What? Your great Grandparent’s weren’t in that big book of Biographies of the County?

Neither was mine!

More people were not included than were included, so the chances are good that our Great Grandparent’s lives didn't get recorded in the printed books that were done towards the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.   If your ancestors were immigrants like mine then they left their origins behind.   As time passes, the stories of our great grandparents and grandparent’s lives become forgotten.  If not recorded to pass on they become buried treasures. 

But take heart. You can keep the legacies alive and write one for them. In fact, one of the best things you can do for your own family and future generations of your family is to "narrate" the history of family members.

What do I mean by "narrate?" Simple -- tell the story. Write the biography. You may have all the pieces of the puzzle you need already. Other parts may not be difficult to find. But a *story* is something people who haven't caught the "genealogy bug" are far more likely to read -- and remember -- than pages and pages of your research with family trees, transcriptions of wills, land records, census, birth...well, you already know what it looks like.

So, here's an outline, or formula, to follow. Think of each numbered, bold section being a paragraph. You don't need to be an English major, a published writer, or even good at writing to do this. Just tell the story.  

1. Origination
   1. Name of person
   2. Date of birth, place of birth. Put it in context of what county the town was in, and if not a large place, give a general approximation of how far it was in what direction from the larger well-known city.
   3. Names of Parents, their birthplaces
   4. Siblings, birth order. Special note of siblings who live near them now, or those of other special accomplishments
2. Heritage
   1. Occupation of parents
   2. Places lived while at parents' home -- why might they have moved?
   3. What was this area of the country known for?
3. Education
   1. Grammar/High School
   2. Anecdotes/accomplishments of their youth
   3. College / Vocational Schooling
   4. Post-grad / Additional Vocational studies
   5. Scholastic achievements of merit
4. Military
   1. When enlisted
   2. Where enlisted
   3. Branch of service, and company/regiment information
   4. Ranks, promotions
   5. Battles, wounds
   6. When discharged
5. Occupation and Life
   1. First Job/s
   2. Trials/Struggles
   3. Towns/Areas they lived in -- why would they have moved each time?
   4. Path of jobs/businesses led to the prime one
   5. Professional Accomplishments
   6. Professional awards and recognition
   7. Retirement
6. Family
   1. When married
   2. Children, when and where born. If they are grown and working, tell where they work, to whom they are married, and whether they have any children
   3. Describe progression of places they lived
   4. Deaths in the family, where buried
7. Community
   1. Church
   2. Volunteer
   3. Clubs/Organizations
   4. Public Office, elected or appointed
   5. What did the town/area look like that they lived in? What were the conditions there?
8. Conclusion
   1. What others think of the person
   2. Main accomplishments of lifetime
   3. Death/burial, if applicable
   4. Surviving spouse info
   5. Is there a single anecdote or story from their life that sums up the essence of the person? This would be the place to put it.

Now you have three quarters of the work done. You've got your research, you've got an outline, and all you have to do is ... tell the story. Then make sure you pass it along to all the descendents of that person in the family. Give a copy to your local Historical Society, Genealogical Society, and the Historical and Genealogical Society where the person lived. Place it in the biographies area of the GenWeb county sites that would be involved. If you have any old family photos you can put them on a CD or DVD to accompany the biography – that way the photos last forever and can be copied and given to all the relatives  and for future generations.   I can show you how or make one for you.

You can also use this outline to write an autobiography as a record for your descendents.  Then all your hard work and achievements are recorded. Voila!

By Kathy DeSantis 

•  Turn Your Memories Into Memoirs

•  Write Your Life  Story

•  Create a CD Slide Show For a Special Event Or Special  Person

•  Preserve Your Story on a CD