#My30 Family History Book
(I’ve created a video showing my process that you can watch HERE)
Earlier this year, I decided that I needed to start putting together the stories and family history that I’ve collected over my lifetime. I started doing genealogy in my early twenties, around the time of the television series “Roots”. I worked on it then, but it was tough, with snail mail and limited travel options, which made it hard to learn more about my family. So when my children came along, I put it all aside.
Then, when they were grown, I realized that I had the time, and by then, the internet and email were a thing, so I dove into genealogy in a big way. It became my pastime, my hobby to work on at night. I decided to look, and my earliest correspondence was to a cousin in 2005, whom I discovered on “Genes Reunited”. (I checked today, and I still have an account there. I may have to have a look around)
Getting back to the book, I’m calling in my #30 because I’m going to start with the 30 people who represent my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and 2x great-grandparents. I decided I’d start with my great-grandparents and work my way forward in time. My thought is that I can make some progress as there is “less” material that I have for them.. or so I think.
I decided I wanted to start with a timeline for each of the great-grandparents and see where I might have gaps. I’m doing this using artificial intelligence, copying and pasting the “lifestory” from Ancestry and the profiles from MyHeritage. Here is my prompt. Note: I said only great-grandparents, but that shouldn’t change much.
This is what ChatGPT came up with.
Steps to Prepare Your Research Before Writing a Multi-Generation Family History Book
Before writing a book about yourself, your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, it helps to follow a structured preparation process. These steps ensure your conclusions are solid and your stories are complete.
1. Create a Minimum Evidence Profile for each person
Before writing, define what “complete enough” looks like. Confirm each ancestor’s identity details, family structure, residences, occupations, and life events, so you know whether your research foundation is strong.
2. Build layered timelines (not just event timelines)
Create timelines that include life events, documentary appearances, and historical context. This helps you see both what happened in your ancestor’s life and what was happening around them.
3. Run a full record sweep for each ancestor
Check systematically for civil registrations, census entries, newspapers, church records, and land or probate documents. A structured sweep ensures nothing important is missed.
4. Research the FAN club (Friends, Associates, Neighbors)
The people surrounding your ancestor often confirm identity, explain migrations, and reveal relationships that don’t appear in direct records.
5. Add DNA confirmation where appropriate
DNA evidence can strengthen conclusions about parentage, sibling groups, and connections between families—especially when documentation alone is incomplete.
6. Create a Missing Information Tracker
Keep a running list of unanswered questions and likely sources to check next. This turns research gaps into a clear plan rather than leaving them as unfinished work.
7. Research the places your ancestors lived
Understanding local history, migration routes, industries, and boundary changes helps explain decisions your ancestors made and strengthens your storytelling.
8. Gather visual and archival storytelling material early
Collect photographs, signatures, letters, maps, certificates, and newspaper clippings as you research. These materials shape both interpretation and presentation in your book.
9. Assign a confidence level to each conclusion
Mark whether each fact is proven, strongly supported, likely, or still a hypothesis. This keeps your narrative accurate and transparent as you write.
10. Build a consistent chapter structure before writing
Create a repeatable structure for each ancestor’s story—early life, marriage, children, occupation, community, and legacy—so the book reads smoothly across generations.
11. Create descendant charts from each great-grandparent forward to you
Tracing each line forward confirms relationships, identifies missing children, and ensures your family story flows logically from generation to generation.
This is my Family Tree Chart
Note: I have a few gaps in my tree. My grandfather, Harold, was born out of wedlock, and although I believe I know who his father is, I haven’t added him to the tree. As for William Beaton, again, I’m pretty confident I know who his parents were, but I haven’t added to my tree. I think this is an interesting dilemma, and I asked Diahan Southard about this and why she thinks I haven’t. You can listen to her response HERE.
In my next post, I’m going to use the framework ChatGPT suggested and begin writing about my 2x great-grandfather, John Shannon. I’m starting at the 2x great-grandparent level and working forward in time. I’m doing this because I have some information, but not tons, so I’ll get more bang for my buck and feel like I’ve achieved more (at least I think so).
As I go, I’ll add it to the book I’m creating in Artisan 6 (see my example below) and post screenshots of how it looks. I hope you’ll follow along, and if you like this process, consider doing the same for your ancestors’ stories. If you like the idea of Artisan 6, you can try it for 30 days before you commit. Just like any other program, there is a learning curve, but if you sign up through my link, you’ll have me to help you, as I’m a FOREVER Lead Ambassador.
Created using Artisan 6
Where are you at with your genealogy? Are you at a point where you’d like to start capturing some of what you’ve already discovered? I’d love to hear more.
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