SYNTHPOPALOOZA asked in our post Our Surname Tables for DNA Research What do you do in the case of first cousins marrying each other? This happens three times in my tree, and in one case (my father’s father’s line) both my 2nd great-grandparents have the same last name, Hurst. They share the same grandparents. How do you chart that? Great question. I have some suggestions but before we jump into answering that question, if you want step-by-step instructions on how to create a surname table, this video should help. Back to the actual question of charting when cousins marry each other. What you are describing is tree collapse. BOY, oh Boy, will your DNA become very confusing. Your cousin matches might suggest someone is more closely related to you than they actually are when you map our your family tree using documents. The more occurrences of tree collapse you encounter, the more confusing your research becomes, as you well know. I do not envy your situation. However, here’s how you can demonstrate tree collapse with a surname table. Tree Collapse When Two Great Grandmothers are Sisters Tree collapse on different grandparent lines. (The right column is not accurate, so please don’t use this table for proof) This first example shows tree collapse when two sisters marry individuals that will eventually have a common great-great-grandchild. It’s not cousins, but it is problematic. Notice how I first built the surname table as I would for any family without tree collapse. The only difference is I added numbers beside the surnames. For the two sisters, I used (1 + letter). This indicates that they are of the same generation and that they are siblings. Otherwise, if I was using a numeral alone (2), (3), or (4), then I am indicating the same person. Do not cite this table as fact, it was modified for instructional purposes This surname table has tree collapse along the same line because a brother and sister marry each other. The surname Zumstein in the 2nd GGP generation, based on its placement in the chart, represents the mother of the Comfort in 1st GP position. The (1*) is used to indicate that this female is a sibling to the male who had a child with the woman with the last name Snyder. To ensure clarity, I added a footnote to the table. This will help if your tree collapse occurs in multiple locations on your tree. From this point forward, I continue to create the surname table as I would any other family. I add parenthetical numbers, (2), (3), (4), for those individuals who are the same person in the tree. In so doing, I am suggestion their male partners are also the same. ↪️ Are you looking for more genealogy resources? Grab your copy of this FREE Genealogy Research Guide: If you have more tree collapse, you’ll use increasing larger numbers or come up with a creative number system (i.e., Z1 ~ for the start of the Zumstein tree collapse, C1 ~ for start of the Comfort tree collapse). The numbers help me see the pattern of tree collapse. Are you able to see the reduced tree in the 4thGGP generation for the Zumstein line, can’t you? I hope this helps SYNTHPOPALOOZA with her situation. If you have questions about anything we post here on Family History Fanatics, drop us a comment below the specific post, and we’ll be happy to respond your comments or create additional articles when the answers are longer than a quick reply can answer. Save this to Pinterest for future reference.

Question: I have looked everywhere for records about my ancestor, but they just aren’t online at FamilySearch. How am I supposed to track them down? Help! -- Discouraged Genealogist in Henderson, Nevada Thanks Discouraged, When we’re climbing our family tree, it’s tough when we aren’t finding records for them where we want them and when we want them. Rather than repeat the wisened genealogist matra, “Not everything is online” and shaking my head (which I promise I’m not doing but some readers might be), let me cover a few reasons why you aren’t finding your ancestor’s information. Change Your Search Methodology If you aren’t using larger date ranges for the events in your ancestor’s life, you might be missing the records that are on FamilySearch. If you are not changing the spelling of your ancestors, you are overlooking potential records on FamilySearch. You might also want to look for your ancestor’s extended family members, neighbors, or associates to find records for your relations. There are additional methodical tweaks you can make, but that’s enough to get you started. Are You Browsing on FamilySearch? There are numerous record collections on FamilySearch that you can’t access through the search forms. You can access them by keying in your ancestor’s location on the FamilySearch Card Catalog. If you haven’t used this before, you’re probably overlooking online records. ↪️ Are you looking for more genealogy resources? Grab your copy of this FREE Genealogy Research Guide: Do you know if records exist for that ancestor’s time and place? If you’re researching Laos before 1940, you will likely not find anything because the communist destroyed records of genealogical significance for the country. Additionally, some documents do not exist for your ancestor who was born in America because They were never created in the first place. The records were damaged or destroyed. Use the FamilySearch Wiki and find the relevant location pages to determine what might have been available for your ancestor’s neck of the planet. Search other genealogy sites: FamilySearch is excellent because it’s free and folks like free. However, there are more genealogy websites that you should check out: Ancestry FindMyPast MyHeritage These three family trees and record collections sites immediately come to mind. There are others, but that’s a good start. Try genealogically related sites: Some websites focus on particular aspects of genealogy such as gravestones, newspaper, and military records. Consider the following: Find A Grave Billion Graves Newspapers Archive Newspapers.com GenealogyBank Fold3 Investigate the collections of Societies and Libraries Online record collections are in societies, archives, and libraries: You want to investigate the digital collections of American Ancestors Seeking Michigan Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System Digital Public Library of America National Archives Not Every Genealogy Resource Is Online Once you have altered your online research strategies and moved beyond FamilySearch, and you still don’t find your ancestor’s records online you have two options: Go to an offline repository of documents Wait and Pray. I applied the “wait and pray” strategy and within the last few years, the Kentucky Marriages and Ohio Wills & Probate have not only become accessible online, but they are also searchable! If you found this resources helpful, please share it on Pinterest.

Tall, dark, and handsome. Is there any other character description more cliche than that, even if it’s true? Your ancestor might have been marked on military draft cards or passports as Stout and Medium for this build and height. What can you do with these descriptions, combined with photos, to describe your ancestors to your relatives? Take time to look at a photo, if you have it, and see if any of the following words fit your ancestor’s physique. 30 Words to help you describe your ancestor’s facial features: PHYSIQUE Petite Compact Burly Beefy Brawny Barrel-chested Heavy-set Obese Pudgy Pot-Bellied Portly Stout Lush Wiry Sinewy Hulking Herculean Narrow-waisted Full-figured Ample Rounded Voluptuous Curvy Hourglass Plump Gangling Lanky Willowy Lithe Slender Gaunt Stocky Strapping Chiseled Broad-shouldered Bowlegged Some of the descriptions you might use might make you blush a little. Do you wonder if you’re writing a family history or a romance novel? If your ancestors were attractive, don’t shy away from describing them as such. It’s part of their world. If your ancestor wasn’t going to grace the cover of a “Hottest Men In Cornwall” magazine (if they had one at the time), don’t shy away with being fair in your description but providing grace. If an ancestor was obese, say so. Why? ↪️ Do you want to write a family history book? Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide: My ancestor’s history of obese men who died before their 60th birthday is a critical part of my health lineage. If historians didn’t tell me my relatives were often overweight, I couldn’t address the genetic predispositions that lurk in my DNA. Follow this advice, err on the side of a dispassionate evaluation when describing the physique of your ancestors. Don’t lie, but don’t be overly critical either. Otherwise, karma. Your descendants will portray you in less than flattering terms. What great words have you used to describe your ancestors? Be sure to add yours or share the description in the comments section. Further Reading – Describing Our Ancestors Series: How To Describe Your Ancestor’s Physical Appearance Where to Find Physical Descriptions of Your Ancestor Over 60 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Hair Over 80 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Facial Features Over 30 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Physique (You Are Here)

How would you describe someone to another person who has never met them? Sure, you can define their character and positive traits. It would be better to describe their facial features so the second person can locate the first person in a crowd. When it comes to describing our ancestors, we need to use words to help our family pick out their ancestors in photos or in a list of names that might mean little without mental images based on physical descriptions. When describing facial features, start with the easiest to describe first – eye color. Whenever possible, don’t settle for dull words like blue and brown. Be more specific. Eye Color Coal Ebony Obsidian Aquamarine Baby Blue Cornflower Crystal Gun-Metal Chestnut Dirt/Mud Topaz Charcoal Graphite Silver Bottle Green Emerald Jade Hazel Violet Ultramarine Once you’ve described the eye color, provide details about the eye shape. This can be challenging but give it a go. Eye Shape Almond-shaped Squinty Bulging Heavy-lidded Hooded Deep-set Close-set Hollow Wide-set Evenly-spaced Prominent Downturned Monolid Upturned Sleepy Sultry Once you have the eyes covered, zoom out and focus on the face shape. There are seven basic face shapes in make-up, but in writing, we can be more creative with our choices. Granted, some words are a bit inflammatory, so be careful which ones you use. In the meantime, let’s have a little fun exploring the possibilities! Face Shape Square Oval Round Triangular Heart-shaped Thin Wide Chiseled Blocky Box-shaped Broad Diamond-shaped Expansive Flat Irregular Long Marshmallow-shaped Moon-round Narrow Oblong Pumpkinesque Pyramid-shaped Rectangular Okay, pumpkinesque and marshmallow-shaped are probably not the best choices for our ancestors. I included them for laughs, to check if you were reading, and to trigger other descriptive words you could use. I like words such as moon-round or flat. I especially when like these words when combined with another adjective such as broad, moon-round, or narrow, flat face. Next, move on to Skin color and texture. It’s not enough to say white or black. That does nothing to account for the spectrum of skin colors and take into account the texture of the skin. Skin/ Complexion Ruddy Sallow Tanned Rosy Umber Fawn Beige Warm Cool Pale Fair Caramel Ebony Translucent Peaches-and-cream Craggy Weathered Acned Clean-shaven Marred Smooth Baby-soft Leathery Mottled Dry Fresh-faced Paper-thin Dimpled Hatchet-faced Wrinkled Freckled Many photographs can provide a hint as to the skin color and complexion of an individual. Isn’t umber, baby-soft a better way to describe dark, soft skin? I think so. ↪️ Do you want to write a family history book? Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide: One final feature of facial descriptions is the hair, especially on men in past generations. Choosing the right words about the hairy side of a face can nail down a written portrayal of a man. Facial Hair Clean-shaven Bearded Goatee Scruffy Handle-bar mustache Five o’clock shadow Stubble Bushy Whiskered Neatly-trimmed Pencil-mustache Soul Patch Bristly Please give it a go. Describe the mug of the man or woman you call ancestor. When you do, put a link in the comments to your blog post, Facebook postings, or Instagram photo with your description. Once again, the essential thing to remember when describing your ancestor is to do your best to paint a picture for your readers. If someone disagrees with your word choice, tell them to write their own story! What great words have you used to describe your ancestors? Be sure to add yours or share the description in the comments section. Further Reading – Describing Our Ancestors Series: How To Describe Your Ancestor’s Physical Appearance Where to Find Physical Descriptions of Your Ancestor Over 60 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Hair Over 80 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Facial Features (You Are Here) Over 30 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Physique

In previous posts, we’ve discussed the importance of writing about your ancestor’s physical appearance and how to find details about their physique, if you don’t have photos to aid your writing. Today, let’s give you a quick list of adjectives that can help you describe your ancestor’s hair color and style if perhaps you have a photo to draw inspiration from. Hair color is the easiest to assess in color photographs. It’s more challenging in black and white images. Pick the adjectives that best create a mental picture for you. Hair Color Blonde Strawberry Blonde Golden Blonde Mousy Ash Brown Brunette Jet Black Salt and Pepper Ebony Raven Flaxen Tawny Chestnut Russet Sandy Auburn Copper Silver Snowy Sooty Black Hair texture is often overlooked but an essential aspect of describing hair. Be sure to use one of these words to narrow down what type of hair your ancestor had, or didn’t have: Hair Texture Bald Wispy Fuzzy Wavy Frizzy Wild Untamed Unmanageable Straight Scraggly Spiky Stiff Buzzed Shaved Parted Neatly-combed Cascading Close-cropped Bristly Receding Finally, the style in which your ancestor wore their hair is the crowning glory of a physical description. Give these words a try: Hair Style Bouffant Braids Bun Twist Bob Ringlets Flip Cornrows Buzz Layered Feathered Gelled Slicked down 5-Point Cut Pixie Buster Brown Mop Tops Pompadour Chignons Bedford Crop What do you think? Will any of these words fit to describe the locks on your ancestor’s head? Did I miss any words that you’ve used? Let me know in the comments. ↪️ Do you want to write a family history book? Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide: The important thing to remember when describing your ancestor is to do your best to help paint a picture for your readers. If someone disagrees with your word choice, tell them to go write their own story! What great words have you used to describe your ancestors? A few folks have shared so great words. Be sure to add yours in the comments section. Further Reading – Describing Our Ancestors Series: How To Describe Your Ancestor’s Physical Appearance Where to Find Physical Descriptions of Your Ancestor Over 60 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Hair Over 80 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Facial Features (You Are Here) Over 30 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Physique

Do you ever come across a research problem that makes your head spin? That’s what happened with one of our viewers, and we’ll take you on the journey to puzzle it out. When a friend started climbing her family tree, she ran into problems with Winfield Underwood. She reviewed all of the previous research others had accumulated on FamilySearch, FindAGrave, and Ancestry.com and couldn’t make heads or tails out of the conclusions. Winfield had multiple sets of parents, and she couldn’t determine which set was the correct pair. How could she determine who was the right parent when she didn’t feel experienced enough in genealogy to make those determinations? I was asked to take a look at the tangled tree to see if I could puzzle it out. This case study is the foundation for a multi-part series of videos on our YouTube Channel under the heading Research Over My Shoulder. In order to make sense of the situation while reviewing Winfield’s tree, I used a clue web. Some folks call these genealogy mind maps. I’ve shared a how-to video on why I like the term clue web better and then how to create a clue web using Google Slides The pieces of my clue web: What do we know about Winfield Underwood? His name is G Winfield Underwood His spouse is Rhoda Kelly Has a few children He died in Grayson County, Texas He was born in Kentucky What don’t we know about Winfield? What does the initial G stand for? Who are his parents? All of these details and questions are added to a clue web to keep the case visually organized. Then I start adding pieces of the mystery to the clue web, including: Clue #1: Parents Linked As Family Hyrum Winfield and Eliza Jane Martin are connected to G Winfield Underwood as parents. However, there are no documents supporting this couple as Winfield’s parents. ↪️ Do you want to write a family history book? Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide: Clue #2: Attached Birth Index Source A birth record for Winfield is attached as a source. That record names Hyrum Winfield and Gaddie as parents. The question is this: Is Gaddie a given name or a surname? Without seeing the original birth record, rather than an index, we can not make a conclusion. We only have a hunch or a theory. Clue #3: Attached Death Record A death record for Winfield is attached as a source. That record names Hyrum Winfield and Eliza Jane Gatty as parents. Winfield’s son was the informant. Did he make a mistake about the spelling of Eliza Gatty’s last name or was that the correct version? Did Eliza Jane have a second husband with the name Martin? Or, was he mistaken entirely? Don’t Jump to Conclusions It would be easy to say that the last name of Eliza Jane Martin should really be Gatty or Gaddie and we need to just pick the correct spelling. However, we have not completed the first principle of solid genealogical research: Conduct a Reasonably Exhaustive Search In future videos and associated posts, I’ll share principles and discoveries as we puzzle out who was Winfield’s parents. I hope you’ll join me on the journey. You might also like the following tips: Discover More Using Databases and Timelines How to Frugally Transcribe Genealogy Records

Fiction novels are compelling not because of the world-building; instead, they have engaging, fully-fleshed-out characters. In short, good stories are about people. So why is it that family histories are usually about facts rather than the people behind the facts? What’s more, how can we change that? One quick trick is to describe the physical appearance of your ancestors. But wait, I don’t know what my ancestor looked like. How can I describe their appearance? That’s a great question, and we’ll come back to that in a second post, but for now, let’s talk about how to add descriptions about your ancestors. The trick is to realize that you don’t have to be gifted at writing to describe your ancestor well. The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars. Raise your hand if you can write like J.R.R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. For those with your hands down, I’m with you. Although I enjoy a talented writer’s gift of description, I need something simplified to be successful. She’s the twelve-year-old… Up close she looks about ten. She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound. It’s impossible not to think of a bird. If you’ve read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, do you remember who this character is? ↪️ Sign up for our newsletter and receive the free guide: 10 Online Genealogy Resources You Have to Try Even if you haven’t read The Hunger Games, can you picture the character? You know: gender age, but looks younger Eye color Skin color Action performed Take a look at this description: She was a bold-looking girl of about twenty-seven, with thick dark hair, a freckled face, and swift, athletic movements. A narrow scarlet sash, emblem of the Junior Anti-Sex League, was wound several times around her waist of her overalls. This description from Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell can be broken down into this easy-to-follow model. gender adjectives of character age hair face build clothing description When you break down the mechanics of the physical description, you can see that you can do the same thing. A YouTuber named Jenna Moreci, who also is an author, shares ten tips for writing character descriptions in her video Top Ten Writing Hacks. (Adult language warning for those who would like to know beforehand). Did you know…? You can subscribe to Family History Fanatics YouTube Channel so you can stay up to date with my new How-To Videos & Tutorials! Click here to subscribe now so we can stay in touch, and you won’t miss out on anything! Jenna has shared her acronym for writing physical descriptions in fiction novels. Still, these can easily adapt to writing about our ancestors, and it will add more depth to the models shared by famous authors. The acronym is FESHO – figure, eyes, skin, hair, and other. Very quickly, Figure – describe the height, muscle build, lack of muscle. Eyes – describe the color, shape, size, or lack thereof. Skin – describe the color, texture, wrinkles, freckles, scars. Hair – describe the color, length, texture, receding, cut, or styled Other – describe the defining features such as tattoos, broken nose, angular chin, cleft chin, missing appendage OR define wardrobe OR define their actions Let’s try to apply FESHO to the following photo. Sometimes you can describe all of the details. Sometimes you can’t. The point is to try. Photo of Evaline T. Peak, in possession of Devon Noel Lee The elegantly dressed, petite, twenty-four-year-old maiden with smooth, youthful light skin, dark hair parted down the middle and pinned back prepared for a trip on a boat during her honeymoon trip to Niagra Falls. For her figure, I’m struggling to find an adjective to fits, so I’m currently using petite. I can not determine her eye color from this photo, but I could examine the shape and describe that. I’ll put it on my To-Do List, but if you have suggestions, I’d love to hear them. For her skin, it looks smooth and young. Standing in such a pose on a ship can generate numerous emotions, but I can imagine her smiling brightly as this is her honeymoon vacation to Niagara Falls. Her hair is dark and pinned back in the style typical of this time period. The other feature I described focused on the action she was taking rather than additional. Now, this is a working description based on one photo. If I had more photos of my ancestor, I could add more details. In upcoming posts, I’ll share adjectives that can be useful when you lack the words to describe your ancestor’s physical appearance. I’ll also share tips on where to find details about their appearance. Stay tuned. What great physical descriptions have written about your ancestors? Share your writing samples or links to the samples in the comments below. Part of the fun of genealogy and writing is sharing and receiving feedback. Further Reading – Describing Our Ancestors Series: How To Describe Your Ancestor’s Physical Appearance (You Are Here) Where to Find Physical Descriptions of Your Ancestor Over 60 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Hair Over 80 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Facial Features Over 30 Words to Describe Your Ancestor’s Physique

Personal history can be a treasured part of family history and should be included in your preservation efforts. However, the thought of writing about yourself may feel intimidating. Don’t let it be. Many memories love hiding behind iron cages when you’re earnestly attempting to record the past. To tap into nostalgic moments, you need keys that open the locks on the doors. Pick one small time period from your past. Then follow these five tips for pre-writing your tale. Pre-writing is the process of accumulating resources necessary for storytelling. In this case, pre-writing is unlocking your memories using memory triggers. Before we review those tips, understand that I’ve completed the challenge. My memoir “From Metal to Rhinestones: The Quest for the Crown” covers a three-year personal transformation during my teen years. This ugly duckling to swan story utilized Texas beauty pageants to complete my metamorphosis. If you’re interested, you can read this book on Amazon. The 100+ page book answers my husband’s request to explain how I became involved in the big hair and spangled dress events. The writing process was needlessly difficult because I didn’t pre-write the story. Avoid my time-consuming mistakes by using these memory opening techniques. MINDMAP Mindmaps are highly-recommended graphic organizers in creating writing classes, genealogy brick wall analysis, and product innovation. Mindmaps can help you define the memories you want to access. Mindmaps start with a topic circled in the center of a page. When you think of related subtopics, place them in separate circles and draw lines to connect them to the first. Sub-topics often trigger additional memories, which will require other circles and lines to this circle rather than the first. For my memoir, I wrote ‘pageant’ in the center circle and split this topic into two additional ideas” Teen Division” and “Miss Division.” Branching off from each sub-topic, I identified memories such as the different competitions I entered, the trainers I had, the gowns I wore, and the talents I performed. Another form of mind mapping involves writing sub-topics on sticky notes. You write phrases that pop into your mind. Again, for my memoir, I could write “Bruise Dress,” “Stacey,” “Miss Texas Teen USA,” and other sub-topics that come to mind on different sticky notes. Once my memories ran dry, I could reshuffle the sticky notes around into common themes. This mindmap employs a bottom-up approach, while the previous one is the top down. Maps and notes can help you capture the keywords and phrases that help you when you’re ready to record the fuller details of your life experiences in an organized way. Doodle Some people are more visual than verbal. As such, they can mindmap using pictures. To doodle your way through pre-writing, set a timer for 5 minutes. Then doodle about your topic. For a military service topic, one could draw sketches of clothing, a sign representing the forts or bases, machinery or weapons used, the medals earned, food eaten, etc. The idea centers on drawing memory triggers that support the life event. And the beauty of doodles stems from the free flow of the sketches. For those who shun rigid organization, doodling can open up the mind. An alternative to doodles is visual collages. Utilizing clipart and images from the internet, organize visual triggers into a cluster on a document. Find pictures of MREs, peacoats, and unit flags and paste them into a Word file or paste them into a visual board. Insert actual pictures whenever available, but not too many to overwhelm your inspiration board. Whether your doodle is hand-drawn or a digital collage, create a visual memory aid that will help you turn your thoughts into words. Be warned; not every key will work for you. Sometimes a combination of the pre-writing styles will capture all the essentials of a great story. Chronologies Timelines are helpful when organizing a process, and many of our life stories happen over many weeks, months, or years. A chronological listing of events can help write sequentially, building upon the previous memory. If you’re writing about cancer treatment and recovery, your timeline might involve the dates of the first noticeable symptom, the diagnosis, the procedures, the follow-up visits, and the remission declaration. Did you know…? You can subscribe to Family History Fanatics YouTube Channel so you can stay up to date with my new How-To Videos & Tutorials! Click here to subscribe now so we can stay in touch and you won’t miss out on anything! If life events occurred during the treatments (such as graduation, births, weddings, new jobs, loss of a job, etc.), add those to the timeline to encompass a broader picture of the traumatic time span. If a significant historical event happened, include it in the chronology as those events impact emotions and schedules. Perhaps you started cancer treatment on September 11, 2001. That date may trigger significant stories to include in your final memoir. Watch this video on YouTube. Mind Dump Mind dumping isn’t a definitive method of pre-writing. With voice or writing, capture every thought that pops into your head by dumping them into a master file. The file could be a physical notebook, a Google Doc file, or a voice note app. Truthfully, this is how I usually start pre-writing any project. So many ideas flood my mind, from phrases, music, sights, sounds, and emotions. If I don’t write in words (or speak them), I lose them. Keywords won’t trigger the impressions during a later writing session. I have to write until the memory well runs dry. Many would consider a mind dumping as writing. However, I categorize it as pre-writing. The memories are disconnected and disorganized. They could be two sentences or a paragraph. The mind dump allows memory-capturing to be as lengthy or as brief as needed to revisit at a later date. Once the mind dumping session is over, you can then reorganize your thoughts into a timeline or a mind-map. ↪️ Do you want to write a family history book? Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide: Memory Triggers The things we saved from events in our lives trigger nostalgia. As such, when you’re preparing to write your life stories, gather those memory triggers. When writing about my senior year in high school, I dug out my memory book. It’s filled with pre-printed forms that I completed in the mid-90s such as my likes, dislikes, who I went to homecoming with, what I wore to prom, and so forth. I pasted things concert ticket stubs, dance programs, photos, my graduation announcement, and football fan ribbons in the book. The memory book reminded me I had a box of oversized items in my home: my homecoming mum, a piece of my color guard uniform, t-shirts, a  graduation cap, and more. Each item triggers a different moment of my final high school year. During pre-writing, gather your keepsakes in one location. Use These Keys to Open Your Memory Vault The foundation of memoirs and life stories are memories, some of which have been locked up for decades or more. To efficiently tell your story, spend time in the pre-writing phase using: mind mapping, doodling, chronologies, mind dumping, and finding your memory triggers.

RootsMagic is a desktop software program that helps you organize your family tree. I have used the program since the announcement that Personal Ancestral File would no longer be supported by product developers. RootsMagic has been a useful tool for my genealogical research, and I have five reasons why: Keep Track of Living I do not like putting the information of living relatives online. I do not want to be responsible for anything happening to my relations because of what I share. I know that is not something millennials care about so much. Moreover, there are plenty of individuals who will add my children and me to their family trees. Thankfully they will keep their trees private because they have curate information about living relatives. However, I still won’t do that. RootsMagic is where I will put information about living family members. Timelines Rock! When I write my family histories, I add the distinctive flavoring of putting a family in context. What else was happening in the family that year (who else died, who else married, who else was born, and so on)? The timeline feature on RootsMagic makes this a BREEZE! I only which I could choose to add step-parents to a person’s timeline, and maybe grandparents. However, I can quickly hope around the tree and view different chronologies. Did you know…? You can subscribe to Family History Fanatics YouTube Channel so you can stay up to date with my new How-To Videos & Tutorials! Click here to subscribe now so we can stay in touch and you won’t miss out on anything! I can also access all the notes and sources for each event from the timeline view. Timelines on RootsMagic keep the click to access data low, which speeds up my writing flow. Watch this video on YouTube. Organizes My Computer Files I do not print out my genealogy in pedigree charts and group sheets. My family tree is continually changing, and I do not want to kill trees unnecessarily. As such, I keep all of my genealogical data organized with RootsMagic. The program also helps me reduce the need to create a fancy media file organization system. When I add photos and scanned documents to the individuals in my tree, RootsMagic’s linking becomes my file organization system. I can name the files by what they contain and place them in an easy to access file folder. I love that my organization can be simplified. Hints in One Spot With so many websites having hints, it can be difficult to manage each platform. As such, I love that I can click on the lightbulbs on a relative’s name and see the hints for FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch. Soon, we should have hints for Ancestry.com (some have this, but only if you do not attempt to link a RootsMagic file to an Ancestry file, it’s too complex to explain in this post). As I said before, I am a little random in the way I climb my family trees; this is one way that I find the shiny diamonds to explore. ↪️ Sign up for our newsletter and receive the free guide: 10 Online Genealogy Resources You Have to Try Helps Me Prune My Tree With Analysis Tools I can find problem reports, such as all persons in my database lacking specific facts such as birth date and birthplace. RootsMagic print reports of everyone buried in one cemetery when I place a gravestone photography trip. I can clean up place names, so there is one single way to say Cincinnati, Ohio. Just so you know, I’m not an affiliate of RootsMagic and I currently do not make any money for telling you about the product. Now, if the owners want to send me some money for writing positive remarks about the program, I will not turn that away. However, there are things I do not like about the program, so I am not sure they’d like bad press. Those are the top five ways I used RootsMagic. Do you use the program? How do you use the program? I would love to hear about that in the comments below. Read More About #organizingfamilyhistory

Have you written a family history? Are you hesitant to print it for fear there are mistakes from the grammatical to the historically accurate? Why not publish a proof copy and share it with a few family members? You’ll soon learn the best reason to share a proof copy is feedback. My goal in 2017 was to finish the final draft of the book about my grandpa Lewis Brown. I’ve shared stories about him on this blog before, and I often use his story when I teach how to write family histories. However, Lewis’ story needed to leave my computer and reside on my bookshelf so my children will know about this beloved great-grandpa. To edit my drafts, I had used Grammarly.com to catch most of the glaring mistakes. Several errors might still slip through, but the book wouldn’t be excruciating to read due to the obvious spelling and grammatical errors. I cited all of my sources, but I still need to establish a consistent style. There is the genealogical standard, but there’s also MLA, APA, and Chicago. I grew up using the MLA standard. I haven’t read a convincing case that other styles are better for my purposes. The Citation Machine is a free source for formatting a limited number of citations per day. It will even pull information from websites, further simplifying the citation creation process. Since I won’t submit my work to a genealogical journal or archive that is nit picky about where to place a comma or the order of the pertinent details and there are no Citation Machines for the genealogical citation style, I’ll stick with MLA. I need to ensure I’ve applied it to all of my citations equally. I’ll have enough citation information to establish my source. From my journalistic background, that’s good enough for media and government work, so I’ll go with it. (Yeah, I know. Some genealogists will gnash their teeth at me.) ↪️ Sign up for our newsletter and receive the free guide: 10 Online Genealogy Resources You Have to Try After formatting the book, I used Lulu.com to print a softcover version of the book. Since it’s under 69 pages, the cost was around $4.00 without a sale. That’s a STEAL. At that price, I ordered a few books to share with my two aunts and shipped them proof copies. I sent them a letter that specifically said it needed to be reviewed before I printed copies for their children and mine. Here comes the best part… When my older aunt received her book, she sent me a text expressing her excitement. She was thrilled to have the book and would certainly help with the edits. In a few weeks, she mailed back the marked-up copy of the book. Yes, a marked-up copy! It’s a proof copy! I wanted her to edit the heck out of the book and share any further details she uncovered. Since she has a strong literary background, she found the grammatical errors that Grammarly missed. But then she added a few more details. She recorded her reaction to a photo of grandpa, her father. She added more details! I never knew Grannie housed borders. She added the name of this friend of my grandpa, who is a stranger to me. I loved her feedback! I can revise the book further with the extra details she included- names, stories, and more! She also helped me do the math with regards to when her children were born. In my attempts to write about the summer she was pregnant, I forgot to work backward from her daughter’s birth date. I wrote the summer after she was born. Oops! For me, the greatest treasure was the lovely note wrote expressing her gratitude for my work. She is looking forward to sharing it with her grown children and her growing grandchildren. Although she mailed her feedback in November, I consider this my Christmas present – gratitude and encouragement to complete more biographical family histories. Did you know…? You can subscribe to Family History Fanatics YouTube Channel so you can stay up to date with my new How-To Videos & Tutorials! Click here to subscribe now so we can stay in touch and you won’t miss out on anything! Take time to share proof copies of your family history projects with your family members. If you want to have others excited about your work, make sure the first attempt is someone they knew. Lewis was my aunt’s father. She knew him. In fact, he died when I was a wee child. For me to write as much as I did without knowing him impressed her. Send out your proof copies. Not everyone will respond, but those who do will share great feedback. Tips For Making a Family History Book Great Five Types for Editing That Will Improve Your Family History Writing (video) Why Your Family Doesn’t Want to Read Their Family History (Blog) Tracking Down Copyright Release (Blog) What Voice Should I Use When I Write Family Histories? (Blog) Should You Use Proper English When Writing Family Histories? (Blog) Avoid Writing Dialogue in a Family History (Blog) Should I Print a Research Log in a Family History? (Video) Tips for Writing Compelling Family Histories (FHF Member Only Video)

I truly believe a family tree should be included in heritage scrapbooks. The question is, “how to do it?” I recommend NOT including a gigantic tree. Keep the tree simple. In a previous post, I recommended using a photo-based tree. This week, I’ll share a different tree that I used I discovered the fan chart for displaying genealogical information, and I love it. It’s different and pleasing. It’s not always the best option, but in this case, I like it. I chose to use three different colors for the fan chart. The key person, Robert Geiszler, is in the tan color. The fraternal Geiszler line is in green. The maternal Zumstein line is light blue. All of these colors were taken from the overall color scheme for the album. After the names were in place, I had a decision to make. Should I include the dates? Should I include embellishments and photos? I decided that for the scrapbook that a dateless fan chart would be fine. I have other, more detailed family trees, in my family history books that are not in the scrapbook format. For the goal of this scrapbook, the names would work fine. However, I did feel that the fan page needed something. I decided to include photos of young Robert in the upper right corner. I included his parents’ photo in the bottom center. The fraternal family photo would be on the left of the couple. The maternal parents were on the right. The only embellishments I used were frames for the photos and tag labels. I felt that anything else would distract from the purpose of this page. So, less can often be more. The ‘ad designer’ in me thinks having Helen on the left of her photo (bottom center) with the family to her left leads the eye to believe that this is her side of the family, rather than George’s family. I relied upon the tagline to demonstrate that Bob’s parents are on the ‘wrong’ side of Bob & Helen’s photo. But they are on the correct side according to the fan chart coloration. Perhaps most people wouldn’t notice this. If you’re like me and it ‘seems’ wrong, then use the tagline for clarification. Problem solved. ↪️ Sign up for our newsletter and receive the free guide: 10 Online Genealogy Resources You Have to Try At the time I created this heritage scrapbook, I didn’t have a photo of George Geiszler and Evaline Peak in their youthful years. It would have been a nice compliment to Helen and Bob’s engagement photo and Victor and Clementine Zumstein’s wedding photo. After I printed the album, I was blessed to receive a photo of George and Evaline in their young adult life. Someday I will have to update this page Hopefully, our Heritage Scrapbooking Tips have inspired you to include a family tree in your scrapbook.

When writing about an ancestor, we start by including their parents. Unfortunately, parentage is not as simple as you provided the biological ingredients to create life. When attempting to record ‘who’s the daddy’ of your ancestor, who should you include? Being a family history writing educator is such a blessing. The question student present is varied and challenging, as is the case of today’s inquiry. How to write about an absentee father? My father’s biological father was never married to my grandmother. Grandma had two husbands. After her first husband died and before she married the second one, she had conceived and gave birth to my daddy, who was the product of an illegitimate relationship. When I write about my father at the time of his birth, marriage, etc. who do I include? Bio dad or his step-father, who was the only father he ever knew? When writing about your ancestor, it’s essential to include the family context to the narrative. Let’s break this question into parts because the answer depends upon which life you’re detailing. Let’s add some facts and then craft the story around the facts. (FYI… I made these names up, so if I stumbled upon a fact, that’s entirely by coincidence). Mother: Martha Grassley Husband #1: Lem Rocher Unmarried Relationship: Treb Suburio Son: Joven Grassley Husband #2: Jean-Scott Moraleno When we write about Joven’s birth, and we know who his biological father was, we can include that daddy. Joven Grassley was to the of Treb Subrio and Martha Grassley. The couple never married, which is why Joven bears his mother’s last name. The father’s name was recorded in Martha’s personal files but not on Joven’s birth certificate. Treb was never a part of Joven’s childhood. That takes care of bio daddy. We no longer need to include bio daddy in Joven’s story unless he turns up later, Joven receives an inheritance, or another critical need for Treb’s insertion is necessary. We’ve recorded the genealogical facts, but the family history will no longer include Treb. Did you know…? You can subscribe to Family History Fanatics YouTube Channel so you can stay up to date with my new How-To Videos & Tutorials! Click here to subscribe now so we can stay in touch and you won’t miss out on anything! Consider adding a sense of the emotional context When we write about Joven, it’s important to share details about his mother. At that time, we can include that she was married to Lem prior to the Treb affair to give a sense of what Martha was feeling when Joven entered the world. Once that is covered, we don’t need to write about the missing father, Lem, any further. When Martha held Joven in her arms, she certainly reflected upon the turns life had taken before this moment. She had been married to Lem Rocher from the time she was 18 to the age of 23. That marriage ended in divorce and without children. At some point, Martha became romantically involved with Treb Suburio. Joven was the product, but no marriage took place. Martha was a single woman in 1921 with a newborn babe. If it were not for Jean-Scott Moraleno offering to marry a 24-year-old mother in 1922, Martha would have faced many difficult financial hardships. This featurette on Martha covers the details of her relationships with an objective touch without casting judgment. And yet, we have made Martha relatable by including her trials. We can empathize with the challenges she would face when her out-of-wedlock babe was in her arms. ↪️ Sign up for our newsletter and receive the free Writing Guide: 5 Steps to Quickly Write About Your Ancestors From this point forward, the events of Joven’s life is intertwined with Jean-Scott, not Lem or Treb. When Joven marries, we can write the age of Jean-Scott and Martha and compare the age differences between mother and step-father and Jove and his bridge. We can include Jean-Scott’s death in Joven’s story, as that would invoke certain feelings in laying to rest his father, even if they didn’t share DNA. Family Histories Are Messy – Be Truthful but Gentle Our families don’t always conform to traditional genealogical forms. Biological contributions do not mean parenting. It’s up to us to record an accurate picture of relationships when charts and forms fall short. If you have additional writing questions, include them in the comments section below.