelling. This might not sound like a big deal, but it marked a significant change in the field: professional genealogy, after all, is dominated primarily by those of us who conduct research, provide clients with research reports and produce family tree charts. Until fairly recently, genealogists who published research results for clients or for themselves assembled facts into what we call “compiled genealogies”—tomes reciting only names, dates and places: “Delia Gordon was born 29 April 1860, Ardvarney, County Leitrim, Ireland; died 19 April 1925, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Conn.; married about 1886, likely in America, David Norris. They had the following children. . . .” These books were intended as references, so readability wasn’t an issue.

Then, in 1976, Alex Haley published “Roots,”a fictionalized version of his ancestry. Prior to that, having a genealogy traced was primarily for the status-conscious, those wishing to prove descent from America’s founding fathers and Old World gentry and royalty. Haley’s work sparked an interest in genealogy for the common person, descended from everyday, working-class folk. Haley also inspired genealogists to consider writing family history in the same storyteller fashion—while keeping the narrative true to the documented facts.

Early attempts in the 1970s through most of the 1990s often read like “Who’s Who” biographical sketches. Writers presented life events—beyond being “hatched, matched and dispatched”—chronologically: “Between 6 June 1900, when the 1900 U.S. federal census was taken, and the fall of 1901, David and Delia Norris and their children returned to Ireland. Then on 6 November 1901, the family came back to America on the ship Oceanic, sailing from Queenstown on 31 October 1901.” Readable, perhaps; interesting, no.

With more clients requesting compellingly told, factual family histories, a few professionals looked at what literary journalists and other creative nonfiction writers were doing. How were authors like Gay Talese, John McPhee and Joan Didion crafting life stories about people? How did they bridge gaps that remained after researching and interviewing? More important, where and how did they draw the line between fiction and nonfiction?

What emerged in the late 1990s was a genre a colleague and I dubbed “family history narrative,” a nonfiction story about ancestors’ lives. Rather than a cradle-to-grave approach, these narratives began with a dramatic event or life-altering decision in an ancestor’s life, such as leaving the Old Country or the death of a loved one. Some writers also used other creative writing devices—a narrative arc, scenes, imagery and metaphors—to bring an ancestor’s story to life on the page. These days, a few of us professional genealogists make a living turning skeletal names, dates and places into creative nonfiction narratives of ancestors’ lives. To attract clientele and to be able to show an example of their abilities, some professionals began by writing narratives about their own ancestors. This is what I did when I wrote “My Wild Irish Rose: The Life of Rose (Norris) (O’Connor) Fitzhugh and Her Mother, Delia (Gordon) Norris,” the story of my maternal Irish ancestry.

Most family histories are self-published, often with a limited distribution to family and to key research repositories such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, the world’s largest genealogical collection. Nowadays, many such histories are self-published through print-on-demand publishers and are for sale on Amazon or other booksellers’ Web sites. Most genealogical writers and their clients are not concerned about commercial publication or sales, though; their primary audiences are their families, not strangers. Even so, there is satisfaction in well-researched, compelling and fully documented narratives.

John Philip Colletta is another pioneer in melding sterile genealogical facts with creative writing techniques. In his 2000 book “Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath,” he turns his ancestors into “characters” by developing them through their actions as revealed in court documents, newspaper articles and other records. Using land records, county histories and historic maps, he writes descriptive scenes of a given place in time. He begins the story unconventionally, with a prologue that vividly imagines an 1873 event and draws in the reader:

I can see it now, the Ring & Co. store, blazing like a funeral pyre in the swampy desolation of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Through the enormous flames lapping the walls and clawing across the roof, I see the outline of the two-and-a-half story building as though I were standing there, right in front of it, that Tuesday night, March 4, 1873. The heat sears my face and the smoke stings my eyes, though behind me the air is cool and filled with drizzle. . . .

Starting with Chapter 1, however, Colletta steps out of the story, reporting events and making inferences based on his ancestors’ actions and behaviors. He never enters the characters’ minds unless to speculate on what a person might have been thinking or feeling.

Because we genealogists often write about the distant past, with no living memory on which to rely, family history writing projects entail exhaustive research. We seek every potential document an ancestor, his family and his associates might have generated or created. This meticulous fact-finding enables us to write a fuller and more accurate account of an ancestor’s life and to feel comfortable recreating events we didn’t personally witness.

Even then, there is more historical background to uncover, more layers of necessary research. Colletta, for example, did extensive research on his ancestors as well as the historical context for his book, but discovered after it was published (isn’t that always the case?) that he had missed a few details. He painted this scene:

Attorneys, litigants and witnesses exit the courtroom, descend the long iron staircase and step out onto the portico. Lighting a cigar or pipe, or tucking a plug of tobacco inside the lower lip, the men watch the starlings poking in the rain-saturated lawn.

Sounds perfectly plausible, doesn’t it? But there’s a wee flaw. Colletta knew from the newspaper account that it had rained on and off during the proceedings. He had visited the Mississippi building where the trial had taken place and had seen starlings on the lawn. But he received an e-mail from an ornithologist who informed him that starlings weren’t introduced into the United States until 1890; the first sighting of a starling in Colletta’s setting wasn’t until the late 1890s, two decades after the event he describes. That is to say, most readers of narrative family histories expect a high degree of historical accuracy, not only with respect to the lives of ancestors but for the historical minutiae, too.

Like most creative nonfiction writers, genealogical writers draw an unbendable line between nonfiction and fiction. If a record or person hasn’t detailed an event that occurred or how something happened, we use speculative wording: perhaps, probably, likely, almost certainly. Peter Haring Judd, the author of “More Lasting Than Brass: A Thread of Family from Revolutionary New York to Industrial Connecticut,” used the qualifier probably, for example, when a person’s identity in records was uncertain: “In 1865, a William Clark was listed in the Minneapolis directory, identified as a grocer and flour trader—occupations in the family tradition. He was probably Julie’s first cousin once removed. . . .”

Genealogical writers also use supposition to fill in research gaps. Speculation isn’t produced simply for the sake of the story, however; there must be sufficient historical evidence to support the assumption that an ancestor likely did or did not do something. For example, in a family history I’m writing for a client, I don’t know for certain that the client’s ancestor Thomas Hillman was at the courthouse in Wise County, Virginia, on the morning of Sept. 2, 1892, for the widely publicized hanging of Talton Hall, a murderer, allegedly of 99 men. Because few in the area would miss out on such free entertainment, however, and because Thomas lived the majority of his life in Wise County and had regular dealings at the courthouse, recording land transactions, I’m almost certain he was there. From eyewitness accounts reported in the newspaper, I’m able to dramatize the scene and to place Thomas at the event, albeit using speculative language.

There are several types of family history narratives. They can be like Colletta’s; he reports as a historical literary journalist, employing numerous creative nonfiction devices: active verbs, scenes and a narrative arc. Or it can be a family biography, like Judd’s book. He writes in the style and voice of a traditional biographer, with less attention to making the prose pop on the page: “George was not an innovator like his father, nor was he mechanically minded. He slipped into the management of the family businesses and worked under his father for nearly 20 years. . . .”

Julie Foster Van Camp’s family history narrative, “Searching for Ichabod: His Eighteenth-Century Diary Leads Me Home,” might be called a family history memoir. She narrates her personal quest to learn about her ancestor: “The scent of freshly mowed grass seeps into my nostrils. Damp blades stick to my shoes as I walk alone, reading inscriptions, watching the September sunlight ripple across the graves in the pioneer section of Fairview Cemetery.” As a memoirist, she reflects and muses: “Rain pounds on my windshield, like the rat-a-tat of a hammer hitting small nails. Headlights blur my vision. My mind is a muddle. What do I expect to learn by driving across New York that I don’t already know about Ichabod? I feel foolish following his route. . . .”

Writers’ styles and approaches to the material may vary, but what almost all good family histories have in common is meticulous documentation. Genealogical standards require that every fact be cited in an endnote. The field of genealogy conforms to the current edition of “The Chicago Manual of Style” and to guides specific to genealogical records, such as Emily A. Croom’s “Genealogists’ Guide to Documentation and Citing Sources.” Because a genealogy is never “done”—there is always another branch or ancestor to explore—genealogists consider their work as springboards for other researchers. Tomorrow, next week or a decade from now, there might be more records available to supply additional information, or another writer may choose to take a different approach or write about a connected ancestral line. One thing is certain: There is never a lack of ancestors or material for writing family history narratives.

How to Go From Boring to Brilliant Family History Writing

So, you’ve done so much family history research that you’re drowning in facts and you’ve decided – that’s it – I’ve got to start writing some of this up!

Only now you are stuck. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Unless you’re a bit of a Marvin (from Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) you are probably perfectly fine at telling stories. I mean, we tell snippets of stories all the time, whether it’s moaning to the postman about our encounter with a grumpy lady in Tesco’s. Or explaining our Great-Grandfather to our 3rd cousin twice removed. We tell stories daily.

It’s often only when we come to write these stories down that we struggle. We can’t find the “right” words. We lose our voice. We get bogged down in details. We forget about our core story. The thing that made us want to tell it in the first place. We either stare at a blank white page, unable to even start writing OR we write tons of words – read them back and decide we’d like to delete the lot.

In this article, I’ll share some tips that’ll transform your family history writing. I’m not saying you are going to become a world-renowned author. We’re not all JK Rowling. But, when you give your cousin Sue the story about your great-gran, you can be sure she’ll read it, enjoy it and therefore remember it.

Before you start writing your family history, decide your audience.

Sometimes our audience is clear, such as I’m writing this for my children. But, we don’t always have a particular person in mind. You may be writing up your family history for fun, to check for gaps in your research, as ‘cousin bait’, as a blog for fellow genealogists or professional reasons.

That’s fine, but you need to try to imagine who might be reading. Let’s use my blog post on my Woodrow witch ancestor as an example. It could attract unknown cousins, fellow genealogists or person’s interested in family history. It might attract those that like reading true stories.

These readers all have some things in common. They are unlikely to be children. They are likely to enjoy history. Yet, some readers may have lots of family history knowledge, others none at all. I need to ensure I don’t alienate anyone. For example, I use language appropriate to their reading age but without jargon.

Envisioning your audience, their likes and dislikes will help inform your writing.

Decide On The Message For Each Piece of Family History Writing

Your writing doesn’t have to have a deep and meaningful message. But, it does have to have some sort of point. For example, my blog post ‘ Blue Blood ‘ explores my illegitimate ancestor. I wanted to make my research journey clear and to inform readers of the parentage of my ancestor. That was my message. Whereas, my blog post ‘A Hidden Victim of Ripper Mania ‘ had a statement at its heart. I wanted to use my ancestor’s story to explore the effect of constricted gender roles. I wanted to show her story of suicide as a possible consequence of Victorian rigidity.

Regardless of whether your message is divisive, exploratory or informative, decide it before you start. Don’t let it get lost or diluted. Keep checking on your message. Are you getting to the point? Is it clear?

Set A Plan & Avoid Tangents

Before writing your family history make a plan. Exactly which ancestors are you going to cover? Over what time? Who will you start with? How will you break up their story? How does this plan work with your decided audience? Where will you show your message?

Setting a plan will give your writing structure. It’ll ensure you cover all the points you want to explore. It’ll ensure your message comes through. It’ll help you weed out or avoid random tangents.

Odd pieces of off-topic text can be very distracting. It’s easy to fall into a trap of including things because they are ‘interesting’. This is an error. Adding random pieces of content dilutes your story. It starts to feel rambling and the message becomes lost.

Writing Your Family History

If you can't write it, say it.

One of my favourite writing styles, especially for short stories, is ‘conversational’. I like to feel like the writer is sat next to me, sharing their tale over a cuppa. That’s not always easy to emulate. So cheat! Record yourself whilst you explain the story.

Try telling your family history over writing your family history

You don’t need anything fancy to do this. Download the free app Otter ( Google Play or Apple Store ) onto your phone. This nifty programme will listen to you talk and convert your words into text. It’s not perfect but its accuracy is impressive.

Next, take that speech-to-text and edit it. Use it as a starting point and build upon it.

Pay special attention to the words you use or turns of phase. This is your real voice. Use those phases in your family history writing to make it feel more authentic.

Use Endnotes or Footnotes to separate your family history writing from sources

You don’t have to put all your details within the body of the text. I have read a lot of family histories that start like this:

“My ancestor, John Brown was born on 5th June 1857. He was christened on 10 June 1857 in St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke. His older brother, Thomas was christened on the same day. Thomas was born on 20th March 1855.”

Family history writing doesn't have to list facts

For an instant win, try putting some of those details in footnotes or endnotes, alongside any source information. Doing so transforms our sentence, to something like this:

“John and his older brother Thomas were both christened in the summer of 1857 at St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke.”

Bring Your Family History Writing To Life

Reading a list of facts is boring. We need details to help spark our imagination. Writing family history is challenging because we need both accuracy and imagination.

Let’s look at our 1857 christening example. It took place in the summer and it’d be easy to presume that the weather was hot. We need to check though! That June may have been infamous for its terrible weather.

Light up your family history writing with details

Our example took place in a church. We may look at a photo of that stone building and presume it looked the same way in 1857. Again we need to check. What if the church flooded that year? What if the building we see today is a replica?

Once we’ve got our confirmed details though, we can use them to create texts rich in detail:

“Summer 1857 was hot and the parishioners of St Michael’s Church must have felt relieved to sit within the cool of the church’s thick stone walls. On 10th June the Brown family filled the congregation. A generation of bottoms squashed into the tiny pews. I imagine the new Brown babies (Thomas and John) cried as the icy holy water splashed onto their foreheads. Three years before them, a daughter had been baptised using that same deep stone font. Her little bottom was missing from the row of Browns that watched the ceremony. Perhaps her mother, Elizabeth was thinking of her as she hushed her son’s bawl…”

Find The Right Words

Successful authors tend to have a fantastic vocabulary. Reading widely can help you to expand your own. But, you can also use a thesaurus to aid you – especially if you find you are using the same words repetitively. There are loads of free thesaurus’ online.

It is also worth bearing in mind that old adage, “show not tell”. If you find your text is full of adjectives (describing words) then start pruning them! Replacing those adjectives with strong nouns can actually enhance your writing.

I recommend reading “ Kill Your Adjectives “. It really explains this concept in much more detail and gives some great examples.

Use Tech To Help With Grammar

Even the very best of writers make mistakes. That’s why they have proof readers and editors. Now, whilst using a real-life person is always best, that’s not always possible. So, use apps to try to fill the gap. Hemingway is a free editor. Type in your text and using various colours, it’ll highlight sections that use a passive voice or are hard to read. It’ll point out your use of adverbs too. Fixing these errors will lead to better writing.

Other apps that can help include, Grammarly (a free app or chrome extension). It will point out all your spelling and grammatical errors. Underlined. In red. I hate it. I love it. It’s one of those kinds of relationships.

Editing and Proof-Reading

Apps aside, nothing beats a human eye on your work. In an ideal world, once completed, put your writing away. Leave it for at least a couple of weeks before you pick it up and start editing. Then finally hand it to someone else to read. Proof-reading is a talent. It’s why people get paid to do it! So, do what you can. Pass it to who you can. Don’t beat yourself up if 3 months later you look at it again and there’s an apostrophe in the wrong place.

Enhance Your Family History Writing

An image is worth 1000 words.

Those of us writing up our family history today have a huge advantage over our ancestors. We have the mighty power of the internet. Within seconds we can have access to quality photographs to add to our work.

Use images to “back up” the detail you’ve written or to separate large pieces of writing. These don’t have to be images of your ancestors. Use photos of buildings, maps, artwork, newspapers. Mix it up!

On a practical note, ensure you are not breaking any copyright laws. On Google Images select Settings-Advanced Search and filter by ‘Usage Rights’ to find images marked as shareable. Read the different levels of copyright and attribute your images as appropriate. If in doubt, check with whoever owns the image before you use it. If you can’t find someone to ask and are still unsure, then don’t use it. And yes, I know exactly how frustrating that can be!

Geograph is great for free images of places and buildings within the UK. You can also utilise sites like Unsplash , Pixabay and Pexels to find free pictures. Use Canva to curate your own images and text graphics.

Add Charts To Your Family History Writing

Make use of another advantage available to modern genealogists. Create and add family tree diagrams to your text. These not only break up long passages but make the text itself easier to follow. Use charts to explain genetic relationships. Create these either within your family tree package or using Microsoft PowerPoint or Excel, or your Mac or Google equivalent.

Break Up Your Family History Writing

Depending on the length of your family history writing, consider using tools to make it easier to navigate. Very long works benefit from contents pages and indexes. All easily created in Word.

Shorter pieces may benefit from section breaks and sub-headings.

Give It A Title

People make snap decisions about what to read. Give your text the very best chance by giving it a great title. Use the Headline Analyser to see which of your ideas is worth pursuing. Or browse these 100+ blog title ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Do You Enjoy Writing Your Family History Stories?

Writing up your family history should be enjoyable. Be honest with yourself. If writing your family history feels like a form of torture then don’t do it! It’ll come through in your writing anyway. Writing up your ancestors’ lives is not the only method of recording their histories. You could simply do some oral recordings. You could try making a presentation.

Or you could join my Curious Descendants Club! With regular workshops and challenges, this Club is designed to help you write your family history. You can find all the details here, including testimonials from existing members .

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How to write a family tree

Putting together a family tree into a written form can take a lot of work. The editor of the NZ Society of Genealogists Bruce Ralston shares his tips for anyone wanting to have a go.

Ralston says it's good to start small.

"I have increasingly encouraged people to think about taking it in small steps, so write an essay or a biography or a description of a family heirloom, that sort of thing," he tells Jesse Mulligan.

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To start with, reach out to family members, he says.

"That often leads to the lament that 'I haven't spoken to my parents, grandparents before they died'. So much of the interconnecting information is lost along the way. That then requires for the whole process of trying to recreate by using other documentary sources."

Those sources are very diverse these days, he says, rather than just information in Births, Deaths and Marriages much can be found in paper's past or online from family genealogy websites.

Ralston says the genealogical structure considers who the person was, where they existed and what connections they had to others.

He says the majority of written family histories combine genealogical information but it is also an opportunity to be descriptive of people, setting them in the context of their lives and their surroundings.

It's a way to put your own understanding of who you are and where you came from in some sort of order, he says.

"But to that you hopefully should add some questions like why, how and what."

You never know who will end up reading a family history, he says. While the majority will be for family use, if they're published they can be used for historical purposes and end up in collections.

For anyone wanting to take a crack at their own family tree, there's a range of resources available.

Ralston says YouTube is a great resource, as is the public library, and once you've got some information together, the New Zealand Society of Genealogists can help to compile it all.

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Essay about Family: What It Is and How to Nail It

Humans naturally seek belonging within families, finding comfort in knowing someone always cares. Yet, families can also stir up insecurities and mental health struggles.

Family dynamics continue to intrigue researchers across different fields. Every year, new studies explore how these relationships shape our minds and emotions.

In this article, our dissertation service will guide you through writing a family essay. You can also dive into our list of topics for inspiration and explore some standout examples to spark your creativity.

What is Family Essay

A family essay takes a close look at the bonds and experiences within families. It's a common academic assignment, especially in subjects like sociology, psychology, and literature.

So, what's involved exactly? Simply put, it's an exploration of what family signifies to you. You might reflect on cherished family memories or contemplate the portrayal of families in various media.

What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile – you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life.

If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can explore different perspectives and select topics that resonate with various aspects of family life.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

A family essay typically follows a free-form style, unless specified otherwise, and adheres to the classic 5-paragraph structure. As you jot down your thoughts, aim to infuse your essay with inspiration and the essence of creative writing, unless your family essay topics lean towards complexity or science.

Here are some easy-to-follow tips from our essay service experts:

Focus on a Specific Aspect: Instead of a broad overview, delve into a specific angle that piques your interest, such as exploring how birth order influences sibling dynamics or examining the evolving role of grandparents in modern families.
Share Personal Anecdotes: Start your family essay introduction with a personal touch by sharing stories from your own experiences. Whether it's about a favorite tradition, a special trip, or a tough time, these stories make your writing more interesting.
Use Real-life Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples or anecdotes. Draw from sources like movies, books, historical events, or personal interviews to bring your ideas to life.
Explore Cultural Diversity: Consider the diverse array of family structures across different cultures. Compare traditional values, extended family systems, or the unique hurdles faced by multicultural families.
Take a Stance: Engage with contentious topics such as homeschooling, reproductive technologies, or governmental policies impacting families. Ensure your arguments are supported by solid evidence.
Delve into Psychology: Explore the psychological underpinnings of family dynamics, touching on concepts like attachment theory, childhood trauma, or patterns of dysfunction within families.
Emphasize Positivity: Share uplifting stories of families overcoming adversity or discuss strategies for nurturing strong, supportive family bonds.
Offer Practical Solutions: Wrap up your essay by proposing actionable solutions to common family challenges, such as fostering better communication, achieving work-life balance, or advocating for family-friendly policies.

Family Essay Topics

When it comes to writing, essay topics about family are often considered easier because we're intimately familiar with our own families. The more you understand about your family dynamics, traditions, and experiences, the clearer your ideas become.

If you're feeling uninspired or unsure of where to start, don't worry! Below, we have compiled a list of good family essay topics to help get your creative juices flowing. Whether you're assigned this type of essay or simply want to explore the topic, these suggestions from our history essay writer are tailored to spark your imagination and prompt meaningful reflection on different aspects of family life.

So, take a moment to peruse the list. Choose the essay topics about family that resonate most with you. Then, dive in and start exploring your family's stories, traditions, and connections through your writing.

Supporting Family Through Tough Times
Staying Connected with Relatives
Empathy and Compassion in Family Life
Strengthening Bonds Through Family Gatherings
Quality Time with Family: How Vital Is It?
Navigating Family Relationships Across Generations
Learning Kindness and Generosity in a Large Family
Communication in Healthy Family Dynamics
Forgiveness in Family Conflict Resolution
Building Trust Among Extended Family
Defining Family in Today's World
Understanding Nuclear Family: Various Views and Cultural Differences
Understanding Family Dynamics: Relationships Within the Family Unit
What Defines a Family Member?
Modernizing the Nuclear Family Concept
Exploring Shared Beliefs Among Family Members
Evolution of the Concept of Family Love Over Time
Examining Family Expectations
Modern Standards and the Idea of an Ideal Family
Life Experiences and Perceptions of Family Life
Genetics and Extended Family Connections
Utilizing Family Trees for Ancestral Links
The Role of Younger Siblings in Family Dynamics
Tracing Family History Through Oral Tradition and Genealogy
Tracing Family Values Through Your Family Tree
Exploring Your Elder Sister's Legacy in the Family Tree
Connecting Daily Habits to Family History
Documenting and Preserving Your Family's Legacy
Navigating Online Records and DNA Testing for Family History
Tradition as a Tool for Family Resilience
Involving Family in Daily Life to Maintain Traditions
Creating New Traditions for a Small Family
The Role of Traditions in Family Happiness
Family Recipes and Bonding at House Parties
Quality Time: The Secret Tradition for Family Happiness
The Joy of Cousins Visiting for Christmas
Including Family in Birthday Celebrations
Balancing Traditions and Unconditional Love
Building Family Bonds Through Traditions

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Reach out to our skilled writers, and they'll provide you with a top-notch paper that's sure to earn an A+ grade in record time!

Family Essay Example

For a better grasp of the essay on family, our team of skilled writers has crafted a great example. It looks into the subject matter, allowing you to explore and understand the intricacies involved in creating compelling family essays. So, check out our meticulously crafted sample to discover how to craft essays that are not only well-written but also thought-provoking and impactful.

Final Outlook

In wrapping up, let's remember: a family essay gives students a chance to showcase their academic skills and creativity by sharing personal stories. However, it's important to stick to academic standards when writing about these topics. We hope our list of topics sparked your creativity and got you on your way to a reflective journey. And if you hit a rough patch, you can just ask us to ' do my essay for me ' for top-notch results!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay about Family

Family essays seem like something school children could be assigned at elementary schools, but family is no less important than climate change for our society today, and therefore it is one of the most central research themes.

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions on family-related topics. Before you conduct research, scroll through them and find out how to write an essay about your family.

How to Write an Essay About Your Family History?

How to write an essay about a family member, how to write an essay about family and roots, how to write an essay about the importance of family, related articles.

How to Write a Policy Analysis Paper Step-by-Step

How to write up your family history

Family Tree Academy answers: May 2024

28 march 2024.

How to Start A Family History Essay

Outline writing, tips concerning writing a family history essay introduction, how to write body paragraphs, how to write a conclusion for a family history essay, essay revision, essay proofreading, make citations, catchy titles for an essay about family history, short example of a college essay about family history.

How to Get the Best Family History Essay

Buy Pre-written Essay Examples on The Topic

Use edujungles to write your essay from a scratch.

When writing an essay, there is a logical structure you must follow in giving out your arguments. A proper outline will produce an exciting presentation of every section, and it will fascinate the reader. The standard structure of an essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is an excellent example of an outline for a family history essay:

Introduction
Short family background information
Importance of writing about the family
Body (paragraphs)
Family members; grandparents, parents, and children
The community in which family resides
Form of livelihood
Conclusion (a summarizing paragraph)
Restating your contention
Summarize your key ideas
Provide a final comment or reflection about the essay

When writing a presentation about family history, you need to provide a hook to the readers, to make them interested to know much about the family. You can start with facts or anecdotes about grandparents; for example, how they met on the first date and opted to make a family together, you can as well describe the circumstances. You can also provide an insight into a situation by your ancestors that impacted your life experience—the other thing to include in the short background information about your family. Remember to provide a clear and debatable thesis statement that will serve as the roadmap for your discussion in the paper.

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The body paragraphs contain the arguments one needs to discuss the subject topic. Every section includes the main idea or explanatory statement as the first sentence; the primary purpose is a debatable point that you need to prove. The length of a paragraph depends on the accurate measurement of ideas. In most cases, a section has about five sentences; but it can be as short or long as you want, depending on what you discuss. A paragraph has the main statement, supporting sentence(s) with evidence, and concluding sentences. When crafting the body, ensure a clear flow of ideas, connecting from one argument to the other. Transitional words, when used accordingly, can provide a nice transition and flow of ideas from one paragraph to the other. The commonly used transitional words or phrases include moreover, also, therefore, consequently, hence, thus, finally, etc.

A conclusion is as crucial as the introduction; it is the final recap of what your essay entails. The ending paragraph contains three main parts that form a full section. First, remind the audience of your thesis statement and show its relation to the essay topic. Second, provide a summary of the key arguments that you discussed in the body paragraphs. Third, it is advisable to add a final comment or general reflection about the essay. It's important to state that you should use different wording in the conclusion when restating statements and arguments. Also, remember to use signal words at the start of concluding paragraphs like in conclusion, finish, etc.

Revision is an opportunity for a student to review the content in his/her paper and identify parts that need improvement. Some students start revising as they begin drafting their essays. During revision, you need to restructure and rearrange sentences to enhance your work quality and ensure the message reaches your audience well. Revising gives you a chance to recheck whether the essay has a short main idea and a thesis statement, a specific purpose, whether the introduction is strong enough to hook the audience and organization of the article. Also, you check if there is a clear transition from one paragraph to another and ascertain if the conclusion is competent enough to emphasize the purpose of the paper.

Nothing is more frustrating than submitting an essay to earn dismal grade due to silly common mistakes. Proofreading is an essential stage in the editing process. It is an opportunity for reviewing the paper, identifying and correcting common mistakes such as typos, punctuation, grammatical errors, etc. Since proofreading is the final part of the editing, proofread only after finishing the other editing stages like revision. It is advisable to get help from another pair of eyes; you can send the paper to your friend to help you in the same process. There are online proofreading tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway, which you can use to proofread, but you should not only rely on grammar checkers. Remember to proofread the document at least three times.

Making citations is an essential way of keeping references for the sources of content you used. As you are editing, you may make several changes to the document. Do not forget to correctly provide citations for every fact or quote you obtained from other sources. There are different citation formats such as APA, MLA, etc.; therefore, you need to ensure correct usage of quotes depending on the requirement by your professor. The sources you cite present the list of references or bibliography at the end of your essay for easy reference.

Generation to Generation
The Origin of My Family
Our Circle and Family Heritage
A Lifetime of Love
Because of Two Lovebirds, I Am Here
The Family Archives
The Family Ties
Branches of The Family Tree
The Generational Genes
Forever as a Family
It All Started with a Date
Bits of Yesteryears

Would you want to know how it all started until here? My grandpa told me that he met my grandma at a concert where one of the greatest artists was performing during one of the summer holidays in New York City. As he was dancing alone, my grandpa approached a beautiful lady (who would become his soulmate) to ask her to dance together. They later agreed to meet for a dinner date. Our family lives in New York. Undoubtedly, this is the best family, and it's an honor to be part of it.

Every person has two sides within his/her family; my paternal side originates from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Although my great grandfather comes from Canada, my grandpa and grandma live in New York. My grandfather is Afro-American who worked as a bartender, no wonder he loved concerts! My father works as a conservationist for aquatic fauna while my mother works in the bakery. My mother and father met in a supermarket when they were both doing shopping.

Although we live in the same city, my grandparents have their apartment, a distance from ours. We live as a family of five; dad, mum, and three children. As we all live in the same city, we (me and my two sisters) occasionally visit our grandparents during the weekends to spend some time with them; grandpa and I were doing some gardening while my sisters and grandma do cook and other house chores. The bond between our great parents and ours is very excellent.

At Christmas, all my children, mum, and dad travel to our grandparents for a whole week. During the new year, we get together at our house, my parent's house, to welcome the year as an entire family. Sometimes during the weekends, we usually spend most of our time on the beach swimming, except on church days. As a family, our favorite food is deep-fried fish, rice, and vegetables. However, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

In conclusion, the social co-existence between us is excellent, which has created a robust mutual bond for the family. From visiting each other, spending time on the beach, having to get together meals to usher the new year, and celebrating Christmas as a family, the bond keeps growing. I am privileged to be part of such a great family.

How to Get the Best Family History Essay?

Every student would want to produce the best essay possible to earn a better grade. One way of getting information is through previously written materials such as essay samples. Pre-written essay samples have become popular recently among college students due to the vital information they offer. There are several sites, such as Essay Kitchen, that provide pre-written essays on family history at affordable prices. Students can use the essay samples to obtain enough content and idea about paper outline the professor expect; thus, producing a quality article.

Essay writing is a daunting experience for most college students. The academic pressure, coupled with a lot of other activities, makes the whole experience an ordeal. Some students have a lot of responsibilities and find themselves with limited time to handle their academic essays. Consequently, the students use online essay writing service 12 hours at Edu Jungles to write my essay for me at an affordable rate.

Knowing your family history is very important. It enables one to self-discover himself within the society and appreciate the lineage. When you learn about your family's past, you will understand the things you see and experience today. Writing an essay on family history requires a lot of understanding and attention to the aspects you need to describe. The critical factor being family background, then understanding how you need to structure and jot down your ideas.

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Write an Essay about Family: From Introduction to Conclusion

Essay about the Family

Students have to write essays for a variety of goals. Often, students fail when asked to write about simple topics such as a friend, a hobby, or even their family.

It is due to a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of essay writing. Furthermore, few people anticipate that they may have to write such essays.

However, college is not all about research and analysis. Occasionally, students have to write easy essays to evaluate their mastery of the fundamentals. When it comes to style and arrangement, a family essay shares the same characteristics as other essays.

Why is Family a Good Topic for An Essay

Writing a family essay should be straightforward, but you must be well-prepared with the necessary material. Know what to put in your body.

Decide how much personal information about your family you are willing to share.

However, a family essay is both a personal and a narrative essay and can also be challenging.

On a personal level, you talk about your family, and on a narrative level, you briefly narrate your family to your audience.

When writing a family essay, it is important to determine what facts to include and what information to leave out. It keeps you from boring your audience by going into further detail. You should avoid revealing a lot of information about your family.

Think about your place in the family when writing a family essay. Are you the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between? What this means to you and how it affects your family.

You have fun while explaining the family traditions that make you unique. Each family has a tradition that they enjoy observing and enhances their closeness.

Touch on the responsibilities or functions of each member of the family. You primarily discuss the kind of obligations that each family member has based on their age. Finally, explain how the responsibilities are handled and who is in charge of ensuring their fulfillment.

You can bring up family issues such as incompatible marriages and other disagreements that arise in any family.

Explain how your family handles such situations and how you restore communication within the family in a few words. This is a challenging topic to broach, but it is critical to your essay’s success. Do you have any family members of a different ethnicity or some who are not your blood relatives? Do you communicate with your relatives?

Explain your extended family’s relationship with you and what brings you together the most.

Consider your family bonding time. When do you spend time as a family bonding?

Describe how you and your family work together to make special occasions memorable. You can highlight family when writing about people who inspire you.

How to Write an Essay About Family

1. explain your topic about family.

Provide a brief background, context, or a narrative about your topic.

Describe where your subject is right now. Compare and contrast the past with the present. You can also tell a bad story or one that is based on gossip.

Retell the tale or the definition or explanation you provided with an uplifting end.

2. Craft your thesis about the family

Begin your paper with a compelling hook, such as a thought-provoking quotation. It serves to attract the audience’s attention and pique interest in your essay.

You should also come up with a thesis statement that is appropriate for your target audience. The thesis statement serves as a fast summary of your essay’s contents.

The introduction allows you to provide the reader with a formal presentation of your work. The section should stand out to grab the attention of your readers. Alternately, you may give a brief, straightforward explanation of the problem you have will discuss throughout your family essay.

This section also summarizes the approach you use to study the issue.

Moreover, it lays out the structure and organization of the body of the paper and the prospective outcomes. You never have a second chance to make a good first impression, so a well-written introduction is critical.

Your readers form their first perceptions of your logic and writing style in the first few paragraphs of your work.

This section helps in determining whether your conclusions and findings are accurate. A sloppy, chaotic, or mistake-filled introduction will give a poor first impression.

A concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will get the audience to respect your analytical talents, writing style, and research approach. Close with a paragraph that summarizes the paper’s structure.

3. Write your arguments about family

Expand the major themes into individual paragraphs to form the body of your essay. The thesis statement establishes the foundation of your argument. Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that includes a clear and concise explanation as well as details about your family.

This will allow your audience to learn more about you and your family.

Use transition sentences to let your readers know when you are introducing a new point in your argument. Cover each facet of your argument in a different paragraph or section, if your essay is lengthy. You should also logically discuss them, making connections where possible. Support your case by referencing previous studies.

Depending on your topic, you may use existing studies or experimental data, such as a questionnaire for evidence to support each claim. Without proof, all you have is an unsupported allegation.

4. Recognize counter-arguments

Consider the other side of the argument. It enables you to anticipate objections to your perspective, which bolsters your case. Your objective is to persuade the reader to accept the recommendations or claims made in your essay.

Knowing what you are suggesting and how your arguments support it will make it easier to express yourself appropriately.

Make a strong conclusion based on what you have learned so far. It is crucial to conclude your essay by explaining how the evidence you have presented backs up your claim. Also, illustrate how each point adds to the broader argument.

Everything in your paper must support your main point, from the literature review to the conclusion.

5. Cite and reference

Many academically approved citations forms exist, including MLA, APA, Chicago, and others.

You can choose from the popular styles or ask your institution which one they prefer. There is no need to quote information that is commonly known.

Facts and common knowledge have no copyright protection; thus, you can use them freely. Each citation in the text should correspond to the bibliography or reference list at the end of your essay.

What Do You Think About Family

What is your side.

Family should signify a unity of acceptance, joy, love, unconditional sacrifices, and support. It rests on a continuum of resilience and humility from previous, current, and future generations.

what is the other people’s side

Family means something different to each of us, yet it is one of the core values. It starts with respect for and appreciation for others, regardless of their age, where they are, where they came from, how capable, who they love, their experiences, how healthy they are, etc.

Community, sisterhood, and brotherhood are all aspects of family.

9 Examples of Essay Topics About Family

The American Family: Decrease in Family Size and Its Historical Factors
The Impact of Divorce and Separation on Family Relationships
Building Family and Community Relationships
Family`s Factors Shaping Children`s Behavior
Healthy Marriage and Family Relationships
Family History Role in Primary Health Care
Family Happiness Definition and Aspects
Changing Gender Roles in Families
Divorce and Single-Parent Families

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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9 Tips for Getting Started on Writing Your Family History
6. Seek Out Help. Look for writers' groups and classes in your community. From online groups to friends and family members, having a community you can rely on for feedback and encouragement is essential. Reaching out can also lead to new research finds, important for sourcing the details in your stories.
Examples Of Family Tree: [Essay Example], 491 words
Family trees are a fascinating way to explore the history and connections within a family. They provide a visual representation of the relationships and lineage that have shaped an individual's identity. In this essay, we will explore the significance of family trees and their impact on personal identity and understanding of one's heritage.
Genealogy Writing
Family histories can be one of the more creative forms of genealogical writing, as you can include all of the interesting facts about an ancestor's life. The researcher's methodology and analysis is not usually included in a family history- the writing should only focus on the family/ancestor. Family histories are a great way to preserve ...
Create a Family History • FamilySearch
A selection of resources for writing family histories. A guide for writing family histories. This surgeon general's Web site helps build the health histories of family members and ancestors. Books. How to Write Your Personal and Family History—a resource manual by Keith E. Banks. General resource for personal and family history writing ...
Family Tree and Its Importance
A family tree is a representation of the lineages of a particular family mainly consisting of relatives stretching as far as possibly establishable by the family. A simple family tree would basically constitute of great grand parents, grand parents, parents, siblings, cousins and so on. We will write a custom essay on your topic.
How to Write a Family History Project
As the author, you need to choose a focus for your family history book. Some possibilities include: Single Line of Descent: Begin with the earliest known ancestor for a particular surname and follows him/her through a single line of descent (to yourself, for example). Each chapter of your book would cover one ancestor or generation.
How Should I Go About Writing My Family Essay?: Examples and Tips
Writing a Family Tree Dive into your roots! A family tree can be more than names and dates; it can narrate stories of ancestors, their challenges, achievements, and legacies. ... Dos and Don'ts When Writing a Family Stories Essay. Do's. Be authentic. Use vivid descriptions and dialogues. Respect privacy; ask permission if sharing personal ...
How to Make a Family Tree: Step-by-Step Guide & Online Tools
When you're ready to start drawing your tree, start with yourself: write your name towards the bottom of the page, leaving room to add your own kids and grandkids if you have them. You might like to add a birth date and place as well. Next, add your parents' names and details above yours.
How to Make a Family Tree Diagram (+ Examples)
Step 2: Draft your family tree drawing. To draw your family tree, start with a box representing yourself or the ancestor you want to begin with. Family trees can be diagrammed either from the top, bottom or horizontally as long as the root will always be yourself.
Family History Narrative
What emerged in the late 1990s was a genre a colleague and I dubbed "family history narrative," a nonfiction story about ancestors' lives. Rather than a cradle-to-grave approach, these narratives began with a dramatic event or life-altering decision in an ancestor's life, such as leaving the Old Country or the death of a loved one.
Writing Your Family and Personal History • FamilySearch
Getting started by gathering information. Have family discussions with family members. There are friends and family members who are carrying family history around in their heads. Make appointments to talk to them. Record the interviews. Make a commitment to write. Find a specific day and time to write each week, perhaps a Sunday afternoon.
How to Go From Boring to Brilliant Family History Writing
Next, take that speech-to-text and edit it. Use it as a starting point and build upon it. Pay special attention to the words you use or turns of phase. This is your real voice. Use those phases in your family history writing to make it feel more authentic.
How to write a family tree
Putting together a family tree into a written form can take a lot of work. The editor of the NZ Society of Genealogists Bruce Ralston shares his tips for anyone wanting to have a go. Ralston says it's good to start small. "I have increasingly encouraged people to think about taking it in small steps, so write an essay or a biography or a ...
Essay about Family: Definition, Topics & Sample
What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile - you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life. If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can ...
How to write up your family history
For simplicity, it's usually better to concentrate on either your maternal or paternal line. Organise your research notes so that you can decide on a timeframe, the number of ancestors and different themes. Content continues after advertisements. 2. Starting to write up your family history. Before you begin, take a moment to consider your reader.
How to Work in a Collaborative Family Tree
Leave a note or start a discussion on the Collaborate tab in a profile page in the Family Tree. Notice who has been working in the area of the FamilySearch Family Tree where you're looking for more information. You can click any user's name to send that user a message. 3. Strive for Completeness.
How to Write an Essay About My Family History
Importance of writing about the family. Body (paragraphs) Family members; grandparents, parents, and children. The community in which family resides. Form of livelihood. Conclusion (a summarizing paragraph) Restating your contention. Summarize your key ideas. Provide a final comment or reflection about the essay.
PDF WRITING A FAMILY OF ORIGIN PAPER
Writing a Family of Origin (FOO) paper can seem challenging and somewhat daunting. It was the first paper I ever had to write that combined research and personal anecdotes. This can be a confusing balance to strike because it requires switching between informal first person and a more formal, third person research voice. In addition, many
My Family Essay How to Write Essay About Family ️ Examples
Example: My Family and I Essay in 500 words. Family plays an important role in our development. We are not always cognizant of the wide-reaching impact our parents, siblings, and extended family have on us as we grow—for good or ill. So, in this essay, my family and their impact on me is my chosen subject.
Examples Of Family Tree Essay
Examples Of Family Tree Essay. Family Tree While I know a lot about my family background on my mother's side, I know a lot less about my family background on my father's side. My father does not have an extensive knowledge of his family history and can be less than candid about his family background. I do know that my relatives on both ...
Assignment 1 instructions
Assignment 1 instructions assignment tree of life reflective essay in this assignment you will develop tree of life where you draw on the metaphor of tree to ... You can do this by telling us about your family and culture (your roots), your personal and educational journey (the branches and leaves) and end with what you have already achieved ...
Write an Essay about Family: From Introduction to Conclusion
A concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will get the audience to respect your analytical talents, writing style, and research approach. Close with a paragraph that summarizes the paper's structure. 3. Write your arguments about family. Expand the major themes into individual paragraphs to form the body of your essay.
I Tested Three AI Essay-writing Tools, and Here's What I Found
Writing essays can be draining, tedious, and difficult, even for me—and I write all day long for a living. ... Family. School I Tested Three AI Essay-writing Tools, and Here's What I Found ...