5 Ways to Make Family History Books (That are not BORING!)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 114

  • @arlindanelson7928
    @arlindanelson7928 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Aiiiimeeee, what have you done to my head today, lol? I am swimming in thoughts back and forth. These are beautiful books and very thought provoking. I have been struggling with how to do a book and unfortunately I don't have many stories because my seniors are no longer here to tell them. Any suggestions in that area would be helpful. I agree with you to make them interesting for those who have no interest in genealogy by adding images. I also love the tidbits of individuals. Thanks for sharing. I just don't know where to begin or how to present it now.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Haha! Glad you liked the video! Even things like draft cards are helpful - photographs of houses if they still exist today or in archives -- even old photographs of others (not your ancestors) who resided in your family's place and time. It helps people see the time period - if your family were farmers in Kansas in 1850, find pictures of farmers in Kansas in 1850 (be sure to note they are not your family or people pass down pictures forever that are incorrect! :)

    • @arlindanelson7928
      @arlindanelson7928 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@AncestryAimee Thanks again soooo much.

    • @jayhawk405
      @jayhawk405 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@arlindanelson7928 One word, newspapers. They are a great source to create some stories

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So true!! Thanks for adding that @jay hawk!

    • @72Crabadams
      @72Crabadams 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Is your CROSS name from marriage? My maternal lineage is Cross

  • @Meyersci
    @Meyersci ปีที่แล้ว +24

    These are wonderful options for books featuring the family trees! Just a word of caution: cursive writing is becoming a foreign language nowadays. I saw the loss of this skill over a career in teaching and know the frustration of trying to transcribe old German script into a readable form. If you want the new and future generations to read the book, you may want to transcribe old letters and records instead of just publishing scans of them.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Thank you! Great suggestion!! That’s so true!

    • @ytcarol
      @ytcarol 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Sad but likely the better advice.

    • @marycervantes7059
      @marycervantes7059 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I know what you mean. It took time to learn to read Mexican cursive records plus, there are different centuries and different styles. Yes, I translate and transcribe them in screen captures so that "modern" English speaking people can understand them!

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @marycervantes7059 love it!

  • @Turtelik
    @Turtelik 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Some time ago my grandmother died and my mum inherited some family photos from her. We scanned them and decided to make a photo book (in one of the popular photo book companies) - it wasn't the most elaborate (no text or anything, just pictures) and gave it to all 5 of my grandparents' children (my aunts and uncles) - they loved it :)

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

  • @violinviolin
    @violinviolin 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I am in the middle of creating a book with the plug in for Family Tree Maker but hope to embellish it with some of these excellent ideas. Thank you!

  • @fluffy_chim_chim
    @fluffy_chim_chim ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I am just 13 but, this summer I am thinking to write a book😅 I don't know why?
    I am just curious to write a book I am not gonna publish I will just write and keep it with myself ❤

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That is so cool! Love it! Good luck with it. You know I was about 14-15 when I started really getting into family history. It’s really fun to learn about your family.

    • @fluffy_chim_chim
      @fluffy_chim_chim ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks alot💗 I am researching alot about writing but not getting that satisfaction of the researches
      Could you please help me in ..
      How can I choose the title?
      How can I start a book?
      Etc.. etc...

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      If your taking a family history book first you gotta research the family. Then a title may come to you that references the family you want to write about.

    • @fluffy_chim_chim
      @fluffy_chim_chim ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thank you so muchhh💗✨

    • @Spacereform3
      @Spacereform3 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@fluffy_chim_chim Since you're so young, and doing this just for hobby purposes - chatGPT can be a great tool for getting ideas (such as topics, titles, info etc).

  • @OldestLady
    @OldestLady หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    My sister has wanted me to do a book on our family for years, I just didn't know where to start. The grand kids art work along with the stories, is brilliant! I definitely want to try that. Thank you so much for sharing these ideas!!

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      You bet! Love that idea too! My friend who did it is amazing!

  • @DavidNelsonATX
    @DavidNelsonATX ปีที่แล้ว +2

    1 . Make it interesting - don’t be limited by the facts. For example- my Viking ancestors killed William the Conqueror at Waterloo assisting George Patton. 2. Images - pictures of hot women like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models is the direction you want to go. Say they’re of your great grandmother from Ireland, Sweden and Germany. Working on how I won the Korean War and I wasn’t born yet. It is a family history you won’t believe or want to put down! 😂😂😂

  • @AnthonyMiyazaki
    @AnthonyMiyazaki 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    An interesting discussion of these options. Thank you. What are your thoughts on producing something as a PDF and then just using Amazon's self-publishing platform to print copies for family members?

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Actually, I was unaware of that option when I filmed this. My daughter has sold digital items on Etsy and recently started using that program on Amazon for those who want a printed product. I have ordered some of her stuff and it’s not bad at all! I think that would be a valid option. I don’t know much about their content requirements and any possible legal issues. But I’d sure look into it.

  • @carolfackler2339
    @carolfackler2339 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Ideas for a family group sheet with multiple marriages for both parents and children. Our family tree is complicated. My only thought is to record the only ones that count? My 1/2 siter and brother and I have different fathers but neither were part of our lives (not 100% sure where they are, alive or dead) our step-father adopted two out of three of us. It all gets a little convoluted. I was born with one surname, then adopted, then married and divorced twice (back to adopted surname).

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Most family group sheets have a space for smother spouses. You can make a note there and do another sheet. For a book I think I’d create my own.

  • @DavidWilliamsaz
    @DavidWilliamsaz ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I like to do short stories high frequency. I like to share 1 paragraph stories or one Facebook or Instagram once a week. You can share an entire life story just in a different way. I also created on facebook group for my mom side and one for my Dad's

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      That sounds terrific! Thanks for sharing it with all.

  • @bethbrewer6993
    @bethbrewer6993 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I've never seen a video anywhere on the Draper manuscripts. I've found fascinating family info in these documents. While I can't always verify, they do make for great stories. I'd love to see a how to video on the Draper manuscripts.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      Good to know! I’ll put it on my list. For those that don’t know what the Draper manuscript collection is… Lyman Draper’s work covers about 1740-1830. The originals are held by the Wisconsin Historical Society, but you can view microfilm at the FamilySearch library in Salt Lake. Great idea for a video! Thanks!

    • @bethbrewer6993
      @bethbrewer6993 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AncestryAimee and a lot of libraries and historical societies have them as well

  • @kehenry1
    @kehenry1 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I appreciate this. I wanted to do a book and was struggling with putting it together. It was so overwhelming. I love the idea of putting it together in smaller pieces. Maybe multiple booklets. An earlier family member had written a 600 page book of which only a few are in print and only available on old book sellers for over $150. I wanted to make something more accessible to everyone while filling in the blanks.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I’ve seen those rare books going for a fortune! What a gift to your family for you to take this on! Good luck with it! Glad the video helped.

  • @debbieharris1639
    @debbieharris1639 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you, Aimee! Never thought of making family history books!

  • @Spacereform3
    @Spacereform3 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Why can't I find the ''add military page'' option on mycanvas? I just don't seem to have it?

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I’m not sure. I created that so long ago. I think I created the page manually.

  • @bobbondi7191
    @bobbondi7191 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Aimee - Just found you while on my way to looking for something else. If you had to pick just one printer source, who would you pick? I can easily create patterns and backgrounds in Photoshop, so that's not an issue. I did subscribe and gave you a thumbs up.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks Bob! I really can’t pick one. It depends on how creative you are, what you want to accomplish, budget. If you like to create things, you can find a local printer to print. I’ve done that for a client. I’m sorry I’m not more help here.

  • @marycollins4262
    @marycollins4262 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Using a service that you have to purchase "your own" family history from, defeats the purpose. I don't want to give control over my hard work...to a third party.

  • @Redberryfarm888
    @Redberryfarm888 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If I ever would do a book, I would want to print one for each child... OR will the one copy to the most interested person, which seems to be only one person per generation who gets the family history 'bug'. It depends on the interest, or lack thereof which is sad. My great great grandchild would sure appreciate it, if everyone else in the line doesn't toss it out first... lol.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      I hear you! I wish more of my family was interested too.

  • @scrapperiam463
    @scrapperiam463 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I self-publish my books and do them in Word so they are totally in my control. I print them and bind them myself so I really do have total control. So far no one has complained they are boring. Guess I have polite family.

  • @hollyvincent7726
    @hollyvincent7726 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Aimee, I have a serious question...I have been researching my family genealogy for several years and I have found a death record for my 4th great grandfather William Leahy who lived in Brooklyn, New York in the 1850's, in the New York genealogical records in the comments it says "Porter House", what was a Porter House? I can not find any information about what a porter house was?

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I honestly don’t know. Could it be he died in the home of a man named Porter House? Could have been some type of poor house or another type of facility with that name. I would do a census search for someone named Porter House and also check newspaper articles for that name. There may be something in the paper about it.

    • @hollyvincent7726
      @hollyvincent7726 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@AncestryAimee Thank you so much for the help. I will definitely do that!!

    • @Spacereform3
      @Spacereform3 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ''Thomas F. De Voe's 1867 book The Market Assistant details dishes sold at markets and restaurants in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia in the 1800s. Back then, restaurants and taverns were often called porter houses, as they served a style of beer called porter.Jul 30, 2021'' Maybe he died in a tavern type of place?

  • @pc4764
    @pc4764 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great examples. I'm working on a book myself, but instead of a straight genealogy book, I'm using my ancestors to tell history. I have a writing/publishing background so using standard publishing tools. Where I can't find photos, I'm doing my own artwork which has been an avocation. No little grandchildren to do the artwork but that was just delightful. And artwork, is, I think, essential. Love your videos.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you! I would love to see what you create! Great suggestion about creating your own artwork and using your ancestors to tell the story.

    • @pc4764
      @pc4764 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AncestryAimee I'd love to do that. My parents, coming out of the WWII generation were full steam ahead. Rarely looked back. When I did, I found connections to important stories throughout our history.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      @@pc4764 so true! Love that!

  • @TheMsualumni33
    @TheMsualumni33 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Terrific video. I've been wanting to play around with My Canvas and you provided a good overview.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Glad it was helpful!

  • @MrBraindead101
    @MrBraindead101 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Really interesting video, thank you.

  • @jillmccarthy8421
    @jillmccarthy8421 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video -- I'm still digesting! My mother wrote a draft of a book before she died trying to trace the family history back to the 1700s or earlier in Ireland. She spend 30 years researching this prior to the internet(!), and now I'm picking up the pieces and trying to finish it. I'm aiming to satisfy two different audiences: the family who wants to read about their ancestors and thus needs something fun and easy to read, and the genealogical research community who require citations to document/prove claimed relationships. I'm struggling with how to balance the two! Any suggestions? I also am not far enough along to know if Ancestry or Family Tree Maker make handling of source citations manageable in some way (I'm adding all kinds of sources in Ancestry, but I haven't tried to print a report of any kind yet)? Any advice would be appreciated.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I’m not a super fan of how they handle the sources as far as printing them. Ancestry will end up just in a GEDCOM file that you have to put into another program anyway. I LOVE that you have such a wonderful information that you’ve inherited That’s wonderful!
      I think I would recommend endnotes that way it doesn’t break up your text so much. You might want to do the fun stuff in the front, and then have more of the other information in the back, the stuff for other genealogists. I love that you want to be thorough and source everything though!

  • @8848Red
    @8848Red 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was going to like and subscribe, until you said guns would not be socailly acceptable to pose with for a photograph today.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Haha! I’m with you in the amendment right to bear arms but we don’t tend to see photos like that one today. Hopefully you’ll change your mind and subscribe! 😀 Have a great day

  • @katytee1376
    @katytee1376 ปีที่แล้ว

    I am taking a university course on family history and i stumbled on this video. Thanks for sharing the different layouts you have used to represent people's family histories. I am so inspired and can't wait to do my own for an assignment :)

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      So glad to hear that! Let me know how it goes and how you end up doing things. 👍

  • @suellenw561
    @suellenw561 ปีที่แล้ว

    Last fall we were visiting family in another state about 700 miles away. The night before we planned to leave, my sister's husband died. She was our "family funeral photographer," but she asked me to do that. I ended up putting the photos & other info into a book using Publisher on 8 1/2 x 11" paper. Our brother had his made into a "real" book. Most of the rest of us printed the sheets individually,, put the pages into sheet protectors & a binder. Sinc my sister has assorted pictures from our parents' funerals, I'm now working on their funeral books.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks for sharing! That’s a good idea.

  • @Elke_KB
    @Elke_KB ปีที่แล้ว

    I started writing down the stories my dad told me of his childhood in East Prussia and his memories of his parents. Comparing my grandfather's military unit, bombing of their city, the evacuation and Red Cross intervention, I'm getting a better picture of the timeline of dad's stories. With the backdrop of Nazi Germany and WW2, it's quite the story.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      Wow! So glad you are getting those amazing stories!

  • @cogneurolove
    @cogneurolove 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love these! I put together scrapbook pages with the family photos that we have but was looking for a way to make the rest of the documents more attractive to family members.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah! So happy to hear that!

  • @12234nic11234
    @12234nic11234 ปีที่แล้ว

    For my father's side of the family I had quite a bit of information, I also had a lot of history and stories from the female ancestors families as well, so started with history of our main family line, starting from our 3rd great grandfather, and then added separate histories of the grandmothers starting from my third great grandmother and down to our grandmother. It actually turned out quite good and I tried to keep it easy to read and added family pedigrees and such to make it easy for people to see how everyone is connected
    For my mother's side there wasn't as much information so I just divided the book into histories of each of her four grandparents.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      That's a terrific idea! Thanks for sharing it with all!

  • @dreamweaver4543
    @dreamweaver4543 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love the getting your grandchildren to draw especially for ones where you don''t have photos

  • @ennasus5964
    @ennasus5964 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great examples! Thank you so much for showing!

  • @Haylo545
    @Haylo545 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for your video! Inspiring and now the ideas are flooding through 🎉

  • @kimberlysavage112
    @kimberlysavage112 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the tips and tricks on creating these awesome books.

  • @jandavis1362
    @jandavis1362 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is Awesome! I will start looking for a book pattern that I like.

  • @adorablecats9891
    @adorablecats9891 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This was great! Thanks so much for these great ideas. ❤

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      So happy to hear they were helpful!

  • @lizbethlee3833
    @lizbethlee3833 ปีที่แล้ว

    Whew! I’ve got to get started-Now! Great ideas.

  • @anneoaks1420
    @anneoaks1420 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ive learned so much from you thank you

  • @MrHarryreed
    @MrHarryreed ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm toying with the idea of writing a book about famous and or infamous ancestors of mine. I actually have quite a few of both. Any thoughts?

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That sounds terrific! I think you should do it. Maybe one of the styles in this video will give you some ideas on how to format it.

    • @MrHarryreed
      @MrHarryreed ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AncestryAimee It definitely did. I think it would be fun! Thanks for the videos. They are such a help.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You are very welcome!

  • @lawandaknowles1930
    @lawandaknowles1930 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Goodmorning My name ks La Wanda De Creta Warrick Knowles i been on your channel to try and understand who i am i was born in California 1962 my parents was in there 40 when i came around my parents was up in age they really didnt talk about there background as much when growing up the only thing that i remember is that my mom mother pass away when she was 12 years old so she really dont remember much and her father came from Canada which i have a picture of him never saw a picture of my mom mother which they came from out of Hitchcock and Galveston Texas but when my mom mother pass she had move to Washington D.C at a ypung age .Now on my Father side o boy now this is the wall that im having a hard time with the only thing that i remember is that my father is from Pennsylvania where he was born 1916 and his parents is out of Virginia area so i been on Ancestry and i had a DNA taken and i do have my test results but some how it got lost on my Ancestry i still have the same boxs and card but it wont let me scan it again cause i dont have the tube that i sent in already so i would love for you to help me find some family members or the right ones that i have on my tree cause i would love to make a family book for my grandchildren's to have so that way they can see their History they Roots .

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hello La Wanda. I hope you can determine your ancestry too! I’d love to help you through coaching (sign up here: www.patreon.com/aimeecross) or if you’d like to hire me to do a project for you (visit my website for more information: ancestryconsultingbyaimee.com)

    • @lawandaknowles1930
      @lawandaknowles1930 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@AncestryAimee Goodmorning Thank you so much i would love to hired you to help me out how much is your fee and when can we start ❤

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      @@lawandaknowles1930 please email me at aimee@ancestryconsultingbyaimee.com and if you could share your Ancestry tree with me, that would be great too.

  • @kimhendrix4630
    @kimhendrix4630 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What awesome ideas!!!

  • @twilageorge3043
    @twilageorge3043 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent as always. ❤️

  • @carolg3179
    @carolg3179 ปีที่แล้ว

    These are great ideas ❤

  • @sheridrennan
    @sheridrennan ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love these ideas! Please tell me where Doris James created her book. I have already been toying with a similar idea to do with my own grandchildren.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว

      I think she created it in word but I’m not sure who her publisher was. There’s lots of little publishers out there. But I asked her and will add it when I hear. I love it too!!

  • @BonnieDragonKat
    @BonnieDragonKat ปีที่แล้ว +2

    It's hard to make a book interesting when you never knew the family you are writing about.

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It is definitely harder. But just learning about their occupations, finding them in newspaper articles or other records can tell you a lot.

  • @robertsmiley2207
    @robertsmiley2207 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like your attitude and your energy I've seen other relatives family books 📚 that were boring 🥱 so I know exactly what u mean I plan on making a fun one that grabs everyone's attention and keeping it 😎

    • @AncestryAimee
      @AncestryAimee  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you Robert! You made my day!