You Can Write Your Family History

by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack

The author shows readers how to create a detailed family history by conducting research, organizing materials, "plotting" a story, and collecting illustrations. Original.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Reference, History, Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing and postgraduate coursework in American History. She is a thirty-five-year veteran Certified Genealogist®, Retired (2024).

Sharon is the best-selling author of twenty-nine books, including Madame Restell: The True Story of New City’s Most Notorious Abortionist, Her Early Life, Family, and Murder; In Search of Maria B. Hayden: The American Medium Who Brought Spiritualism to the U.K.; and If We Can Winter This: Essays and Genealogies: The Gordon Family of County Leitrim, Ireland, and The Norris Family of County Tyrone, (now) Northern Ireland.

A few of her guidebooks include Telling Her Story: A Guide to Researching and Writing about Women of the Past; Tell It Short: A Guide to Writing Your Family History in Brief, 2nd ed., and You Can Write Your Family History. Sharon is part of the English adjunct faculty for Southern New Hampshire University and the genealogy faculty for Salt Lake Community College.

Reviews

[Clytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book (with a different cover than the one in the picture!!) at RootsTech 2012 - a genealogy and technology convention that was held here in Salt Lake in February.

This book is going to change my life!! Well, at least my life of trying to write yet another family history. I have written a poor one for my dad's family in 1998, then with my cousin a better one for my Mom's side of the family. Now, I'm going to write a NARRATIVE!! And this book is going to hold my had while I do it.

I have all these social history books to go with my genealogical searches in Franklin County, MIssouri. I have all kinds of other stuff that I wanted to put in a book, but never knew how. And now she is going to show me how I can incorporate social history into those bare bones facts and create a factual history, yet a story! I am so excited.

I bought the "companion" book she recommended: "Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History" by Katherine Scott Sturdevant. That was tricky - I think that book is out of print and some were selling it for $200, but I found a used copy on line at Powell's in Seattle for $30. It is also going to be very useful. I'm starting soon, someone has finally shown me how to do it!!!!!

I am so excited I found this book.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good scholarly info for skilled, serious writers but a little too much for casual genealogists who just want to write for family.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got at least 8 other "How to Write Your Genealogy" books in my house. This is by far the best one. The only thing lacking is a chapter on formatting, fonts, spacing, etc.

Worth every penny!

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now to put it to use.

[Sharon Ashby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely written, with excellent tips for organizing and writing whatever kind of family history you have in mind. Although written 15 years ago, it has aged well.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to gather your genealogical research into one place? This is a readable book that doubles as a research go-to. I highly recommend it.

[Wayne Groner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I believe practically everyone has the potential to write a family history,” writes Carmack.

She turns her extensive experience as an author, instructor, speaker, and business owner into a no-nonsense, uncomplicated, system to writing your family history. It’s much like baking cake—follow the recipe and you’ll get a cake. Follow her recipe and you will get a family history manuscript you will be pleased with and proud to share with family and friends. She also shows how to turn your manuscript into a book.

Carmack writes in a style that is easily grasped by professionals and newbies, and skillfully and passionately covers all the bases. She is especially strong for two major aspects of the process: creative nonfiction and what she categorizes as the four key parts of your story. Creative nonfiction uses techniques of fiction writing to tell a good story: scenes and summaries that reveal character, drama, emotion, and meaning while staying true to the facts.

“Scenes allow your readers to feel like eyewitnesses to the events you describe,” writes Carmack. “Summaries, on the other hand, simply tell the reader what happened in a way that moves the story along in time more quickly.”

The four key parts of your story are “a primary focus on people, a strong beginning, a ‘keep ‘em reading’ middle, and a powerful ending.” These will fall into place quite comfortably if you have done your planning and research.

“You will make the whole process of writing your family history easier and give yourself a better night’s sleep if you think through the family history you want to write before you begin writing, then tackle it one step at a time.”

[Laini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I credit this book (along with a certified genealogist cousin who showed me the work she did to get certified) with lighting a fire under me.

I'd collected some work on my father's Smith family (helped along by my uncle's work in the 1970s and the trees he mapped out on butcher paper). Finding this book in 2005 helped me to organize it all, create a framework for it, and begin inserting into Framemaker. My daytime job as a technical writer helped with tweaking the bits into something coherent.

It is now 12 years after I began collecting information, and after at least ten trips to various locations to research, and a move to Wisconsin for two years to flesh it out, plus a move to Canada to do in-depth on the rest, and I now have a 1700-page manuscript that will continue to grow until I'm done.

Thanks, Sharon!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book.

Written in an easy, descriptive style it does not just tell you various ways of writing a Family History, but provides concrete examples, background tools and tasks and alternative sources to use.

In short: The Why is important, but the How is essential. This book has them both.

I borrowed this book from the library, but will be buying a copy for my shelf to keep as a touchstone and reference that is always at hand.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written step by step guide that will actually make you want to write. I've never had so few excuses to get started and make something beautiful. She also recommends other books to look into about specific topics. Read this with Bringing your Family History to Life through Social History by Katherine Scott Sturdevant.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked out a bunch of family history books from the city library. Many of them I found interesting, but stopped reading them about 1/3 of the way into them. This one held my interest so much that I bought 8 copies and handed them out at a 2012 family reunion.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a thorough book about writing your family history. Though I want to write a fictionalized version of some of my family history, and this book was definitely not aimed at that, it was still helpful in thinking about all the angles of research, etc.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive book I've read on the subject of writing a family history.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource with practical examples.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, very readable introduction to writing your family history in narrative fashion.

[Denise]

I need to get started writing. Anything really, just do it!