If you’ve ever seen someone else’s family history book, it might have sparked your interest. These books are incredible to look back through. The handwritten entries date back decades or more, and there is something so special about being able to touch the pages where their hands were once writing about your family! Even if the stories aren’t all that interesting (if you’re like most of us, there’s no royal blood in your family book!), the whole idea of it is. But, don’t feel bad if you don’t have such a book. Many of us don’t, but just think back: for everyone that has a family history book, they also had a family member willing to start that book. Why not be that person in your family?

The Structure

Today, we have the ability to get online and actually print out a professional hardcover book all typeset and laid out, but you don’t necessarily need to do that. In fact, you’ll make it more personal–and that much more important and meaningful to your future relatives–if you sit down with paper and your best penmanship to begin illustrating your family’s history as far back as you can remember. Here are some ways to approach it:

• Dates and names. The simplest form of a “family history book” is simply a listing of parents, children, spouses, etc. within your family tree. You should include place and date of birth, date and place of marriage, where they have resided, etc. So, finding this information can lead you down a difficult road, but it’s not always the funnest thing to write or read. However, if you’re serious about keeping a family history book, this would be an informational section to include and you should consider tracking the information–at least starting as far back as you can remember (parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents).
• Real stories from history. No book would be big enough to encompass all of your family’s great stories that were impacted by a historic event, but you can fit in as many important stories as you can. For instance, a grandfather who served in the war might have one of his stories shared in the family history book (especially one that either impacted the family or can be associated with an important historical event).

If you’re going to go the latter route and try to tell real stories about your family to bring them to life, you need to do a bit of planning. First, sort out your family tree and decide whom you’re going to start with. You might be able to date back eight generations, for example, with names and years, but no other information can be found until five generations ago. To properly record this information, you’ll list all the information you can, starting with the earliest generation you can find.

You’d be best off starting your draft on scratch paper or even by doing this part on a computer where you can easily move, erase, change, and insert information as you find it. Once you have it all structured and filled in, begin writing it inside of your family history book. If living family members are willing to sign their own name in your ancestry list, that will add to the meaning as well.

Your family book will likely become a multi-volume set over time. Find the largest journal you can to begin with, and don’t be afraid to splurge on a leather-bound or handmade book. After all, it will last through many lifetimes if properly kept up with and cared for.

Here’s some information you’ll be adding to your family history book from this point on:

• Marriages: Who married who? When? Where? Where are they going to live?
• Children: Who? What’s their name? Where were they born? Where are they going to live?
• Etc.

As important events unfold in history, you might even go in and add a story or two about how it directly impacted your family. Journalling about these events can give future relatives an intriguing and personal insight into history.