6 tips for writing the biography of an ancestor

The desire to write about the life of one or more of your ancestors has won you for some time but you don't know where to start? These few tips could be useful to you!

Choose the ancestor to write about 

The choice of the ancestor who will be the protagonist of your story is very important. Indeed, several elements are to be taken into account to ensure you have enough material to write: 

-At what time did he live? Prefer a period neither too close nor too far. 

- Do you have a particular interest in this ancestor? 

- Are the archives easily accessible where he lived?

- Do you prefer to write on a man or a woman? More information is available on men than on women. 

Find as much information as possible

In order to write a biography provided you must collect maximum information (verified) on your ancestor. To help you, you can consult our article 29 questions to ask to know everything (or almost) about your ancestors. In this article you will find links to other resource articles to guide you in your research.

Do not hesitate to multiply the types of archives (civil status, soldiers, notarials, etc.) as well as the sources to reconstruct the line of life (chronology) of your ancestor. You can also ask the family to collect elements. 

Locate your ancestor in the big story

In order to expand your story and locate your ancestor in the big story, you can also do research on the historical, geographic, political, economic, social, climatic context ... 

N’oubliez pas non plus de faire des recherches sur la famille de votre ancêtre ainsi que sur son lieu de vie. Ces éléments contextuels plus « proches » encore de la vie de votre ancêtres pourront vous amener vers de belles trouvailles.

Add illustrations to the story 

Add illustrations, family photos or other visuals can help you give life to the biographical of your ancestor. To give you illustration ideas, you can help yourself with our article 8 ideas to illustrate your genealogy.

Think of the elements of your story and try to imagine it: a village, an event, a tradition ... everything that could help your readers immerse yourself in your story. 

Make a plan and think about the layout

Facilitate the writing of the biography by making a upstream plan. The most common plan is a cut by large periods of life or historical. But you are free to shape your story according to your desires! Ask yourself what you want to highlight and when for the biography is easily understandable.

Also, don't forget to think about the layout of the biography. Where are you going to put the illustrations? What will your chapters look like? All these elements will help your readers and if they are thought upstream, you will save you time. 

Draft

You have all the useful information in your possession, illustrations, a plan ... You just have to get started in writing! This is probably what will take you the most time. Finding the right tone to tell the life of an ancestor, without judgment, will not always be easy. But it is important to think of people who will read you. Help them to immerse themselves in the life of your ancestor - make short sentences, explain what should be (think of the footnote notes, but do not abuse it) and illustrate your words. 

Do not be afraid to step back and take breaks before rereading you. Rereading will help you simplify your turns of complicated sentences even more. 

Finally, enjoy it! Write like what you would like to read, discover and learn ... 

Good writing!