family history assignment

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Why It’s Time to Rethink Family Tree Assignments

They may be more harmful than you realize.

Most of us remember plodding through family tree assignments at some point during our school years. Perhaps you created a handprint tree in preschool or filled out your madre and padre on a worksheet for Spanish class. It’s a common activity for a topic that’s important in schools—family. But in 2020, our students are coming from increasingly diverse families, and these types of activities can feel unsettling and exclusionary.

It’s time we moved past the family trees and looked for more inclusive options. Here are several reasons why it’s time to rethink the family tree assignment:

All families are different.

We all know that families consist of something more than diverse than a mom, dad, and 2.5 children. So why do our family trees still reflect that structure? Schools should not require students to complete an activity that fails to represent LGBTQ-headed, multigenerational, step, adoptive, and foster families.

Families are important to children. When they don’t see their own family reflected in the curriculum, they feel left out. And a student who doesn’t feel welcome at school might fail to learn. 

Not everyone has access to family information.

Family tree assignments often require students to research their family history, and that’s just not possible for everyone. Children in adoptive and foster families may not have baby pictures or be able to draw a coat of arms with a flag of where their ancestors came from. And it’s not just about the inability to complete the assignment, which is stressful enough. The greater harm is the complicated emotions that can come up for students when we remind them of what they don’t know.

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Family tree assignments are not trauma-informed.

We must consider that not all students come from loving home environments. Many of our students have experienced abuse and neglect. Family tree activities can trigger anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in students with adverse childhood experiences. Revelation of their private lives can also make them vulnerable to bullying and isolation. Our students’ physical and mental well-being should always come first.

Let’s move to more inclusive projects.

All this is not to say that we shouldn’t be talking about families in school. We can and should. We just have to be more mindful of what kinds of activities we plan. Try “Circles of Caring Community” , a lesson from Welcoming Schools that focuses on all the caring adults in students’ lives. “Autobio” and “Where I’m From” poems are also nice ways for students to share about themselves and the important people in their lives outside the confines of a traditional family tree assignment.

What alternate ideas do you have to family trees? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why we should make all school events inclusive.

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Family history.

Teaching Family History, or "Genealogy" in schools can be tough. The basic worksheets and trees used in genealogical research are difficult to use in most assignments since families are no longer strictly defined as a two-parent household and a school's population can include single parents, adoptive families and same-sex households. Children with families that defy the traditional design of a family tree can have difficulty completing a narrowly-defined assignment. This presents a challenge to educators trying to incorporate genealogy into the curriculum. However, since schoolwork is intended to teach students skills, not become professional genealogists, teachers need to be aware of that there are still a lot of ways to expose students to genealogy, no matter what their family backgrounds. Creating a unit on Family History is a great way to get your students interested in their own background. Students can interview their family members to learn more about their own ancestors, and then share their new knowledge with the class.

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18 Fun Family History Activity Ideas For Students

April 17, 2023 //  by  Kaluki Kaluku

Family history is an essential aspect of one’s identity, culture, and heritage. As students learn more about their family history, they can develop a deeper sense of self-awareness and appreciate their family’s traditions and values. We’ve compiled a list of 18 family history activity ideas that students can engage in to learn more about their family’s history, traditions, and culture. These activities are designed to be educational, engaging, and fun, and are great for helping students discover more about their roots. 

1. Family Tree Collage

Students can create a family tree collage by printing and arranging photographs of their relatives on a large sheet of paper or poster board. They can include information about each member of the family, such as their name, date of birth, and relationship to them. Teachers can guide them also on how to include small embellishments such as stickers or family trees, or leaf cutouts.

Learn More: Parenting First Cry

2. Family Recipe Book

Youngsters can compile a recipe book of their family’s favorite dishes. They can collect recipes from their grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and other family members. This can be done by including photos of the dishes and a brief history of where the recipe came from.

Learn More: Mum in the Mud House

3. Interview a Relative

Kids can learn about their family’s history by interviewing a relative. They can ask questions about family traditions, stories, and experiences. Students can then gain a deeper understanding of their family’s past and cultural heritage.

Learn More: Family Tree Magazine

4. Virtual Family Reunion

To communicate with distant family members, students can organize a virtual family reunion. They can exchange personal experiences, family legends, and rituals. Students can make lasting memories and learn about their family’s cultural background with this activity.

Learn More: Hessun Academy

5. Family Photo Album

Collecting and organizing family photos is a great way for students to learn about their family’s history and traditions. They can create a photo album and use it as a reference to learn more about their ancestors and their lives.

Learn More: Phase Three Goods

6. Heritage Dress-up Day

Have a dress-up day where students can come to school dressed in traditional attire from their family’s heritage. This activity can be a fun way for students to learn about different clothing styles and customs from their ancestors’ culture.

Learn More: Brakpan Herald

7. Family History Timeline

To record significant occasions and turning points in their family’s history, students can make a family history timeline. They’ll better understand their family’s history and how it fits into a wider historical context as a result of this.

Learn More: Who are You Made of

8. DNA Testing

An interesting way to learn one’s family history is through DNA testing. By taking a DNA test, which can reveal an individual’s ethnicity and heritage, students can learn about their ancestry and genetic makeup.

Learn More: Lisa Louise Cooke

9. Cemetery Visit

A cemetery visit is a great way for students to connect with their ancestors and learn more about their family’s history. Students can explore burial sites and grave markers, and gather information about their ancestors’ lives, occupations, and achievements.

Learn More: Evergreen Jax

10. Family History Quiz

Students can evaluate their understanding of their family’s history in a fun and instructive way by taking a family history quiz. To test their family members, they can come up with their own quiz questions or use online tools.

Learn More: Facebook

11. Heritage Map

Students can create a heritage map that traces their family’s migration patterns, historical events, and cultural traditions. This activity can help students gain a deeper understanding of their family’s roots and heritage.

Learn More: The Family Map

12. Storytelling Night

A storytelling night is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about the history and customs of their families. Students may ask family members to share their experiences and tales so they can learn more about the history of their family.

Learn More: PBS

13. Genealogy Scavenger Hunt

This activity challenges students to find and document specific family history items. These can include photos, birth certificates, and family trees. The scavenger hunt can help students connect with their family’s history and learn about the important events that have shaped their family’s past.

Learn More: The Homeschool Mom

14. Family Cultural Celebration

This activity involves celebrating and learning about the different cultures and traditions that are present in a student’s family. It can include trying traditional foods, learning dances, or listening to music that is significant to the family’s culture.

Learn More: Blog.Ohio Health

15. Family Heirloom Show-and-Tell

Students can bring a special family heirloom or artifact to class and share the story behind it, allowing them to connect with their family’s past and understand their culture and heritage. This activity encourages students to appreciate the significance of family history and the importance of preserving family traditions and values. 

Learn More: YouTube

16. Family History Puppet Show

This is an exciting and interactive way for students to learn about their family’s history. Students can create puppets of their family members and act out important events or stories from their family’s past, helping them to understand their family’s culture and heritage in a fun and creative way.

17. Family History Treasure Hunt

This is a thrilling activity that encourages students to explore their family’s history by searching for clues and solving puzzles related to their family’s past. This activity can be done indoors or outdoors, and it’s a great way for students to work together and learn about their family’s traditions and values.

Learn More: Pinterest

18. Time Capsule

Students can gather items that represent their family’s culture and heritage, such as family photos, heirlooms, and artifacts, and place them in a container to be opened at a later date. This activity allows students to connect with their family’s past and create a sense of history and continuity for future generations.

Learn More: HGTV

Modern and Inclusive Family Tree Project Ideas

The family tree project is something that’s been around for years. It has become a right of passage for most students in North America. For many, this is a chance to showcase their family, research their ancestors, and share where they come from. However, the family tree project can be triggering for students who do not have a traditional family. They may have a history of trauma, adoption, loss or death. Or they may have same sex parents or divorce with remarriage and new family members. As times and family units have changed, plus our understanding of childhood trauma, so must the family tree project change and become more inclusive. Let’s explore some inclusive alternatives to the family tree project .

Modern Family Tree Project Ideas

What you will discover in this article!

Disclaimer: This article may contain commission or affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer I earn from qualifying purchases. Not seeing our videos? Turn off any adblockers to ensure our video feed can be seen. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there. We are slowly uploading our archives. Thanks!

First up, I want to say I totally understand the appeal a Family Tree Project can have. In fact, I LOVE the idea of genealogy, ancestry and tracing my family tree. Researching long lost relatives, exploring my family heritage, and learning my own history. I get that appeal. But I do have to strongly disagree that it should be a school project with rigid rules and constraints. IT should not be a project that excludes those that don’t fit in the traditional family “box” or have a family stories that are complex. The negative impacts on our children’s mental health are too great. And the educational goals of the Family Tree Project as a learning activity can be achieved through other means.

Lack of Trauma Informed Thinking

While doing research for this article I was incredibly frustrated by the lack of empathy, compassion and understanding presented by many resources on this topic. Perhaps because trauma informed education is such a strong focus for me, I wrongly assume all educators have at least a passing understanding of trauma and children’s mental health.

The idea that any teacher would force a student to do a project that could be incredibly damaging, trigger anxiety and PTSD, cause stress and fights in the home, and most of all force children to relive traumatic experiences in front of their peers and classmates, is sickening to me.

It is understandable that this project does provide an educational experience, but there is something that needs to be understood. Children that are struggling with mental health issues will struggle to learn. We need to put mental health first, school second . By avoiding projects that are particularly triggering for many vulnerable children, you will be setting children up for a stronger, more effective learning experience.

Which at the end of the day is what everyone wants. We simply want our children healthy and educated.

Trauma Through Generations

One aspect I think many miss in the discussion of the family tree project in classrooms is that research has shown that severe trauma alters the genetics of a person and they pass on that trauma to future generations.

It’s the study of epigenetics and you can read more about it here .

Understanding intergenerational trauma and how trauma can be passed down from grandparents to grand children, only highlights the importance of modernizing the traditional family tree project.

Understanding The Goal of the Family Tree Project

No child should ever be forced to do a traditional Family Tree Project for the classroom. Especially those that have nontraditional backgrounds or have experienced ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) . The goals of the assignment can be easily achieved using a number of different projects. All while supporting our most vulnerable students.

When deciding on a more suitable learning project to replace the family tree, the first thing a teacher needs to consider is the goal of the project. In most cases the goal is to teach kids a bit about history and research techniques.

It may also be a project intended to teach children more about themselves and their personal family history. Perhaps also how their own history ties into greater historical events and teachings. Personal connections can help children have a greater passion for a subject. For example, knowing Great-Grandfather fought in World War II, may make it much more interesting to learn about the war.

In some instances, the family tree is part of learning about immigration or family studies. It may also be used as a launching point for lessons in genetics and heredity.

Before you move forward with a family tree project in your classroom, examine the goals of your project, then see if you can come up with a more inclusive option for students. Something that will foster a sense of pride and self confidence and self love for the students themselves and their families. No matter how those family tree branches curve and twist.

Here are a few ideas for inclusive family tree projects.

Inclusive Family Tree Project Ideas

With all of this in mind, we used some creativity and came up with these unique family tree projects. All of these will still encourage children to break out the craft materials and create a great DIY project, while still respecting that for many kids, our chosen family is our true family.

Allow your students to create their own very important people tree. Have your students write the names of the important individuals in their lives on the branches and positive characteristics about them on the attached leaves. Sometimes students who have traumatic childhood experiences may struggle to think of positive adults in their lives. Encourage them to include anyone that matters to them, including friends, teachers, coaches, and people they admire.

Celebrity Family

In some foreign language classes, the family tree assignment has been a way to learn the names of family members in the studied language. This can also be used for English as a Second Language Learners. However, when coupled with a family tree, which requires students to share the names of their own family members, this assignment can be difficult and often heartbreaking for children dealing with trauma. Vocabulary and language can still be taught by using celebrities or a television show family. I have seen some adorable family trees with Mickey and Minnie Mouse (and other Disney characters as siblings and children) as well as other celebrity families.

Celebrity families can be a fantastic alternative to the traditional family tree project. It may not have the personal connection, but many students become very passionate about popular figures.

Autobiography Poem

Instead of focusing on the extended family, have your students share their own autobiographical poems. Each line should start with “I” and they may include where they are from, their family members (if they would like), adjectives to describe themselves, things they love to do, things they fear, and things they hope for. These poems are incredible ways for your students to express themselves. Often, older children who are dealing with trauma can find an outlet in writing, particularly about themselves.

Inspired by History Fictional Story

Ask students to write a short story about someone important to them. It could be an ancestor that lived through a major historical event, or it may be a modern family member that has a particular impact on the student. It doesn’t even need to be a biological family member. The story does not need to be 100% fact. Encourage students to do their research so their stories are based in fact, but allow them the flexibility to be creative in their story telling so they can create a compelling story. Even if it glosses over any problematic or stressful situations.

Classroom Community Garden

Your class may be the closest thing to a true family that some of your students have. School may be the place they feel the safest. Celebrate that with a community garden. Allow each student to create a flower or element of the garden that represents themselves. Have them write a brief message describing what they contribute to make your classroom garden grow and flourish. Post your community garden on a classroom bulletin board or wall. Your classroom family garden can be nurtured all year long.

A family tree project may seem like a rite of passage in school, but for many students it causes anxiety and pain. For students with adverse childhood experiences or nontraditional families, a family tree is more than just listing members of your family. We need to modernize the family tree project and make it a positive, affirming rite of passage for all children.

The goal is to create a project that allows children to explore themselves and their lives, in a safe way that doesn’t isolate them, but instead allows them to celebrate their unique life circumstances and those that are special to them. The family tree project can also be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate diversity, inclusion and the family unit.

These inclusive alternatives to the family tree project are important ways to keep all students in mind, whether they come from families dealing with divorce, death, adoption, foster care, or other situations. Try some of these alternate projects in your classroom.

MORE EDUCATION AND LEARNING

Exploring and Sharing Family Stories

• Resources & Preparation
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In this lesson, students are encouraged to explore the idea of memory in both large- and small-group settings. Students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative that describes not only the answers to their questions but their own reactions to these responses. These narratives are peer reviewed and can be published as a class magazine or a website.

From Theory to Practice

• The topic of memory can engage students in both reading and writing, especially if those activities act as a bridge between school and family.
• Students can be encouraged to view their own life history and that of other family members as a composition that is created through memory and that is therefore subject to constant revision and documentation.
• Requiring students to pay attention to and craft both their own memories and those of other people can help them become more thoughtful readers and writers in other contexts.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Video or tape recorders (optional)
• Chart paper
• Note to Families
• Personal Narrative Assignment Sheet
• Oral History Questions worksheet
• How to Interview a Relative worksheet
• Peer Review Worksheet
• "Mixing Memory and Desire: A Family Literacy Event" by Mark Faust
• Family Memories Narrative Rubric

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

• Access personal and family memories by discussing them in large- and small-group settings
• Demonstrate comprehension by reviewing other personal narratives and discussing how they might apply some of the same techniques to their own work
• Apply critical-thinking skills by translating what they see in these narratives into potential interview questions
• Practice knowledge acquisition by learning how to best conduct an interview and taking notes during their interview to use for their future personal narrative.
• Work collaboratively by peer reviewing each other's work
• Practice synthesizing information and writing by assembling their notes into a personal narrative

Homework (due by Session 3): Students should bring home the Note to Families and talk about interviewing an older relative. With help, they should determine whom they are going to talk to for this assignment and how the interview will be conducted (for example, over the phone or email or by visiting the relative). Students should contact the relative and should come to Session 3 with a name and the format their interview will take.

Homework (due before Session 4): Write at least five interview questions.

Note: Students need to have finalized their interview questions by this session. You may need to leave time for them to turn in several drafts.

Homework: Students should complete their interviews and write drafts of their personal narratives by Session 5. The amount of time you give students to complete this work is up to you, but it should be a minimum of a week.

Sessions 5 and 6

Homework: Students should revise their personal narratives using the feedback from the peer review sheets. They should turn in these sheets along with their interview questions and notes when they hand in their final personal narrative. You may want to give them time (and encourage them) to contact their relatives for further questioning or clarification after the peer review sessions.

Bring the class back together for a final discussion about memory and what they learned by interviewing their relative and writing the personal narrative. Questions for discussion include:

• When reading other people's narratives, did you see any similarities with your own narrative? What were they?
• What was unique to your own narrative?
• Did you see any differences in experiences based on where people lived?
• Why do you think it is important for people to share their life stories?
• If you were writing your own life story, what are some things you would include?
• Publish the student narratives as a magazine or website. If you do this, you might collect family photos from each student. Allow students time in class to review the publication.
• Have students share their stories with younger classes. A class "author's night" could also be arranged to share stories with family members (including interview subjects).
• Have students read the novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines (Bantam, 1982). Have students compare this fictional personal narrative with the ones they wrote.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Assess student participation during both whole-class discussions and small-group work using your observations and anecdotal notes.
• Evaluate the interview questions and the notes from the actual interview. How well were students able to use the materials you provided (the Oral History Questions worksheet and the How to Interview a Relative worksheet) to develop their interview questions and conduct their interviews? Did students choose thoughtful and appropriate questions? Did they use these questions during the interview? Did they take opportunities to ask related questions while interviewing their relative?
• Use the Family Memories Narrative Rubric to evaluate the completed personal narratives and peer review forms.

Students imagine they have been asked to participate in a museum exhibit, take photos/videos of a significant location, and write or record reflections. Students can also create an exhibit from something they have read.

Students interview a parent or another adult about the Challenger and hypothesize about differences. Students can also write about the Columbia disaster in 2003.

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Twelve Easy Family History Projects for Beginners

Blog / February 22, 2022 by Emilie Amt / Leave a Comment

I remember when the original Roots first came out on TV, and it suddenly seemed as if everyone—black and white—was interested in genealogy . Those were pre-internet days, of course. Today companies like Ancestry.com put powerful family research tools at our fingertips. But not everyone wants—or can afford—to make a big commitment to family history research. I thought Black History Month would be a good time for this post about twelve easy projects you can do, even if you’re a beginner, to explore and preserve your family’s history.

There are a gazillion books and websites to guide you in heavy-duty genealogy, but this is a list of just-dipping-a-toe-in-the-water projects. And most of them can be group activities. They’ll be richer if you share them with family members.

1. Write down (or record) what you know.

This is so basic, we forget how valuable it is. You have knowledge. Write down the family tree, as much as you know: your parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and so on. You know stories! Write them down, or record them, or ask someone else to help you to do that. The first principal of genealogy is start with yourself and work back . (Afterwards, share copies.)

2. Interview your older relatives.

They get older every day, and one day they’ll be gone, along with all the precious knowledge they have. When I started doing my family history seriously, one of the most valuable documents I had was a pair of twenty-year-old family trees that my cousins had made in eighth grade, as an assignment. They’d called up our grandparents and interviewed them about who our ancestors were. By the time I was doing genealogy, our grandparents were gone, but I had that record of their knowledge. I’m ever grateful.

3. Talk with younger family members about your family history.

Make sure they know where your people came from. Don’t assume kids just know that stuff—they won’t know it unless someone specifically tells them. Pass on the family stories. Show them pictures, if you have them. Speaking of which…

4. Label some old photographs.

If you have family pictures lying around, are they labeled? Or are all the backs blank? Sure, you know who all those people are, but when you’re no longer around, will the next generation know? Label pictures of people with first and last name, date (or approximate date), and a place if possible. If you can add information like “Tina’s confirmation” or “Maurice was her second husband,” so much the better. Don’t let this overwhelm you; even labeling a few is better than nothing.

5. Print some family photographs.

Are all your photos on your phone or your computer? Is that going to work well for passing them on to future generations? I don’t know for sure, but maybe print some out and label them.

6. Pass old photos/papers/heirlooms along to younger relatives.

As I get older, I think more about this. My family has given me a lot of family stuff over the years, because I’m “the family historian.” But history has to be kept by all the generations. If a younger relative is interested, they might be receptive to some family photos and papers.

This goes for heirlooms too. We hear a lot about how young people today don’t want old stuff, and it may be generally true. But be selective. A young cousin of mine who cooks seriously was thrilled to receive our grandmother’s recipe box, and my nephew who does metalworking and carpentry was the right recipient for my grandfather’s drafting tools. Maybe include a picture of the ancestor along with the heirloom.

7. Gather things together.

Is all your family history stuff (photos, family papers, small heirlooms that are packed away) in one place? You could do good work by just gathering it into one box. Or several boxes. But labeled, in one place.

8. Make copies.

Got some precious family papers like old marriage certificates, baptismal certificates, and so on? If you make copies (or digitize them), you can store them in more than one place. Also, you can give copies to family members or other people (see #10 below).

9. Make a file for the local historical society.

Is your family documented at the local historical society? (If your family is African American, I’m betting it isn’t.) If not, you can fix that. Collect some information, put it in a folder (or an envelope), label it (for example, “Willis Family Information, for family history files”), and send it or carry it in to the local historical society, specifically for their family history files. Some items to include if you have them: a family tree, copies of photographs, copies of family documents if you’re willing to share them (but obviously not anything with Social Security numbers, and perhaps not birthdates of living people), and anything you’ve written about the family history. (You might want to check with them first to make sure they do have family history files.)

10. Make a family calendar.

This was the first family history project my cousin and I did; it was a Christmas surprise, and it made my mother cry. Big success! (They were happy tears.) We made a calendar for the coming year, with an old family photo for each month, and gave everyone a copy. Back in the ’90s, we made it in MS Word and printed it ourselves, but companies like Vistaprint make this easy nowadays.

11. Take a trip.

Invite a younger relative along, and go show them the house where you grew up, or track down the house where your grandparents lived. The place will prompt stories. Don’t forget to ask them about their lives too. Which brings us to…

12. Interview your younger relatives.

History isn’t just about the old folks. The experiences of young and middle-aged people are important, too. Inter-generational interviewing can have all sorts of benefits. For examples, listen to some of the stories at StoryCorps .

Now, will one of these projects inspire you to do more? Maybe! If you’d like to try an online genealogy research site, there are free ones like FamilySearch.org (you have to register for a free account), or your public library may provide free access to Ancestry.com or another commercial service. Ancestry offers a free two-week trial. Some libraries and historical societies offer help with genealogy. The Washington County Historical Society in Hagerstown has the kinship Family Heritage Research Center , a genealogical library.  If you live near a Family Research Center of the LDS Church ( there’s one in Frederick ), they provide free, knowledgeable volunteer help to anyone doing genealogical research.

But don’t feel pressured. Even if you just do one of the twelve easy family history projects listed above, you’ll be playing a part in preserving your family’s history. Pass it on.

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About Emilie Amt

Emilie Amt is a retired professor of history. From 1998 to 2021 she held the Hildegarde Pilgram Chair of History at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. She earned a B.A. in medieval studies from Swarthmore College and a D.Phil. in modern history from Oxford University. Her current research focuses on nineteenth-century African American history in western Maryland.

Her most recent book is Black Antietam: African Americans and the Civil War in Sharpsburg (The History Press, 2022). She is also working on a history of slavery in Washington County, Maryland. A medieval historian by training, she has published books and articles on medieval religious women and English government, war, and finance. Her books include college textbooks and scholarly editions of Latin texts.

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African-American History

Godstow Abbey

Genealogy Writing

Have you been trying to find a way to share your family history research with others, but don’t know where to start?

Genealogy and writing go hand-in-hand, and there are many ways to express and organize your family tree discoveries on paper!

This article will introduce and compare several different types of genealogy writing projects, provide some important tips, and include a list of helpful references to learn how to write a family history.

Why you should start writing now

There are numerous benefits to organizing your research findings through a writing project. Writing allows you to share your discoveries with family and friends. Other genealogists and enthusiasts may enjoy reading your work, or find value for their own brick wall research.  Writing down your findings allows you to organize your thoughts and preserve your family history for future generations.

Writing is a natural part of the research process and is an excellent way to sharpen your skills.  It can help you notice unresolved conflicts- for example, a birth or death date for an ancestor not matching between two particular records. Writing can help reveal holes in your research- for example, you may realize that you never located a marriage record for a particular couple. It also helps pinpoint unsourced facts- pieces of information that have no source attached to them, or you cannot recall where you located that information. Logging your sources and citing facts are critical components of genealogical writing and analysis.  

When drawing a conclusion about an ancestor based on your research, writing down what you know can also reveal whether you have enough evidence to support that conclusion. Did you base your assumption on information found in one source, or by studying and comparing several sources? Genealogy writing projects can help hone your analysis skills and strengthen your research abilities.

Who is the audience?

When defining the “audience” for a writing project, consider who would be most likely to enjoy reading your work or find value in it. Many genealogists choose to write family history narratives to share with family members and friends, or to inform the larger genealogical community about their work. More experienced genealogists often create case studies or proof arguments for peer review, and to help teach others about their successful research methods. Writing options such as research logs and detailed reports are usually intended for the researcher’s use or for a more limited audience.

Make sure your writing is clear and understandable, so that the reader can follow your research process step-by-step. Your family narrative must has a linear flow so the reader can follow the story. Starting with an outline can help the writing process, and having a fellow family history peer (or two) proofread your work and offer feedback is highly encouraged.

It is important to use citations in any writing project. Citations help the writer keep track of their research sources, and they help the reader understand where and how the writer gathered their information. Citations lend credibility to your work. Creating citations and footnotes may seem like an overwhelming task, but once you learn the process for creating citations, they will soon become second nature. Family historians that are ready to create their own writing projects should obtain a copy of Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Evidence Explained is the go-to citation reference for professional genealogists, providing citation formats for dozens of different types of sources- from old, archived letters and manuscripts to websites and blogs. Another excellent guide is Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Tomas W. Jones. Dr. Jones breaks down the citation and documentation process in an easy-to-follow workbook that provides numerous skill-building exercises.

Types of genealogical writing projects

Next, we’ll compare several different types of family history writing projects, their uses, and how they can help your research.

First, a quick note about family tree software.

Although some family tree software programs can generate a report based on the information you input into your family tree, this type of automated data is not considered a written genealogical report. The software cannot compare evidence and draw informed conclusions; this “human” element of analysis is required to create a quality report. However, family tree software reports can be useful as a reference tool when compiling data and sources for a writing project.

Family histories and sketches

What are they – The most popular option for genealogical writing, family histories and sketches can be narrow, focusing on one ancestor’s life- or they can be broad, focusing on an entire branch of a family. Family histories can be very detailed, citing exact names and dates and tracking an ancestor’s appearance in records over a lifetime- or sketches can be a study of an ancestor or family during a particular event or period of time.

Audience – Family histories are intended to be shared with family members or other researchers. They can be published in genealogical publications and magazines as well.  Family historians love to hear interesting stories about others’ ancestors- don’t be afraid to submit your family story to your local genealogical society’s journal or magazine!

When and Why to write them- Family histories are a great option for newer family historians as they are easier to write, and can be expanded as you discover new facts. 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 your ancestor’s story and dive into the world of genealogical writing!

Research logs

What are they- Research logs are incredibly helpful, as they help keep track of where you have researched and what you found. Logs help you avoid duplicating research and aid in planning future searches, whether online or at a repository. Research logs are not intended to be a finished, polished product; they are used as a reference and tracking tool.

Audience- Usually only for the researcher, unless you are doing research for someone else- in which case you should be logging your work to include as part of a research report.

When and Why to write them- It is a good habit to utilize a research log anytime you are conducting research. Logs can help you make the most of your research time, and they are also valuable as a quick reference when creating citations. Logs can be as simple as a spreadsheet listing the date, where you went, and the results you found- or you can find links to many various and customizable research logs and forms on the FamilySearch Wiki .

Research reports

What are they- The goal of a research report is to answer a specific genealogical research question. Finished reports provide a summary of the research conducted, a list of sources used, and recommendations for additional research. Research reports are most often used by professional genealogists as a finished product for their clients, but they can be helpful for the genealogist’s own research goals as well.

Audience – Reports are usually intended for a select person or group, and they should be a neat, finished product. Sources should be presented in a bibliography, and facts stated in the summary should be cited. Reports created just for personal use should also be neatly written, to help you easily reference past research and gather thoughts and ideas for future research.

When and Why to write them – Reports are always a good option when conducting research for others who just want a particular question answered- for example, when and where a particular couple married. Research reports “stick to the facts” and do not usually provide a lot of narrative or speculative details. For those that are wary of taking on a broader family history narrative, a research report that focuses on a particular fact of an ancestor’s life may be a great option.

Proof arguments & proof summaries

What are they- Proof arguments and proof summaries are written by genealogists to help support their conclusions about a specific ancestral fact.Proofs focus on the analysis and methodology aspect of genealogical research, not on the ancestor’s life narrative. Proofs help to demonstrate that the genealogist conducted thorough and sound research, which is part of the Genealogical Proof Standard- the process followed by professional genealogists to reach a sound research conclusion.

A proof summary is used when there is no conflicting evidence- for example, all sources found state that James White was born on 9 September 1760 in Groton, Connecticut. The genealogist will create a summary about the type of sources they located, the information provided within, and how they analyzed the evidence to conclude that this birth date is correct.

A proof argument is used when a genealogist finds conflicting evidence for a particular fact, and they must then “prove” that their conclusion is correct. For example, some sources state that James White was born 9 September 1760 in Groton Connecticut, but other sources state that he was born 29 September 1768. The “conflicting” evidence must be resolved- for example, was there a typo repeated in several sources? Was handwriting mis-read by a transcriber? Was some of the information secondhand or not reliable? The genealogist must provide a detailed analysis to defend their conclusion.

Audience – Proof summaries and arguments are an advanced form of genealogical writing, and require a thorough understanding of genealogical research and analysis. Proof arguments are often published in scholarly magazines such as the National Genealogical Society Quarterly so that other professionals can review and learn from the work. Writing proofs can be excellent practice for family historians so that they can better understand the analysis process and learn how to look more closely at genealogical clues.

When and Why to write them- Proof arguments are an excellent option when you stumble upon conflicting evidence and need to break down the information for further study. When all sources agree, proof summaries can help you move through the evidence step-by-step to ensure that no important information was missed. An excellent reference to learn about genealogical analysis is Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones. Similar to Mastering Genealogical Documentation, this workbook provides work study examples and plenty of writing exercises, to help the reader grasp the components of the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Case studies

What are they- Think of them as a family sketch and proof summary/argument combined. Case studies are narratives with a purpose- they demonstrate how a genealogist overcame a brick wall. Case studies are very helpful as a learning tool for others who may be stuck in a similar situation with their own research.

Audience- Case studies are intended to be teaching articles for others to read and learn. As such, they should be well polished, well analyzed, and include citations. It is recommended that other genealogists proofread your work to make sure that the article is easy to follow and the research process is accurate- you want to make sure that readers can retrace your steps.

When and why to write them- Case studies are often written by seasoned professionals to demonstrate how a particularly difficult case was solved, and are often published in genealogical magazines and journals. Genealogical speakers often use case studies in their lectures as well. One thing most genealogists enjoy is sharing their discoveries to help others!

Further Reading

• Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace (Third Edition), published by Genealogical Publishing Company, 2015
• Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Documentation , published by National Genealogical Society, 2017
• Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof, published by National Genealogical Society, 2013
• “How to Write a Genealogy Research Report,” Family Tree Magazine
• The Board for Certification of Genealogists provides many excellent, professionally-written genealogical writing examples on their website, including research reports, case studies, and family histories.

Writing is a terrific option for genealogy professionals and hobbyists alike- and anyone can write! Don’t be afraid to start writing today to preserve your unique family story for future generations!

About the author

50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History

ThoughtCo / Nusha Ashjaee

• Genealogy Fun
• Vital Records Around the World
• American History
• African American History
• African History
• Ancient History and Culture
• Asian History
• European History
• Latin American History
• Medieval & Renaissance History
• Military History
• The 20th Century
• Women's History
• Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University
• B.A., Carnegie Mellon University

A great way to uncover clues to your family history or to get great quotes for journaling in a heritage scrapbook is a family interview. By asking the right open-ended questions, you're sure to collect a wealth of family tales . Use this list of family history interview questions to help you get started, but be sure to personalize the interview with your own questions as well.

Questions About Their Childhood

• What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname ?
• When and where were you born?
• How did your family come to live there?
• Were there other family members in the area? Who?
• What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
• Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
• What is your earliest childhood memory?
• Describe the personalities of your family members.
• What kind of games did you play growing up?
• What was your favorite toy and why?
• What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, go to the beach, etc.)?
• Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
• Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
• What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
• What school activities and sports did you participate in?
• Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
• Who were your childhood heroes?
• What were your favorite songs and music genres?
• Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
• What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
• Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
• Who were your friends when you were growing up?

Questions About the Family

• What world events had the most impact on you when you were a child? Did any of them personally affect your family?
• Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods ?
• How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
• How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
• Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
• What do you know about your family surname ?
• Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
• What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
• Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
• Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
• Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
• Are there any special heirlooms , photos, bibles, or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?

Questions About Their Adult Life

• What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
• When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
• What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
• Where and when did you get married?
• What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
• How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
• What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
• How did you find out you were going to be a parent for the first time?
• Why did you choose your children's names?
• What was your proudest moment as a parent?
• What did your family enjoy doing together?
• What was your profession and how did you choose it?
• If you could have had any other profession, what would it have been? Why wasn't this your first choice?
• Of all the things you learned from your parents, what do you feel was the most valuable?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?

While these questions make great conversation starters, the best way to uncover the good stuff is through more of a storytelling session than a Q&A. 

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• The Importance of Answering Questions in Complete Sentences
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• 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Book Club Discussion Questions
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• How to Keep a Reading Log or Book Journal

9 Writing Prompts for Your Family History Stories

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• family history , family stories , preserving discoveries , story crafting , storytelling , writing prompts

“I can’t write my family history stories because…”

How would you finish that statement? Would it be that you can’t write your family history stories because you:

• Aren’t creative or a writer
• Don’t know where to start
• Have research discoveries but no stories
• Are overwhelmed by what’s required.

Or maybe it’s all the above?

You aren’t alone. Each of those points is something that thousands of family historians think or say when they contemplate writing their family history stories. I get it. Writing about your ancestors is a lot. You have to leave your happy place of digging through the archives to learn new skills or sharpen up rusty old ones. It’s much more fun to keep researching, isn’t it?

Now for the good news. Crafting your family history stories is less writing and more compiling what you know in your own words. After all, the story already exists, so your job is to give it a voice. Using the information you know and have discovered as writing prompts will help you make it happen.

Writing prompts come in all shapes, sizes and types. They can be questions you answer, pictures you describe or theories you have. You collect them with every discovery, interview or question you ask yourself. And right now, you have several different types ready for use. That’s not a general statement, either. I’m talking to you when I say that you have multiple writing prompts at your fingertips.

Curious? Let’s unpack 9 prompts you can use to start writing your family history stories.

Writing prompts for your family history stories

1. research discoveries.

The first writing prompt on the list is one you’ll recognise immediately. After all, these are a cornerstone of your genealogy research. Yes, I’m talking about the historical records you discover on your journey.

You can capture the foundation of your ancestor’s story through vital records such as birth, death and marriage certificates. Then, use other documents to build on that base to show more life experiences such as education, employment, military service, property ownership, and places they lived or visited.

Each historical record prompts you to write what you know about it. You don’t want to simply transcribe the document but put the story it tells into your own words. For example, a birth certificate will tell you where, when and who was involved in the event. While a census record will tell you about their living situation, employment and household relationships.

2. Family photos

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” or so the saying goes. And when it comes to family history stories, that’s true. Photos are your window into the past. Not only can you see what your ancestors looked like but also the areas where they lived and travelled.

“Show, don’t tell” is popular advice from writing coaches to create vivid and engaging narratives that transport your reader into the story. Using photos, paintings or sketches as writing prompts helps you to achieve this goal.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have family photos, look for streetscapes or pictures that capture people from the era and area where your ancestors lived. You’ll then be able to describe what people wore, how they got around, plus what the towns and countryside were like.

3. Local newspapers

Until time travel is possible, the best way to step directly into your ancestor’s world is through the newspaper. Specifically, the same paper that your ancestors would have read or had access to during their life.

Newspapers aren’t only for the social column or birth, death and marriage notifications. They’ll give you a picture of your ancestor’s community, including:

• Local and global events
• Weather reports
• Store advertisements
• Government notifications
• Employment opportunities
• Property prices
• Accommodation options
• Letters to the editor.

And so much more.

Newspapers allow you to immerse yourself in a different era’s social and cultural framework. They’re a wealth of writing prompts enabling you to add depth to your ancestor’s story. Plus, there is the fantastic bonus that you may get lucky and come across a previously undiscovered clue about your family.

4. Family lore

Tales, legends, and rumours passed down through generations are the start of many a genealogy journey, including mine. These are the stories that spark imagination and can invoke curiosity to prove or disprove the tale.

While these legends may not always be entirely accurate, they are fantastic writing prompts for your family history stories. Recreate them in your own words or build a story around them. One way is to include all the versions you’ve heard of that story to show the multiple perspectives that filtered down through the generations.

Or dissect the rumour and dive into how it impacted your genealogy journey. Then, take your reader on the adventure through how you worked to prove or disprove the tale. Of course, don’t forget to let them know what you determined as a result of all that research!

5. Your speculation and insights

No matter how determinedly you research or how vast your treasure trove of family photos is, you’ll still be left with gaps. This space is an opportunity for creativity, intuition, and analytic thinking. As the author of a non-fiction piece, you can offer insight or speculate on what happened and why.

Using your insights as writing prompts is a way to give your readers clarity and reasoning instead of leaving them hanging with unanswered questions. Including your speculation offers emotional depth, dialogue reconstruction and cultural immersion to your written work.

Kick things off with the general notes and questions you’ve jotted down during your research journey. Why? Because including your questions in your narrative gives voice to what your reader might be pondering too. Next, let your analytical thinking take the lead as you speculate on what might have happened. Remember to make it crystal clear that these are your thoughts and hypotheses based on other events happening at the time. 

6. Heirlooms

Heirlooms are hidden gems waiting to be discovered by anyone passionate about history. Each of these items carries with it not just one story but potentially multiple tales. After all, they’re not just relics of a time long past; they’re a part of the family.

They’re helpful as writing prompts because you can approach their story from multiple perspectives, such as:

• Historical value
• Original purpose
• First owner
• Current caretaker. 

And even the future of the item. 

These tales will help your reader understand the emotional and financial value as well as the journey it’s been on with the family members who have cherished it over the years.

Always start with what you know to create a foundation for the story, whether proven or unproven. That can be a description of the item, stories your family shares about it or a recollection of your earliest encounter with it. 

7. Family recipes

Kitchens are often the heart of the family home, especially in the past generations. So, it’s little wonder that food plays such an essential role in preserving memories and traditions no matter our nationality or location.

Family recipes make an incredible writing prompt because they are a treasure trove of memories and cultural heritage. They trigger vivid recollections of family gatherings and special occasions. Not to mention that they engage multiple senses, making for some descriptive storytelling.

Writing about family recipes or gatherings can be a creative outlet, a source of reflection and healing, and a means of preserving personal history. Start with your own memories of recipes and celebrations, then use these as interview questions to build out the story with your relatives’ recollections. 

8. Traditions

Any recurring and meaningful practice, custom, or ritual passed down within a family can be considered a tradition. They typically hold great sentimental value and can provide a sense of continuity and connection across generations.

Using traditions as writing prompts is a powerful approach to storytelling because they encapsulate the essence of family life, culture, and identity. They can be:

• Cultural traditions
• Based on a holiday or celebration
• Family rituals
• Skill-based education such as cooking, woodworking or mechanics.

Exploring the origins behind your family traditions is also a valuable creative outlet. Capture the emotion and memory of yourself and other relatives as you identify why and how these acts became such unifying moments. Another approach is to focus on who the tradition keepers in your family are and, where possible, share why they chose to continue the practice.

9. AI-generated prompts

For a modern twist on storytelling, try AI-generated writing prompts for your family history stories. So, you won’t have these at your fingertips ready to use, but you can in a matter of seconds. AI-generated prompts from apps such as ChatGPT allow you to explore your family history from new perspectives.

Using ChatGPT to generate prompts is a way to take a diverse and creative approach to your family history stories. It’s:

• An opportunity to see your information from different perspectives
• To explore fresh angles 
• To engage readers in new ways.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all process, but it can be adapted to suit the way you work. For example, generate personalised prompts based on your knowledge and discoveries. Or get generic questions based on an era, occupation, or location. You’re limited only by your imagination and how you frame your requests.

Craft your family history stories

That wraps up the list of writing prompts you can use to craft your family history stories. You don’t have to spend hours determining an approach to take because you can use the knowledge and materials at your fingertips to start crafting stories. Are you feeling inspired by all the possibilities?

Family history is like a jigsaw puzzle. One where you don’t know how many pieces there are or what the final picture looks like. You research to discover the pieces, create a framework and write the story to see the picture.

Therefore, crafting your family history stories is less writing and more compiling what you know in your own words. After all, the story already exists, so your job is to give it a voice. Using the details you know and have discovered as writing prompts will help you make it happen.

Next steps in writing your family history stories

Are you looking for help to convert your writing prompts to stories? Check out my non-writers mini-class on  Writing Family History Stories with ChatGPT . It’s a crash course in getting started with ChatGPT to generate writing prompts and stories. 

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Your daily dose of inspiration

Organise your genealogy discoveries, track what you’ve found and decide where to look next.

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Using family history

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• Family Health History

Health Family Tree Lesson Plan

Engage students in learning about health family history and the connection between genetics and health. By completing this module students will:

• Understand basic information about common (and in some cases preventable) diseases, understand that the risk for developing these diseases has both a hereditary and environmental component, and understand what it means to be "at risk" for developing these diseases.
• Assess personal risk for developing common diseases by filling out the online Health Family Tree tool at home with their families.
• Construct a "Reduce your Risk" Promotional Campaign aimed at educating their peers.

Follow the suggested lesson plan below to work your way through this module.

Pre-Activity Movie: Using Family History to Improve Your Health

Risk continuum.

A whole-class kinesthetic demonstration of what it means to be in a "risk group" for developing heart disease based on family history/genetics.

• People can be assigned to a risk group for developing heart, and other diseases based on family history/genetics.
• Lifestyle choices can positively or negatively influence the risk of developing heart disease.
• A higher risk means a greater chance of developing heart disease, not an inevitability of developing it.
• Though a lower risk means there is a reduced chance, it is still possible for members of this risk group to develop heart disease.

Using Family History to Improve Your Health Web Quest

Students explore the Using Family History to Improve Your Health module on the Genetic Science Learning Center website to complete a web quest.

• Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, run in families.
• An individual’s environment, personal choices and genetic make-up all contribute to their risk of developing a chronic disease.
• Family health histories can provide important information about an individual’s risk of develoing a chronic disease.
• Lifestyle modifications that improve health can reduce an individual’s risk of developing a chronic disease.

Pick the Risk: The Polygenic Pedigree Challenge

Students are challenged to track and record the passage of colored pom poms (representing genes) through generations of a family using a pedigree.

• An inherited trait can be determined by one or by many genes.
• All humans have the same genes, but each inherits slightly different forms or “flavors” of each gene.
• Many common diseases (such as heart disease) run in families and have a genetic component.
• Most common diseases are caused by the combined action of multiple genes and environmental factors.
• An individual’s risk of developing a common disease is estimated by looking at siblings, parents and grandparents in a family medical history.

Reduce Your Risk: A Promotional Campaign

Students design a promotional campaign that educates their peer group about how to prevent common diseases (e.g., heart disease or obesity).

• Certain measures can be taken to reduce an individual’s risk of developing common diseases.
• Educating the public abouthow to reduce their risk of developing common diseases is important.

What's Your Family Health Story?

Collect your family health history using this easy to follow guide and checklist. Arrange your family's health history into a pedigree chart. Student pages available in English, Spanish, and Tongan.

• Knowing your family health history is an important first step in improving or maintaining your own health.

Finding ancestors and keeping them close to the heart

Remember me?

Doing a Genealogy Research Project from Start to Finish

Have you ever completed a genealogy research project from the beginning to end? From objective to report? I just completed one and I want to share what I learned.

I did the project for our Research Like a Pro study group. I wasn’t planning to join the group at first – I thought I would just help in the background with whatever Diana needed. She developed the idea for the study group and was finishing up her planning. At the last minute, she encouraged me to join. I knew that having assignments and peer review would provide accountability. I do well when I have accountability – it’s highly motivational for me, so I agreed to join.

The first assignment in the study group was to choose an objective and write it down. So, I started a document for the research project and wrote my objective at the top.

If you want to see an idea for a research project document, Diana has created a template for the next Research Like a Pro Study Group that you can download below. Included are sections for the basic elements of a genealogy research project: objective, summary of known facts, background information, working hypothesis, identified sources to search using a locality guide, prioritized research strategy, findings and analysis, conclusion, suggestions for future research, and results summary. Here is the template:

Research Project Template (google docs file)

When viewing the google docs template, click “file” then “make a copy” to save the template to your own google drive and begin typing into it.

Research Project Template (free download docx file)

Would you like to find more templates and research tips like this? This template and others are available in our book, Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide.   We hope you’ll try it out!

Objective and Analysis

I chose a research objective that coincided with the research I was already doing on my Confederate soldier ancestors for my RootsTech presentation. My objective was not the typical “prove a relationship” objective, but instead focused on discovering the actions of my relatives during the Civil War. Here’s the objective I wrote at the start of the project:

Discover the actions of three brothers, sons of John D. Isenhour and Sarah Bailey, in the antebellum period and during the Civil War:

– Valentine Isenhour, born 1820 in North Carolina and died 23 Apr 1895 in Clyde, Callahan, Texas.

– Moses William Isenhour, Confederate soldier, born 1823 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, died 16 February 1862 in Fort Thompson, United States, married to Amanda Martha McKinney 1 October 1846 in Montgomery, Arkansas.

– Josiah Edmond Isenhour, born 1825 in Missouri and died 13 December 1868 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

After creating my objective, I analyzed the information I already had and made a timeline showing important dates. I evaluated each record to decide how credible it was. I asked, “Is it an original or derivative record?   Or an authored work?” and “Is this primary, secondary, or undetermined information?” and “Does the information provide direct or indirect evidence?”

It was helpful to review each other’s work as we practiced this step. Others’ comments shed light onto records that I hadn’t thought of in that way before. I had to decide whether I thought a newspaper obituary was original, derivative, or authored. That was a tricky question. I ultimately decided that it was an original record but that the information was undetermined – whether or not it was primary or secondary, since the author was unknown. Others say an obituary is an authored narrative. (What do you think? Here’s the discussion on Evidence Explained  )

I made notes in my research project document as I analyzed the records I already had, with questions and ideas for research.

One thing I learned throughout this process is that creating too broad of an objective makes the project harder to organize. If I could go back to the objective assignment, I would only select one individual at a time. I also learned the value of the three different types of genealogy research questions / objectives : identify an individual, prove a relationship, and discover actions.

Before researching a person’s actions, you must first identify them! When I discovered a second Civil War Service Record for Moses Isenhour in a different location, I wondered if I had I wasted time researching the wrong person. That’s when I went back and made sure to identify Moses of Arkansas and Moses of Texas as distinct individuals.

I found that Moses of Arkansas’ family moved to Texas right around the time of the Civil War. That’s when I found a separate Confederate Service Record for a man with the same name (Moses Isenhower) in Texas. My Moses Isenhour had a Compiled Military Service record for a regiment in Arkansas. As I continued to research, I was able to identify the Texas man as a different Moses than mine through tracing his family in census and cemetery records. That brought me back to my original hypothesis: my relative was Moses Isenhour of Arkansas.

Now I was ready to continue researching Moses of Arkansas’ actions, having identified him as my relative.

Locality Guide

The next assignment was to learn about the state or county where I would be researching and create a guide to genealogy research in that place. When were the records created in that county? What repositories exist there? What is the geography like? What county histories are available? I added lots of links to my locality guide document. Instead of copying and pasting a lot of text, I just linked to articles that had historical background and websites that had county boundary changes, and so on. I realized that there are hundreds of resources online with helpful information.

As I learned about all the records available in my location, questions and ideas for what to research came to mind. I made notes of this in my Research Project document.

Research Planning

For the research planning assignment, I organized my notes and ideas into a prioritized plan and wrote a hypothesis for what I thought the records would show. I realized that I need to take some steps to identify each individual a little further with census, land, and tax records before I could research their military service with confidence that I had the right person. I put that as top priority in my plan, then listed the collections I wanted to search in Fold3 and Ancestry military records. I also ordered the regimental history for Moses Isenhour’s unit.

Research, Research Log, Citations

Before I started, I knew that Moses Isenhour was likely a Confederate soldier. I just needed to review the evidence and make sure I had the right person. I followed all three men in land, census, and tax records. Once I had this part down, I moved on to the fun part – researching their actions during the Civil War.

My favorite part of the project was using the details I found in the records to flesh out the historical scene that they were living through. It was fascinating to learn about the day to day happenings of Moses’ regiment, the 11th Arkansas Infantry.  The entire regiment was captured at the Battle of Island Number 10, but Moses died before his unit saw battle. The regimental history revealed that the winter was harsh, muddy, and full of illness. Moses died during this bleak winter while taking his turn at rotating through picket duty night and day.

Diana taught us to make citations as we went along so we wouldn’t have to return to our source. I learned my lesson after doing some searches and not creating the citation. It was a pain to go back to the URL that I had saved and try to remember the details that should go in the citation.

I learned a lot about citations this time by reading Diana’s lesson about citations and Elizabeth Shown Mill’s book and website,  Evidence Explained.  I spent a lot of time studying the first two chapters of the book. Once I got the basics of the citation down, it became a lot easier to create subsequent citations. One of the group members shared a fabulous resource from the BYU Family History Department that I want to share with you – Templates for Citations.  These templates are based on the citation style in Elizabeth Shown Mills’  Evidence Explained.

Next time, I will create separate research logs and reports for each person. It was not fun searching through my research log for the entries about Moses and then the entries about Valentine. I know this will depend on the objective and the project, but I  don’t think doing one single log for all three of these men was helpful in this instance.

Writing Conclusions

Writing about my discoveries, connections, thoughts, and the conclusions I came to during the research phase is an important step that I often skip. I want to be better about this. Whether it’s in the notes section of a software program or in a more formal document, written conclusions are extremely valuable. I discovered it was not enough to just keep my notes in a research log. A research log is not cohesive and does not have enough space to truly analyze and discuss your hypothesis.

Since I have to spread out my work with several days in between work sessions, I need to be able to quickly glance at a project and remember where I left off.  Waiting to write up my research until the end of my project meant that I forgot some of the conclusions that I came to while I was researching, even though I did keep detailed notes in that section of my log. It was best to write my findings in the report as I went along researching.

I found that the most helpful section of the report was the “future research suggestions” section. This section allowed me to list new ideas for research as I wrote without getting off track. I could finish my analysis of a record knowing that my idea was saved in “future research.”

My report isn’t perfect, but if you’re interested in reading it, here it is:

Isenhour Brothers Confederate Service Research Report

I created separate documents for my evidence analysis, research plan, and log.

Overall Lesson Learned

Besides learning several new skills, I learned overall that the simpler the objective, the more manageable the project. There’s no reason to create an objective and research plan for a 50 hour project all at once. In the future, I will create smaller plans that will yield a 10-20 hour project. If I don’t solve the problem or answer the question in that time, I can use my ‘future research suggestions’ to go forward and create a new plan for my next research session. I may decide to keep adding to my report or write up an entirely new one for each session. I feel that doing research in manageable chunks of time, coupled with writing my conclusions will increase my efficiency twofold!

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About Nicole Elder Dyer

Nicole Dyer is a professional genealogist specializing in Southern United States research and genetic genealogy. She is the creator of FamilyLocket.com and the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She co-authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide and Research Like a Pro with DNA and is an instructor for the study groups of the same name. She lectures at conferences and institutes and previously served as the secretary and publicity chair of the Pima County Genealogy Society. Nicole holds a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in History Teaching. At Family Locket Genealogists, Nicole is a project manager, editor, and researcher.

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Well done, Nicole! This is definitely good prep work for Accreditation. I like that you included a map and timeline in your report. Thanks for sharing your study group experience.

Thanks for reading and commenting! Yes I learned so much for the accreditation process.

I really appreciate you putting your work out there so I could read it and compare it to my style of work. Good Job! I’m working on my 4 generation project as well. Your blog is a welcome diversion.

Thanks Tami. I know it wasn’t perfect but I do think it’s important to share our work!

Inspired me to start a project — one project and finish it, learning citation form along the way. Query, how do you document your research time?

Great idea! I use a Google spreadsheet to track the time I spend researching. I would recommend Elizabeth Shown Mills’ book Evidence Explained and her website of the same name while you’re learning citation. That’s what I use!

Wealth of information in your report. It was interesting reading. I can see why writing summaries in your log frequently as you go is a must. Loved the maps.

Thank you for sharing your report. I am a visual learner and seeing the report truly helped me,

You’re welcome! As I have been learning how to write reports in the last couple years, seeing examples of other reports has helped me more than anything else. Glad it helped you also!

This is really helpful. Your comment about creating the smaller objectives for 10-20 hour projects really made this concrete for me. I’m much more comfortable with my simplified objective now. Thank you for a thorough write-up!

Nicole, this is a great quote and good words to research by “I learned overall that the simpler the objective, the more manageable the project.”

Lots of great information in this post! I’ve copied the link an added it to a Research Guide I created, which follows along the lines of the Locality Guide. A document with links to useful information.

Thanks Nicole!

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Family History Assignment : Family

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How to Plan and Host a Successful Family History Interview

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Family members are one of the best sources of genealogy information you can find. Their personal experiences are unique and intimate views of the past that you can’t get anywhere else.

Here, we’ll provide our tips for successful family history interviews so that you can preserve your relatives’ unique experiences for generations to come.

How to Set Up and Prepare for Your Interview

First, you will need to decide which family members you’d like to interview and in what order. It’s usually best practice to start with your oldest family members (grandparents, great aunts and uncles, parents, etc.)

Decide on the scope of your interview

Focusing your scope will make writing your questions easier and make your interview more efficient. Some common interview themes are:

• Family history
• Personal histories
• Historical events

Invite your interviewees

Reach out to your subjects and invite them to the interview. If you and the subject aren’t close, be sure to introduce yourself by saying “I’m such-and-such’s oldest daughter” or something similar. Explain that you are interested in family history and why you want to do an interview. It helps put people at ease (and make it more likely they’ll say yes!) if you give them an idea of what to expect.

it’s also courteous to let your interviewee know if you’ll be recording an interview. If you’re doing the interview via phone, check the call-recording laws in your state to make sure your recording is legal.

Prepare and practice your questions

Before the interview, prepare and practice your questions. It’s best to ask open-ended questions (rather than ones with yes or no answers), and to focus on people’s memories and experiences.

Anticipate problems (listed below) and how you’ll respond to them. Don’t send questions ahead of time. It’s helpful to do some preliminary research on your subject so that you can prepare more specific questions and be able to help your interviewee if they struggle to remember a name or a date.

Gather your supplies

We recommend recording family history interviews, and there are several helpful apps you can use to do so. Be sure that your device is charged and that you have sufficient storage space. It never hurts to bring a backup option in case you have technical difficulties! Be sure to have your list of questions and something to take notes with.

Bring photos or other memorabilia! It’s true what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Photos and other items can help jog your subject’s memory and reveal details, memories and stories that would have otherwise gone unmentioned.

Sample Questions

Below are our suggested questions for three different kinds of family history interviews. Use them as a springboard to create your own list of questions.

Family History

• Tell me about your family growing up (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.)
• Have you done any family history research? What did you learn?
• What surnames do you you know?
• Tell me about the oldest relative.
• What family stories were you told growing up?
• What traditions did you grow up with? Where did they come from?
• Do you have any heirlooms, scrapbooks, home movies?
• How has family changed over your lifetime?

Personal History

• What’s your first memory?
• How did your parents meet
• Tell me about your childhood home.
• What were your favorite subjects in school?
• Who was your favorite teacher?
• How did meet you your spouse?
• Tell me about your wedding day.
• Tell me about the day your first child was born.
• Tell me about your friends. How did you meet?
• Describe your first job.
• What was your favorite job and why?
• Tell me about your coworkers.
• What did you do with your first paycheck?
• Who are your heroes?
• What was your experience with computers?
• What were your favorite books, songs, etc?
• Where and when have you been the happiest?

Historical Events

• Where were you when this happened?
• What to you remember about that day/event?
• How did it affect your life? Life of others and community?
• How did you feel about it? How have your feelings changed or not?
• What do you remember about other people’s reactions?
• How did life change for you after this event, if at all?

Tips for During the Interview

Throughout the interview, be attentive and show that you’re listening. Try not to spend the whole time scribbling notes. It’s up to you to set the initial tone of the interview, so try to be calm and positive.

Shy or Resistant Interviewees

It usually takes a while for interviewees to feel comfortable and start opening up, so don’t be surprised if their answers are a little short to begin with. Plan for asking some “warm-up” questions to start the interview ( “Tell me about the house where you grew up.” ) and don’t be afraid to ask clarifying or follow-up questions (“ What was the surrounding neighborhood like? ”).

It is also helpful to pause for 1-2 seconds after the interviewee has finished talking to see if they add anything else. Sometimes people will open up more if you give them an extra opportunity to do so.

Staying Focused

Sometimes the challenge isn’t getting your subject to talk, but getting your them to stay on track. If you know they are a talker, it can be helpful to remind them of the goal of the interview before you get started “ Thanks so much for talking with me today. In this interview I’m hoping to learn more about xyz ”.

If your interviewee gets off track, don’t tune out. You don’t have to be held hostage! Listen and affirm the last thing they said and then try to gently bring them back to the question. (“ It sounds like you really love your cat, Fluffy. Did you or any of your have pets growing up? ”)

If your interviewee talks without pause, try to interrupt them as tactfully as you can, affirm you are listening and then ask to finish up the your last question before moving on. (“ Sorry to interrupt, I do want to hear about xyz. Can we quickly wrap up talking about your great-grandfather before we move on? ”)

Not every tangent is a bad tangent. If your interviewee starts to go off track, see where they are headed before correcting them. Often, the best stories are the ones you didn’t think to ask about.

Ending the Interview

Plenty of interviews wrap up naturally. If you find yourself at the end of your time and need a way to wrap-up, you can ask “ What haven’t we talked about that you’d like to discuss in the time we have left? ”

If you’ve made it to the end of your questions and you still have a decent amount of time left, think about something that piqued your interest during the interview. “ I was really intrigued by xyz, can you tell me more about that? ”

Try to stick to your allotted time and be sure to thank your interviewee before you leave.

After the Interview

You did it! You now have a valuable piece of oral history to pass on to future generations. After the interview, make sure that you’ve properly organized and preserved the information you gathered.

If you recorded the interview, be sure to download the file and save it in multiple places. Remember, LOCKSS (lots of copies keeps stuff safe). You should also create a transcription of the interview. Some recording apps like Rev may include a transcription feature.

Also be sure to organize and back up any notes you took during the interview. As you organize, look for any information you might have missed. You can reach out to your interviewee for clarification or ask for a follow-up interview if you feel it’s appropriate.

It’s a nice gesture to send your interviewee a thank you note, either in the mail or via email.

Last updated, Oct 2023

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Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, editors. Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition. Boston: Butterworths; 1990.

Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition.

Chapter 215 the family history.

Charles E. Driscoll .

A family history consists of the collection of information about the patient and other family members devoted to an understanding of:

• Heritable illness
• Current family health status
• Psychosocial disorders
• Interactional and relationship data

Eliciting the family history involves questioning about several areas of a patient's life: medical, psychologic, and social. Family members or significant others may need to be considered as additional sources of information. Data collection can be most efficiently and completely accomplished using the combination of a self-administered health history questionnaire (see Figure 215.1 ) and a personal interview. According to Jolly and associates, the time to complete and record a thorough interview will average 16 minutes (range 9 to 30 minutes).

Figure 215.1

Questions for a self-administered family history. (Reproduced with permission from Health History Questionnaire, Department of Family Practice, The University of Iowa College of Medicine.)

Timing of the family history within the context of the medical history is variable. Some elements of the family history seem most appropriate when they can be related to the present illness, such as with a presenting complaint suggesting colitis or anginal chest pain. Patients can understand the relevance of such questions if the illness under consideration has occurred in other family members. When no logical connection to the current problem can be made, inserting the family history just before or after the review of systems is most efficient and may have the effect of shortening the list of questions that need to be asked later. Opening this line of questioning can be accomplished with a bridging statement such as, "Sometimes the health of a person's family members may affect one's own health. Please tell me about the health and illnesses of your family." After responses to the open-ended question have been given, other information is gathered by direct questioning ("Has anyone in your family had a birth defect?") or using a "laundry list" question ("Has anyone in your family had an emotional illness such as anxiety, mania, depression, or schizophrenia?").

The content of the family history may be gathered in clusters of questions (see Table 215.1 ). The first cluster should enable the physician to understand the family composition of the patient (proband); at least three generations must be included. Names, sex, relationship to the patient, and dates (marriages, births, and deaths) are recorded for all first-degree relatives. First-degree relatives would include spouse or significant other, children, siblings, and parents. In some cases (e.g., when considering an X-linked recessive trait), information should also be gathered for more distant relatives, such as half-siblings, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Racial and ethnic origins may give clues for the detection of genetic diseases.

Table 215.1

Content Areas of Family History.

The second cluster of questions should focus on a history of familial, heritable illnesses in a family. A hereditary condition is most likely if any family member has had a condition similar to the patient's. Areas of concern are the following: deaths of infants or children, congenital malformations, biochemical or metabolic disorders, mental retardation, spontaneous abortions or infertility, unexplained or sudden deaths, any family members undergoing genetic counseling or evaluation, neurologic disorders, and a family psychiatric history. With regard to specific disorders for inquiry, supplement the list in Figure 215.1 with anemia, bleeding disorders, gout, migraine, and obesity.

A final area for investigation is the kinds of interactions and relationships among family members. Psychosocial problems should also be sought at this time. Leaving this line of questioning until the end allows for the strengthening of trust and rapport within the doctor–patient relationship necessary for successful interrogation about these potentially sensitive areas. Major stressors in the family may be responsible for physical conditions. Stomach pain or headaches in an adolescent often can stem from extreme anxiety about an alcoholic parent or impending divorce of the parents. Identify the following: Who provides the nurturing role for the family? Who is the breadwinner? Who makes decisions? Where are the conflicting, overclose (enmeshed), and domineering relationships? Who are the persons living in the immediate household?

Recording data from a family history may be best accomplished with a combination of diagrammatic and narrative forms. When genetic and interactional data are combined, the display is referred to as a genogram. This represents an important modification of the pedigree diagram, in which only medical diagnoses are presented. Retrieval of information about all members of a family is accomplished at a glance and may compensate for the inability to store all charts of a family together. Although a key is always included, the use of standardized symbols and notation presents the clearest message. Three or more generations are recorded with a single generation on the same horizontal line. Each generation may be designated by a roman numeral. First-born members are farthest to the left. All symbols except those representing abortions should be the same size. The male symbol is a square and traditionally is placed to the left of the round female spouse symbol. An arrow pointing to his or her symbol identifies the patient. A parent–child connection is represented with a vertical line above the symbol. A vertical line below the symbol connected by a horizontal line constitutes the marriage line. A dotted line may be used to surround all members of a family living together in the same household; interactional–relationship lines are used to denote extraordinary connections. Figure 215.2 shows the standard symbols and a typical genogram for a young asthmatic male.

Figure 215.2

Standard symbols and notation for recording a genogram. (Reproduced with permission from Driscoll, CE, Bope E, Smith D, Carter B. The handbook of family practice. Chicago, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1986:11.)

Finally, it should be emphasized that a statement in the medical record such as "refer to old charts for family history" is never acceptable. Family history and relationships are dynamic and ever changing. Old charts may be a useful source of information, but updating must be done so as to detect genetic diseases or status changes that have late onset and are only acquired as aging occurs (e.g., Huntington's chorea).

• Basic Science

A positive family history may clearly show an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or sex-linked pattern of inheritance. In contrast, a genetically determined disorder may exist with a negative family history. The various modes of inheritance may be classified as: (1) single-gene disorders; (2) multifactorial disorders; (3) and chromosomal aberrations (see Table 215.2 ).

Table 215.2

Recognizable Genetic Conditions.

The single-gene disorders refer to autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, sex-linked dominant, and sex-linked recessive. Nearly all sex-linked conditions are X-linked. There are more than 3000 traits known or suspected to be inherited as Mendelian or single-gene disorders (see Gelehrter, 1983 ). Autosomal dominant traits appear in each generation and are transmitted to approximately 50% of both male and female offspring. Homozygotes generally do not survive. Autosomal recessive traits are usually found only in siblings and not in parents or offspring. Transmission affects roughly 25% of both the male and female siblings. Consanguinity is a factor in some autosomal recessive inheritance.

The female to male ratio of sex-linked dominant disorders is 2:1. Affected males will transmit the disorder to all daughters and no sons. Heterozygous females transmit the disorder to about 50% of their children, while homozygotes transmit to all their children. With sex-linked recessive traits, males manifest the disorder more commonly than females. An affected male transmits the disorder to 50% of his daughters only after mating with a carrier female. An affected male mating with a normal female will never transmit the disease to a son, but 50% of his daughters will be carriers. The factors of nonpenetrance, variable expressivity, spontaneous mutation, and extramarital parentage may alter the expression of a genetic trait.

Multifactorial disorders are conditions that are produced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors; consequently, diagnosis is difficult. Environmental teratogens such as alcohol and drugs have been identified as two of the co-etiologic agents in some of these disorders. Much of adult genetic disease is multifactorial in origin and encompasses such health problems as hypertension, coronary artery disease, family cancer syndromes, diabetes, and epilepsy. Careful family population studies are necessary to spark the suspicion of a genetic diagnosis.

Chromosomal aberrations are of two basic types: numerical, in which extra or missing chromosomes occur; and structural, in which segmental deletion or duplication, inversion, translocation, or isochromosomes occur. Structural alterations are less common than numerical ones. Numerical alterations primarily arise through the process of nondysjunction in meiosis. Nondysjunction in mitosis, after fertilization has occurred, results in two distinct cell types, referred to as mosaicism. Direct assessment of chromosomes by a karyotype is required for diagnosis.

• Clinical Significance

Usefulness of the family history begins with the search for genetic diseases. Some genetic diseases are rare, though altogether they represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. It has been estimated that between 20 and 30% of pediatric hospital admissions are for some genetically related condition. For adults, this figure approaches 10%. Genetic counseling can be provided to explain the progression, prognosis, and management of current illnesses; to understand risks for recurrence and alternatives available to prevent recurrence; and to minimize the burden on the family and community of genetic diseases in a way most compatible with the patient's personal values and religious beliefs. Certain serious risks to life can be completely avoided, as in the case of cholinesterase deficiency and anesthetic accidents with the use of suxamethonium. A careful family history may provide not only help in the management of a patient's disorder but also the clues for screening and identifying other at-risk patients for whom either prevention or early intervention is appropriate.

Obtaining a family psychiatric history has definite clinical benefit. A child of a schizophrenic mother has an eightfold increase in the risk for that disorder, as well as an increased risk for suicide. In the general population, anxiety neurosis has a prevalence of about 5%, which increases to about 50% in the offspring of persons with the disorder. Of persons with mania or depression, roughly two-thirds of the offspring between 5 and 15 years will be clinically depressed. In these cases, a family history succeeds in identifying unsuspected cases of illness that need treatment and may suggest to the physician that a shattered family system exists.

Finally, the detection of family roles and functioning will give assistance in achieving therapeutic goals and compliance. Not only may an individual's health or illness be a result of what happens in a family, but the family may be predictably altered by the illness of one of its members. Using family systems theory, some effective interventions may now be directed at altering the family's impact on illness. The family strengths and weaknesses, and its ability to withstand major stresses in the future, can be assessed. A good family history may reveal unexplained symptoms to be the manifestations of a stress-related or psychosomatic illness.

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• Cite this Page Driscoll CE. The Family History. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, editors. Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition. Boston: Butterworths; 1990. Chapter 215.
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