How to compile your genealogical family history information in the form of a research book or booklet that tells a story of your ancestry.
Once the task of Genealogical research is complete and you are satisfied with your results, the chore of compilation begins. This can happen in many different ways. You may decide to do nothing more than list each ancestor on one of the charts readily available at local libraries, in software programs or online on the Internet. Listing them in chronological order is the most common way to begin, but you may vary from this style working down from yourself to the earliest or starting at the most famous ancestor and working one way then the next. You may decide to combine pictures with the charts. You may also decide that a work such as this deserves to be treated with great respect and follow the form of a well written novel. Should you decide this, you will find yourself attempting to compile your family history into book form.
Should you choose to turn your efforts into a book, here are some helpful pointers and guidelines. First, if you have no desire to write, search the genealogical magazines and you will find many people who will turn your research (for a fee) into a wonderfully bound collection of love. If you love to write then you will have little problem with this task.
Remember, only you can give the true feeling of love to your family's history. It is not hard to compile a family history into book form. First of all it is not like you are attempting to write Roots 2 or Rich Man, Poor Man: Part Two. Your book should begin in the same manner your research began, with grandma, grandpa, etc.
Begin with something as simple as: "This is the story of William Mylles, of Hertfordshire, England, and his descendants. Grandpa Mylles was born in 1324, in Moch Munden, England. I, Thomas Ellsworth Miles, a grandson, was born six hundred and twenty-five years later, January 10th 1949, in the United States. This story is Grandpa Mylles' and mine, because part of this he lived, saw, and was, and part of this I saw and lived, but most importantly all of this I am."
Now from this point you can begin by giving family names and births, places of birth, and occupations. Use any anecdote you may have discovered through your research and any recollections you may have found in family Bibles or letters. Here is a sample of an anecdote: Grandma Sena says, "I knew Grandpa Rebne very well. We only lived a few miles apart. He was so nice to us children. The last time I saw him, he was bed-ridden. He gave someone a key to a chest that was by his bed and told them to give him a sack of candy that was in the chest and he gave us stick candy . . ." Add any pictures you have and include complete family charts for each section. If you cannot figure out how to interlace the charts with the writing, you may view family histories that other people have put together.
An easy way to include a family chart is by adding a line something like this in each of the final paragraphs for each parent: The children of William and Bernice Mylles are:
Or The Issue of William and Bernice Mylles:
Or The direct descendants of William and Bernice Mylles are:
Any of these or any variation will be an excellent method of introducing the family charts for each generation. And be sure to interlace a story, anecdote etc within each generation.
Many family histories contain nothing more than charts. So, do not feel that you must compile some elaborate writing to end your research. Many researchers as you will discover through your research are happier to find compiled histories containing only charts. Others enjoy reading the anecdotes that are interlaced with the dates, names, and places of another's loved ones. And, by the time you have reached this point, you have already discovered that your research is not over, but it is just the first installment.
No matter how you decide to compile your research, remember it is your research. It is a compilation of love between your mothers and fathers for hundreds of years. Let it be a compilation of your love for generations to come. Your ancestors have lived through wars, natural disasters, poverty, prosperity, shame, fame, and now, hundreds of years later, you are capturing all this beauty, all this love, the very fiber that makes your name and your heritage--truly yours.
