How to Create a Family History Book

The classic pedigree chart family tree is of course great for allowing you to see at a glance who your ancestors were while imparting some basic biographical information about them. Realistically however it does not give us the whole story so for that we have to delve deeper into our family history.

Having gathered the information from our research we can start to put it together into a written family history. This can include fascinating information and images that make the information more accessible for members of the family who may not hold the fascination for documents that we genealogists enjoy.

How Do You Make an Engaging Family History Book?

It is important to understand that there is no set parameter for the size of a family history book; it can focus on a single individual, follow a specific family line or encompass a whole family tree. Whatever the scale of the piece the important aspect is to preserve and represent photos, stories and documents that are important to the story.

Visuals are important to making such a document eye catching as paragraphs of details can come across as ponderous and less engaging. Obviously you do need to set the scene and tell the stories but photographs are vital not only to illustrate but to keep the reader engaged.

These can be pictures of ancestors or images of pertinent documents relating to individuals. You can put in small family trees and other graphics which illustrate the connections between the family members included in the history book.

Tips for Engaging Content

Pictures and images should be as clear and crisp as possible. Older pictures may not be very clear so scanning them and using image enhancing software may help you get a better result.

Keep the history short if it is for widespread distribution within the family. Not everyone will be as interested in family history as you may be so they will be looking for the juicy details in a condensed form.

Keep the wording relatable. As genealogists we discover terms that make sense to us but may be a little heady for those who are not researchers. Using too much technical language may make the history book too ponderous for the average reader.

Choose the most engaging and interesting stories. We don’t have to include every detail and often an interesting scandalous story will grab the reader's interest. Some will suggest only using positive stories to give the best possible image of the ancestors but that is of course a personal decision. I would include warts and all stories as this is a more authentic representation of some ancestors.

When laying out the book, keep the information in chronological order to ensure there is no confusion regarding the overall narrative. It is often best to start with the oldest generation and work forward in time. This allows for a second volume at a later time that includes the newer generations.

Intersperse the text with images so that the reader is not reading a vast quantity before coming to an engaging image that adds context to what they are reading.

Use engaging layouts and colors to make the piece stand out.

Steps to Create a Family History Book

Gather the Stories and Pictures

The most obvious place to start in forming your family history book is to gather the family stories, research findings and pictures together. As mentioned in the tips you should look to get a collection of pictures of ancestors, research graphics and document images.

When it comes to the stories that you gather from family try and make sure they are accurate to how they were first relayed to you. This is why I always advise recording family interviews on audio files when possible.

You will know which of your ancestors you are going to focus on so make sure you have all the important images and stories for those you intend to include ready at hand for the creation of the book.

Choose Your Book Type

As mentioned there are various types of family history books and it will depend on the scale and scope of the information you have collected as to the most suitable. Additionally if there is a special reason such as a relative's birthday for which you are creating the book you may have particular needs.

As a special gift the best method might be a lay flat photo album or hardcover photobook. The lay flat offers a book that has no seams and a handcrafted appearance. A hardcover photo book is not as decorative so is suitable for a more casual gift. It also offers a higher potential page count.

Softcover options are acceptable however they do not tend to be hard wearing and may over time start to show their age. This is fine for a mass produced family history book that may be for the whole family but as an individual gift for a parent or grandparent it is not as suitable.

Organize Your Information and Images

It is key that you organize both your text and images into a chronological order. This is vital to create flow in the book and avoid confusion. Often individuals with the same name in a family pop up in different generations so it is important to maintain order in the book.

If you can try to add dates to any family images you use or at least a date range. This will help the reader follow the chronology of the lives of individuals included in the book.

Consider Using Heritage as a Theme

When using colors and other decorative flares in a family book it may be interesting to give a nod towards the family's heritage. A family that identifies as being of Irish, German, African etc. descent may want to show this in the layout of the family history book.

This can be achieved by including motifs and colors that might be associated with the heritage of the family. In doing this you add more of an homage to the ancestors listed, some of whom may have been born in the country that the family's heritage originates from.

Include Quotes

Many family stories may include something that a great grandparent may have said that could have been funny or poignant. It may even be a saying they were known for repeating often. The point is if an ancestor was known for saying something of interest to the family this could be included as a graphic under a photo of them.

There may also be songs or song lyrics that may be pertinent to an ancestor which you might consider using to further give insight into who they are. Poems can also be poignant especially if they were personal favorites or perhaps even were featured in memorials for deceased ancestors.

Final Thoughts

Creating a family history book can be a rewarding process that can not only help you organize your research but also display it in a way that non genealogists will find engaging and interesting. Whether it is intended for distribution between the family at large or as a gift for one relative the style is completely up to you.

The key is to be creative but include all the important facts and stories. Too much written content can be off putting so make sure to combine the text with images to break up the need to read. Do not use complicated genealogical terms in order to keep it accessible to the casual reader. Ultimately this is about your ancestors and their interesting stories.

Neil Edwards

Genealogist and family-tree research specialist

Neil was born in Shropshire, England surrounded by centuries of living history. His interest in the past has been a lifelong passion leading to undergraduate degrees in both Economic History & Geography and History & Politics.

This interest in history quickly translated to family history when he moved to the U.S. in 2010. It was here that he began working on his own family tree as well as that of his American wife. That research allowed him to gain a wealth of experience working with both U.S. and European genealogical documents and studying their best uses in researching family history.

Following 9 years of honing his genealogical research skills, Neil was proud to have earned a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in late 2019. Neil also took part in the research process for a Duke University study into the families of 19th Century UK Members of Parliament.

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