Writing Your Personal History

 When I was a teenager, I had this feeling that pulled me to do family history. I fought against it because I had other things to do like sports, hanging out with friends, reading, and homework. That pull, however, has never left, and as I embraced the feeling I have found contentment that I didn’t have before. Recently I started to write biographies of my ancestors that didn’t seem to have one. It’s difficult because all I know are dates, places, names, and occasionally an occupation or something similar that was mentioned in a census or death record. This doesn’t make for interesting reading.

While doing the research for these ancestors I found myself thinking how nice it would have been if they had written their own. That’s when it dawned on me that if I wanted my biography to be accurate and fun to read I would need to be the one to write it. So I did some research to get tips on how to write my own life history.  

Decide your audience

What stories you tell in your life history is going to depend on who you are writing it for. If you are writing it for the general public you may not want to include any deeply personal stories. However, if it’s meant for your family, you might add those stories so younger generations can learn from them. 

Write one story at a time

Writing a life history can feel overwhelming. For most of us, there are a lot of years to cover and if you’re anything like me, it’s hard enough remembering what happened yesterday, let alone 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Because of this, my favorite tip was to write one story at a time. Instead of writing your life in chronological order, start with a fun story that you like to share or that other people like to hear. You can then write another story, then another, and so on. If you want it in chronological order just add it where it goes. Writing one story at a time makes the task more realistic and doable. Each story could be a couple of sentences or a couple of pages. Either way, it adds to your overall life history in a more manageable way. Looking at pictures, going through a journal, or looking at a list of questions are great ways to help jog your memories.

Use a personal history template

A personal history template can help you get started on your personal history. It helps you get an idea of what information you might need to include as well as ideas on what you might want to include. Each template is different and has different ideas for you to consider. Some templates are fill in the blank. These write the narration for you and only requires you to input the information. To find a template, just search for one online. I have also created one that you can use called Fill in the Blank Life Story.

Include pictures, maps, and other documents

Who doesn’t love reading books with pictures? Pictures make the story come to life. It brings interest and makes the story more real. If you were looking through pictures and a story came to you, include that picture in your history. If you moved around a lot, consider adding a map so those that read your story can follow your journey. Other documents you might include would be birth, marriage, or death certificates, house or land deeds, military registration cards, plane tickets… the list can go on. Each of these is interesting and helps tell your story.

Write like you’re talking to somebody

Most people don’t like reading cold, hard, facts. They tend to skip over this information if it’s listed one after another without a break. We like to be drawn in and included in the story. If you write like you were telling the story to somebody else it helps bring interest to what you’re saying. It draws them in and makes it relatable and easier to understand. 

Include an index

So what do you do with the information people tend to skip over? An index is a great place to put names, dates, locations, etc. This helps you focus on the story you want to share while still providing the information they need. Some ways to include this information is by adding family group sheets, pedigree charts, and timelines.

Other ideas

Carry a pencil and paper with you. Sights and smells can bring back memories that you want to include in your life history and chances are you won’t be sitting near a computer; you may not even have your phone on you. Write a few sentences down on paper so you don’t forget the memories and stories.

Use a voice recorder. If you are prepared and have your phone or another recording device, make a vocal reminder of the story you wish to share. This allows you to say it how you want it shared and also gives future generations the chance to hear your voice after you’re gone.

Conclusion

There are many different ways to write your personal history. First, figure out who you’re writing it for so you know what stories and information you want to include. After that, it’s just a matter of starting to write. You can use a life history template that you find online to help you organize your thoughts or start by writing your favorite story and going from there. You can use a journal and/or pictures to help you remember certain events. Just remember that no matter what you do, you need to do what’s right for you. It’s your story, and you’re the best person to tell it.

Fill in the Blank Personal History

 2020 was a crazy year!! I had good intentions of keeping up on my blog but with Covid and other stuff going on I got sidetracked. However, I wasn't completely slacking off. I put together a fill-in-the-blank personal life history. Right now it is five pages but I plan on adding to it every now and then. 

My goal was to make writing our personal history as simple as possible. It's written in Google Docs. You're welcome to use it for personal, non-commercial use. Feel free to download it then make any changes to it to suit your different life events. Also, if you have any recommendations I would love to hear them. 

Fill in the Blank Life Story

Beginning Your Research Step 1 – FamilySearch.org

On FamilySearch.org, starting your research is simple.

1. Open your ancestor’s page and look to the right of the screen. You’ll see these drop-down menus: Research Help, Search Records, Latest Changes, Tools, and Print. Some might be expanded some might not. Click on the arrow to the left side of the menu to expand or shrink the options.
2. When you expand Search Records, you’ll see some common databases that you can search through. I always start with FamilySearch. It’s free and it’s easy to attach the sources you find to your ancestor. (Searching through the other databases, such as Ancestry, requires you to have an account to research.)
3. From here you can start opening different sources and comparing it with what you already know. Some things you should compare are birthdates, death dates, spouse, parents, children, and even location.
   
4. When researching women, you’ll usually be searching with their maiden name. Because of this, you may want to refine your search and change their last name from their maiden name to their married name. Census records and death records may not have their maiden names listed. To do this, look to the left of the research screen and click on Refine Your Search.
5. When you find a match, go ahead and attach the source and input any new information onto their page.

Don’t be afraid to look around and click links. This is how you learn the website and find out what is available. However, when saving information or merging people please make sure the information is accurate before making any changes.

Writing a Biography

Now that you have a Family Search account and are a little more familiar with the platform we can start learning and discovering our relatives and finding out more about who they were.

The best way I have found to both learn and teach family history is to try writing a biography of one of your ancestors. This helps you know what to search for and keeps you on track if needed. I've created a Family Biography Outline that you can use in both a Word Document and as a PDF. Just a quick reminder, make sure you write down your sources (I forgot to put this on my outline).

When choosing a person to write a biography about I would recommend choosing somebody who was born around 1830 or younger. The reason behind this is because you will find the records and sources start having more information in them and they will give you better leads for your research.

First, log in to Family Search and find a family member you would like to research or learn more about. To do this go to the Tree tab in the upper left-hand corner. If you look at the screenshot you'll see what it looks like. Number 1 is how you can zoom in or out. Pushing the arrow at 2 will expand your tree. I prefer looking at the Fan Chart. To do this click on 3 and select Fan Chart.

I like the fan chart because it shows you more generations at once so you can choose the ancestor you want to research a little easier. You can choose how many generations back you can see at once by clicking on one of the numbers on the right of Generations. It also shows you their birth and death dates (if there's room).

Go ahead and look through the names, click on their names and information, look to see who has sources and who doesn't. If somebody doesn't have many sources attached they might be good ones to research.

Once you've chosen somebody to write a biography on, print out the outline and start filling it out. If you can't find some of the information that's ok. We'll learn how to research and read sources later.

Becoming Familiar With Family Search

Once you've logged in to family search from your computer you'll see the Family Search homepage. This page provides you with record hints, a todo list for you to create, memories of family members that have recently been uploaded to the database, and a list of ancestors you've recently looked at.

Family Search User Homepage

Let's look at the record hints also known as the recommended tasks (much like the leaves in Ancestry). If you see a blue card next to a name, these are possible sources for you to attach to your tree. These sources could include birth records, census records, and death records. 

OK, so I'm going to go off on a little tangent. Sources are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. They hold the key to proving certain things such as date of birth, date of death, and marriage dates. For example, one of my ancestor's names was Bertinius Bendixson. Some thought he died as a baby and others thought he lived a full life. Everybody kept changing his information or merging him if two people with the same name were created. After going through this a lot we hit a goldmine with sources. There were two children named Bertinius. One died as a baby and the other who was born a year or two later was given the same name and lived a good life. This is why attaching those sources is so important and valuable. 

Getting back on track, looking at these sources can tell you a lot about your ancestors and can lead you to new discoveries and new family. Here's my recommendation, if you're just getting started or it's been a while since you've been on Family Search, look at the recommended tasks. It will help you get a feel of what you can find and things you may want to search for when looking for those ancestors.

You can also do this from any mobile device. Once you've downloaded the FamilyTree app and after you logged in you'll see your tree. You can access the recommended tasks by clicking on the three lines at the top left of the screen then clicking on Ancestors with Tasks on an Android device or clicking on tasks at the bottom of your iDevices (iPad, iPhone...). 

Getting Started With Family Search

Creating a Family History Account

If you're interested in family history, one of the best resources to start with is familysearch.org. This is the resource I use the most when I research or when I want to find information and stories about my ancestors. This resource is completely free to everyone. You don't have to be a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints to use it.

This short video walks you through setting up an account with Family Search using the Family Tree app.

Family Tree App

5 Steps to Setting Up A Family Search Account. 

1. Download the Family Tree app or go to familysearch.org
2. Click "Create Free Account"
3. Add in your personal information: Name, birthdate, gender...
4. Create a username and password
5. Complete your registration by verifying the email address you supplied. 

Once you've signed up you can log in and start adding your family! 

For more information on family history subscribe to my YouTube channel or visit me on Facebook and Instagram!

Family History: It’s More Than Just Names, Dates, and Places

What do you do if you don’t like doing research, but you want to participate in family history? This is a common question. Family history is more than just dates and places. It’s about learning who you are and where you come from. It’s about learning from your ancestors’ experiences and knowing who they are.

View of FamilySearch.org Stories Tab

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So, how do you learn without all the research? Many online family history programs have a place for people to upload stories, write memories, or post pictures. Familysearch.org allows this information to be seen by everybody if the person is deceased. On Ancestry.com the 

View of FindAGrave.com

the person that posted the information can choose if they want the information to be public or private. FindAGrave.com may also have a bio or life sketch on the deceased person. My point is that the information is there, all you need to do is go to your preferred family history website, type in the name of your ancestor and hopefully, (if somebody else has done the research and written or posted a story) start learning.

I would suggest starting small. Some of the bios and life histories can be long and tedious to read. Cut them down into sections. Instead of reading a five to ten-page history, read the first story, start with one paragraph or maybe two and then be done for a while (unless you want to keep reading). You don’t usually eat a pizza in one big bite, you usually eat one slice at a time, one bite at a time.