How To Write An Ancestor's Biography

Writing an ancestor’s biography is a rewarding way to honor their memory and preserve your family history for future generations. As genealogists, we often collect an abundance of names, dates, and documents – but turning those dry facts into a compelling story is the real art. This guide will walk you through the process step by step, from gathering historical records to crafting an engaging narrative. Along the way, we’ll highlight how you can leverage MyHeritage tools (such as AI Biographer™, Smart Matches™, Record Matches, historical records, family tree, DNA matches, and photo features) at each step to make the job easier and more accurate. The result will be a well-organized, insightful, and ethically responsible biography that brings your ancestor’s world to life.

Research your ancestors on MyHeritage

Step 1: Gather and Organize Information from Historical Records

Every great biography starts with solid research. Begin by collecting all the information you can find about your ancestor from reliable sources. This means digging into vital records (birth, marriage, death certificates), census records, military service files, immigration manifests, land deeds, newspapers, and more. If you have an existing family tree on MyHeritage, take advantage of the site’s discovery tools to jump-start this process:

Smart Matches™: This technology finds matching individuals in other MyHeritage family trees. A Smart Match can clue you into information that other researchers (perhaps distant relatives) have discovered about your ancestor – such as additional children, a middle name, or a photo you’ve never seen. For example, you might add your great-grandmother to your tree and instantly get a Smart Match suggesting someone else has a profile for her with a documented birthplace or parents’ names you didn’t know. Always review the details: a match might provide new leads like dates or relatives that you can verify later.
Record Matches: MyHeritage’s Record Matching automatically compares people in your tree against billions of historical records. When it finds a likely match – say a census entry or a military draft card for your ancestor – it alerts you with a brown icon on that person’s profile. Each Record Match summary will even highlight “New information” that the record contains, which isn’t yet in your tree. For instance, a 1950 U.S. census match might show your ancestor’s occupation or address that you didn’t have recorded. Click “Review Match” to see details and access the record image or transcription. This saves tremendous time, as you don’t have to manually search for every record; the system brings them to you.
Historical Record Search: In addition to matches, use MyHeritage’s search (often called SuperSearch) to look for any record that might mention your ancestor. This is important for records that might not be automatically linked. Try variant name spellings and different criteria (e.g., searching by last name and location if first name might be recorded differently). MyHeritage’s global collections include census data, church registers, newspapers, yearbooks, and more, so cast a wide net.

While gathering information, stay organized. It’s easy to accumulate a pile of facts and documents and then feel overwhelmed. Consider these tips for organization:

Create a Timeline or Research Log: As you find each fact, note it in chronological order. For example, list the birth (with date and place, and source), then the next known event (perhaps a census entry in 1850 showing them as a child in their parents’ household), and so on. A timeline helps visualize the person’s life and will be invaluable when you start writing the narrative. It also highlights gaps or inconsistencies (if any) that you’ll need to address later.
Use Your MyHeritage Family Tree: Enter all verified facts into your online tree profile for that ancestor. MyHeritage lets you add events, notes, and source citations to each person’s profile. By consolidating data there, you ensure nothing gets lost. Plus, the profile’s Facts or Timeline view essentially becomes a quick outline of the person’s life. Attach copies of records (images or transcripts) to the profile for easy reference. This way, when you write the biography, you can quickly pull details from one place.
Differentiate Source Types: As you gather info, mark each item by its source type and quality. Genealogists classify sources as primary (created at the time of an event by a witness or participant), secondary (created later by someone relying on memory or other sources), or tertiary (compilations like encyclopedias). For example, an 1880 birth certificate is a primary source for an ancestor’s birth, whereas a family story your cousin told you is a secondary source. Primary sources generally carry more weight for accuracy. Keeping track of this will help you evaluate reliability in the next step.
Stay Systematic: It might help to maintain a research checklist. Ensure you’ve looked for your ancestor in each decade’s census (if applicable), checked vital record indexes, searched their name in newspaper archives, etc. MyHeritage’s “Matches by Source” view can show you if, say, you have record matches from census collections or draft registrations you haven’t reviewed yet.

By the end of this gathering phase, you should have a collection of facts and documents about your ancestor. It’s normal if you have more information for some periods of their life and less for others. The next steps will involve filling gaps and verifying what you found. For now, ensure all your findings are saved (with backups) and noted in an organized way. A well-prepared foundation will make writing the biography much smoother.

Step 2: Evaluate and Verify the Evidence

With a trove of data in hand, the next crucial step is to critically evaluate each piece of information. Genealogical research isn’t just about finding records – it’s about verifying that those records are accurate and relevant to the person in question. This is where you switch from collector to detective, scrutinizing evidence for reliability and consistency.

Start by assessing the quality of each source. As noted, primary sources (like contemporaneous records) are generally most trustworthy for basic facts. But even primary documents can contain errors (a census taker might write a name wrong, or ages may be approximated). Secondary sources (like a biography written by a descendant, or information copied from someone else’s family tree) need even more caution. Approach every claim with a healthy dose of skepticism – verify it if possible rather than taking it at face value. This mindset is vital to ensure your ancestor’s biography stands on solid ground.

Here are some techniques to evaluate and verify information:

Cross-Reference Multiple Sources: Don’t rely on a single source for a major fact if you can help it. Whenever possible, find more than one record that corroborates a detail. For example, if a census gives an approximate birth year (based on age) and a grave marker has a conflicting birth year, seek a birth or baptism record to see which is correct. If a marriage record lists an age or residence, check a census around that time to see if it aligns. By comparing and contrasting sources, you often get a clearer picture of the truth.
Check Source Details and Context: Look at who provided the information in a record. An age at death given by a grieving son might be slightly off if he didn’t know his mother’s exact birth year. A birthplace listed on a death certificate is only as accurate as the informant’s knowledge. If something seems odd (say, your ancestor’s name is spelled differently in one record, or his listed father’s name varies), consider why. Could it be a mistake, or does it hint at a deeper issue (like an adoption or nickname)? Always note these discrepancies for further investigation.
Leverage MyHeritage’s Consistency Checker: MyHeritage offers a tool called the Consistency Checker that scans your family tree data for logical errors and inconsistencies. It will flag issues like a child born before a parent’s birth (impossible), or an ancestor magically having children at age 9 or living to 130 – all signs of data entry mistakes or mix-ups. Run this checker on your tree; any problems it finds should prompt a review of the sources to correct the error. For instance, if you accidentally recorded the wrong year for an event, or merged two people, the checker can catch it. It’s an excellent way to catch typos or improbable sequences that you might have missed.
Verify Information from Other Trees: If you got info via a Smart Match (from someone else’s tree), treat it as a clue rather than proven fact until you see evidence. Check if that other tree attached any records (often, MyHeritage shows sources the other user cited). If not, you can message the tree owner for more information or search for records supporting those details yourself. Many errors in online trees get propagated by copying, so make sure you’re not inadvertently copying a mistake. As a rule, unverified information from another person’s family tree should be confirmed with primary records before you include it as fact in your biography.
Assess Information in Historical Context: Sometimes a detail might seem dubious until you consider the historical circumstances. For instance, if a man’s occupation title changed between two censuses, could it be due to an economic shift or new industry in the area? If a woman’s age fluctuates wildly across records, remember that ages in older censuses are often approximate. People in past centuries didn’t always keep exact track of birthdays, or they might even fib about age. Evaluate whether such variations are within a normal range or truly conflicting. Also consider geography: if one record says an ancestor was born in “Prussia” and another in “Germany,” those could actually refer to the same place because borders and country names changed.
Compile a Source Citations List: As you verify facts, start compiling full source citations for each key piece of information (if you haven’t already). We’ll discuss citation writing later, but in the verification phase, it helps to have a list like: “Birth date – source: church baptism register, St. Mary’s Church, film #123” and so on. This ensures you know exactly where each fact came from, and it will make citing sources in the written biography much easier. MyHeritage aids this process: whenever you confirm a Record Match or Smart Match and add info to your tree, a source citation is automatically created and attached to that fact. Reviewing those attached citations in the profile can remind you where each data point originated.
Fill in Gaps if Possible: As you verify what you have, you might notice some gaps: maybe you haven’t found your ancestor in the 1890s, or you never located a marriage record. Identify these and consider a targeted research attempt to fill them. It might mean searching a different spelling, looking at a neighboring county’s records, or browsing manually if indexes failed. A reasonably exhaustive search is part of the genealogical proof standard – you want to be sure you didn’t miss something important that’s out there.

By the end of the evaluation step, you should feel confident that the data you have is as accurate and complete as possible. You’ll also have a clear idea of any uncertainties or conflicting information that need resolution. Remember, the credibility of your biography rests on this groundwork. Taking the extra time now to verify facts means your story won’t be built on shaky assumptions. As one genealogist puts it, “trust, but verify” – trust the documents you have, but verify them with others and be cautious with second-hand information.

Step 3: Resolve Conflicting Data and Brick Walls

It’s not uncommon to encounter conflicting information or puzzling gaps when researching an ancestor. Perhaps one census says your great-great-grandfather was born in 1834, but a family Bible notes 1836. Maybe two records list different maiden names for your great-grandmother’s mother. These conflicts can be frustrating, but resolving them is a crucial part of writing a trustworthy biography. It’s time to play detective at a deeper level.

Start by clearly identifying the conflicts or gaps. Make a list of the discrepancies you’ve found, and which sources assert each version of the fact. For example:

Birth year: 1834 (per family Bible) vs 1836 (per tombstone) vs 1835 (per 1850 census age).
Place of birth: “Poland” (per immigration record) vs “Russia” (per draft registration – perhaps reflecting shifting borders).
Spelling of surname: MacDougall vs McDowell in different documents.
Missing info: No record of marriage found, or unknown mother’s name, etc.

Once you have the conflict list, use these strategies to resolve them:

Build a Detailed Timeline: As mentioned earlier, a timeline can illuminate inconsistencies. Now expand it with all data points, including the conflicting ones. Sometimes seeing everything in sequence helps you spot where the truth lies. For instance, if a man’s age in each census suggests a birth year of 1835 consistently, but one outlier source says 1830, you might suspect the outlier is wrong (or refers to a different person). A timeline also helps ensure you’re not mixing up two people with similar names. If “John Smith” appears in two places at the same time (e.g., in two different countries in 1880), you likely have two different Johns. Lining up events can reveal such anomalies.

Research the Historical Context: Context is your friend in understanding discrepancies. Ask yourself if something happening at the time could explain the conflict. Common examples:

Changes in Borders or Country Names: Your ancestor’s birthplace might be recorded differently simply because national borders shifted. (Think of how “Austria” vs “Poland” vs “Galicia” could all refer to the same town, depending on the year.) What was going on geopolitically? If records straddle a war or migration period, the inconsistency might stem from that.
Wars and Drafts: Ages might be misstated if an underage youth lied to enlist in the military (or if an overage person lied to seem younger). Birthdates could have been altered on documents for such reasons. After the conflict, they might revert to their true age, causing confusion in the records. Similarly, during wartime, record-keeping might be spottier.
Illiteracy and Language: If your ancestor moved to a new country, language barriers could cause records to have errors. Accents and oral information often led clerks to spell names differently. For example, an Irish “O’Sullivan” might appear as “Sullivan” by an American clerk. Knowing the immigrant story or ethnic context can explain variant spellings or even entirely different names (like “Giovanni” in Italy becoming “John” in the US).
Calendar Changes: If you’re dealing with very old records (1750s and earlier in some countries), remember that some countries switched from the Julian to Gregorian calendar at different times, which can affect recorded dates. This is a niche case but worth noting if you see a two-week discrepancy in 18th-century dates.

Understanding context can often turn an “inconsistency” into a logical result of circumstances. For example, you might realize that what looked like two marriages for the same person were actually one legal marriage and one church blessing ceremony recorded in different ways.

Seek Additional Sources: When faced with conflicting evidence, look for a third (or fourth) source to break the tie. For instance:

If a birthdate is in question, try to find a baptism record, a military pension record (they often included birth info), or a newspaper birth announcement.
If two documents give different maiden names for an ancestor’s mother, see if there’s a marriage record for the parents, or an obituary that lists survivors (which might include the mother’s maiden name).
DNA can be a powerful source of evidence for certain conflicts. MyHeritage DNA matches might help confirm family relationships. Let’s say there’s a dispute about who someone’s father was. If you test descendants and find that your matches all point towards a particular family line, that can corroborate the paternity indicated by one of the documents. Conversely, DNA might disprove a long-held assumption – for example, the Galbraith family discovered via DNA that an assumed ancestor in their lineage was actually unrelated, correcting 100-year-old misinformation. DNA evidence can corroborate the written evidence and family stories – or call them into question, so use it to double-check your conclusions. In the context of writing a biography, DNA results might be something you mention only if relevant (e.g., “DNA testing of descendants later confirmed that John had been adopted, explaining why no birth record was found under the Smith surname”).
Check for Alternative Records: If a civil record is missing or conflicting, perhaps a church record or newspaper can help. An obituary might list a birth date or age (not always accurate, but another data point). A probate file could mention a birth order of siblings which helps estimate ages. If you’re stuck on a brick wall, broaden your search: look at siblings or other family members. Sometimes a brother’s marriage record will list the parents’ names when your direct ancestor’s record didn’t.
Consult Others: MyHeritage makes it easy to reach out to other researchers. If another user’s tree has conflicting info, send them a polite message. They might have a source you haven’t seen (like a family Bible or local record). Collaborating can solve mysteries faster. Also consider posting on genealogy forums or groups (keeping the ancestor’s identity somewhat vague if it’s a sensitive find) – others might suggest resources you overlooked.

Document Your Reasoning: Once you feel you’ve resolved a conflict, write down why you believe one piece of information over another. This is essentially writing a mini proof argument – something genealogists do formally as “proof statements” or essays in more complex cases. In simpler terms, make a note: “I conclude the birth year is 1835 because the baptismal record from 1835 is likely more accurate than the age on the gravestone, and all census entries consistently suggest 1835. The gravestone was erected by grandchildren 50 years later, so they may have mistaken the year.” These notes will not only help you remember your logic when writing the narrative, but you might also include a brief explanation in the biography if the discrepancy was notable. Even if you don’t include the full reasoning in the final story, having it in your records (or as a footnote) is immensely valuable for future readers. It shows you didn’t just pick a date at random; you weighed the evidence.

In some cases, you might not be able to fully resolve a conflict. If after exhausting sources the truth remains elusive, it’s okay. Acknowledge the uncertainty in your biography rather than present guesswork as fact. For example, “Accounts of her birth vary – some records suggest 1834, others 1836. The exact year remains unclear, but it’s around the mid-1830s.” Such transparency is far better than ignoring the discrepancy. Future research or discoveries (maybe new DNA matches or newly digitized records) might eventually resolve it.

By diligently resolving conflicts, you ensure your ancestor’s biography is built on the strongest possible foundation. This detective work can be time-consuming, but it often leads to the most insightful stories. The very process of digging deeper can uncover new facets of your ancestor’s life – perhaps you find that two “different” people were actually one and the same, or you uncover a hidden chapter (like a first marriage you never knew about) while sorting out inconsistencies. These revelations will enrich the narrative you write.

Step 4: Create a Structured Outline for the Biography

With a verified set of facts and a clear understanding of your ancestor’s life events, you’re ready to plan the structure of the biography. An outline or template will give your writing direction and ensure you include all the important information in a logical order. Think of this as designing the blueprint of the story before you start filling in the paragraphs.

A common and effective way to structure a life story is chronologically, moving through the person’s life from birth to death. This natural timeline provides a clear framework that readers can easily follow. Here’s a suggested outline you can adapt for your ancestor’s biography:

Introduction: A few sentences to introduce the ancestor to the reader. You might include their full name, birth and death years, and a “hook” that sums up why their life is interesting or significant. For example: “John Doe (1850–1920) was a pioneer settler of the Midwest whose journey from a small Irish village to the American frontier exemplifies the courage and challenges of 19th-century immigrants.” The introduction sets the stage for what’s to come and gives context (time period and location).
Early Life (Birth and Family Background): Start at the beginning. State when and where the person was born and to whom. “James Edward Jones was born on 1 May 1800 in what is now Trumbull County, Ohio. He was the third son and fifth child of Harold and Margaret Ann (Hodge) Jones.” This gives the fundamental details of origin. If the birthplace was known by a different name or was a frontier at the time, you can mention that for historical flavor (as in the example, noting “what is now Trumbull County”). Include information about the family circumstances: how many siblings, what his parents did, etc., if known. If you have information about the person’s early childhood (like stories passed down, schooling, or an apprenticeship), include that. Often, we might not have much beyond birth and baptism records – that’s okay, you can then transition to the next major phase of life.
Growing Up and Youth: This could be combined with early life if there’s not much detail, or separate if you have enough to say. Things to cover: where they grew up (farm, city, maybe multiple places if the family moved), any known anecdotes of their youth, education (if they attended school or were literate – sometimes indicated by census or signatures on documents). For instance, “He grew up on his father’s farm near the Mahoning River, likely helping with chores from a young age. Family lore recalls that James learned to read from an old Bible, as formal schools had yet to be established in the area.” These kinds of details, even if inferred from context, add depth. Just be careful to label any inference as such (or base it on common practices of the time).
Marriage and Family: Usually one of the most significant chapters. Record when and where your ancestor married, and to whom. “In 1825, James Jones married Anna Marie Thompson in Trumbull County”. If you have the exact date and place, include it. Mention how they met if that’s known (often not, but sometimes a family story might survive). List their children (by name and birth years) as part of the narrative: “Together they had five children between 1826 and 1838: John, Elizabeth, Henry, Martha, and Samuel.” This integrates the genealogical info smoothly. If any children died young or any other family event (like adopting a niece/nephew, etc.), you can note that too, tactfully.
Career and Adult Life: Describe what your ancestor did for a living and their day-to-day life as an adult. Census and city directory records are useful here. “Look at census records to determine the career and location. For example, “The 1850 and 1860 censuses show James as a farmer in Trumbull County, working land that his father had originally cleared. Later, the 1870 census lists him as a ‘wagon maker,’ indicating he perhaps took up a trade as the area became more developed.” Mention any property or land records: “According to county deeds, in 1830 James purchased 80 acres of land – the farm where he would raise his family”. Including the locations where the person lived (different towns or states) is important; it not only structures the story geographically but might relate to historical events (moving west for new land, etc.). Also, weave in historical context here. If a big event occurred during their adult life – such as a war, a famine, an economic depression, a gold rush, etc. – and it affected them, include it. “Perhaps a big event occurred during the individual’s life, such as war, famine, pandemic, etc., that should be included. For instance, “During the Civil War, James, at age 61, was too old to enlist, but two of his sons joined the Union Army. The war years were difficult on the farm without the young men’s help.” Even if the ancestor didn’t participate directly, these events set the backdrop of their life. It helps readers understand the external forces shaping the ancestor’s experiences.
Later Years: What happened in the person’s later life? Did they retire or move to live with a child? Did they witness any notable events in old age (e.g., a veteran living to see the 50th anniversary of the war)? If the person lived into very old age, mention how life might have changed around them. Alternatively, if their life was cut short by illness or accident, that would be noted here too (though you should have encountered that in research). For example, “By the 1880s, James’s health began to fail. In 1885, he moved into the home of his daughter Martha in Youngstown, likely because he could no longer work the farm.”
Death and Burial: Conclude the chronological narrative with the end of their life. State when and where they died, and the cause of death if known. “James Edward Jones died on 12 October 1888 at his daughter’s home, at the age of 88, likely due to complications of old age (the family Bible simply notes ‘old age’ as the cause).” If you have a death certificate, it might give a cause like pneumonia or heart disease – include it if relevant, but it’s not necessary to get very clinical unless it’s noteworthy. Mention where the person was buried or what kind of funeral if you know. “He was buried in the Jones Family Cemetery next to his wife, who had passed a decade earlier.” Also, the obituary or community records might mention something about their character or contributions – those are lovely to include: “His obituary in the local paper described him as ‘a venerable pioneer of the county, known for his honesty and hard work.’” If the ancestor made a significant contribution to the community or the world, make sure to note it here (or in the relevant life section) as a highlight . For example, “Although James did not seek public office, in 1875 he helped establish the first schoolhouse in the township, a contribution that benefited future generations.”
Legacy (Optional): You might end with a brief note on the impact of their life or a reflection. This could be as simple as listing who survived them (e.g., “He was survived by 4 of his 5 children and 22 grandchildren”), or a more abstract legacy: “Today, hundreds of descendants across the country can trace their roots back to James – a testament to the family tree he planted in Ohio.” If the person’s descendants did something notable or the family line continued prominently, it could be mentioned. Keep this section short and positive, encapsulating why their life story matters.

This outline can be adjusted based on your ancestor’s life. Not everyone’s life will fit neatly into these categories (for example, someone who never married won’t need a marriage section, so you’d focus on their career or other achievements instead). The key is logical flow – group related events and themes together and move forward in time in a way that makes sense.

Tip: Look at examples of biographies or profiles in genealogical society journals or family history books. They often follow a similar structure. You’ll notice they seldom stray from chronology unless using a flashback for storytelling effect. Keeping things chronological avoids confusing the reader.

As you outline, you might realize you want to rearrange some information. That’s normal. Some writers prefer a strictly year-by-year approach, but usually merging events into thematic paragraphs (like “marriage and children” all in one section even if children’s births span many years) makes for a smoother narrative.

Feel free to jot down bullet points under each outline heading with what you plan to include. For instance:

Marriage and Family: married 1825 in Ohio, wife Anna Thompson (b.1805–d.1870), children John (1826), etc., moved to new farm 1830, wife died 1870 of cholera – he was widowed 18 years.
Career: farmer from youth, bought farm 1830, by 1860 listed as wagon maker (maybe switched jobs as he aged?), possibly involved in local church (found reference to him donating land for church in 1855).

Having these bullets is essentially writing your first draft in shorthand. It ensures you won’t forget to mention something. It’s much easier to write the full sentences once you know the structure and content that needs to be covered.

Remember, clarity and completeness are goals of the outline stage. You want the biography to include all the key facts (the genealogy part) but also read like a coherent story (the narrative part). The outline keeps you on track, so you don’t accidentally skip from birth to death and forget the rich middle.

Finally, note any transitions you might need. For example, if there’s a major turning point – “After the death of his wife in 1870, James sold the farm and moved to town” – that’s a transition in the story. Mark those in your outline so you remember to explain why something changed.

With a structured outline ready, you’ve done much of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time for the fun part: turning this outline and your research into a lively, engaging narrative.

Step 5: Craft an Engaging Narrative (Turning Facts into a Story)

Now you’re ready to transform your outline and research into a written story that brings your ancestor to life. This is where you use a bit of creativity and storytelling while still sticking to the facts you’ve gathered. The goal is to make the biography enjoyable to read, so that your relatives (and even non-relatives interested in history) will find it compelling, not dry like a ledger. Here are techniques to make the narrative engaging:

Begin with a Hook: Start your biography with a strong opening sentence or paragraph. Rather than a dull introduction, set a scene or highlight an intriguing aspect of your ancestor. For example, instead of starting with “John Doe was born in 1850...,” you might write: “On a brisk autumn morning in 1850, in a one-room log cabin on the Ohio frontier, John Doe entered the world – the first American-born child of his immigrant family.” This kind of opening draws the reader in by painting a picture. It situates John Doe in a time and place, and hints at a classic immigrant pioneer narrative. You can always follow up with the exact birth details, but a narrative hook can pique interest immediately.

Show, Don’t Just Tell (Use Descriptive Detail): You have a list of facts – now try to weave them into sentences that show what life was like. For instance, you have the fact “Occupation: fancy weaver (in 1851).” Instead of just stating “He was a fancy weaver,” expand it with context: “By 1851, at age 62, Joseph Dalton had earned the position of ‘fancy weaver’ in Denby, Yorkshire – a skilled artisan in a town where weaving was the mainstay of the economy. This title implied a certain level of expertise; one can imagine that Joseph was respected in his craft, perhaps mentoring younger weavers hoping to achieve the same skill level.” Now, a simple occupation entry is a rich sentence that tells us Joseph’s age, his community role, and invites the reader to picture him at work at his loom, guiding apprentices. You’ve taken a fact and given it meaning and color by adding what you learned about the context (Denby’s weaving industry, and what “fancy weaver” means) and a bit of reasonable supposition (mentoring younger weavers) that flows from the facts.

Whenever possible, anchor the person’s experiences in a sensory or visual detail. If the records say your ancestor was a farmer, describe the farm: “He spent his days tilling the rocky New England soil on a modest 40-acre farm, waking before dawn to tend to the cows and plowing with the help of a steady old mule.” None of that might be explicitly in a document, but it’s a plausible rendering of what a farmer’s life entailed. You know the location (New England, rocky soil) and scale (40 acres from a land deed, say), so you weave those into an illustrative description. This transforms a bullet point (“1840, bought 40 acres in Vermont, farmer”) into living narrative.

Incorporate Historical Context and World Events: This is where your earlier notes on context shine. When you mention an event in your ancestor’s life, connect it to what was happening in the wider world. For example, “During the winter of 1777, as the Revolutionary War raged a few hundred miles south, the 12-year-old Mary learned to spin wool – a necessary skill as imported goods became scarce in colonial Massachusetts.” Here you tie Mary’s personal life to the war’s impact (shortage of goods). If your ancestor lived through the Great Depression, don’t just note it – describe its effect: “In 1932, with the Great Depression in full swing, John’s steady job at the factory was gone. He found himself in bread lines like millions of others, an experience that marked him with frugality for the rest of his days.” These touches make the biography much more engaging and educational, painting your ancestor as a participant in the great human story, not an isolated figure. As the example showed with Joseph Dalton, adding local history like Denby’s giant pie festivities of 1815 and 1846 can add a delightful flavor to the narrative – it’s the kind of anecdote that makes readers smile and say “wow, I never knew that!” if you can connect your ancestor to it (even indirectly, like “he would have been alive when…”).

That said, be careful not to overdo historical exposition. Keep it relevant to your ancestor. If you mention a war or a drought, tie it to how it affected them or their family. The context should enhance their story, not overshadow it.

Use Anecdotes and Quotes: If you’re lucky enough to have any family stories, letters, diary entries, or quotes about your ancestor, use them! Nothing brings a person to life more than their own words or a vivid anecdote. For instance, “Family lore claims that Jane loved coffee so much she once traded a pig for a sack of coffee beans during the Civil War when rations were scarce.” Even if not 100% provable, a harmless anecdote adds personality (just clarify that it’s lore). If you have a quote from a letter, even better: “In a 1915 letter to his son, William wrote, ‘We had a late frost in May that ruined half the apple orchard. But we replanted, as we must always do, hope carried in our pockets like seeds.’” Including such a quote gives a direct voice from the past and can be very poignant.

MyHeritage features can assist here too: DNA Matches might lead you to distant cousins who have stories or documents you don’t. Perhaps a second cousin has your great-grandfather’s diary, or an old recording of grandma telling stories. Reaching out (as suggested earlier) can unearth these treasures. Additionally, MyHeritage’s photo tools can help jog memories or inspire descriptions. If you have an old photograph of your ancestor, try using MyHeritage In Color™ to colorize it or the Photo Enhancer to clarify it. Seeing a clearer image might reveal details – the pattern on their dress, the kind of hat they wore – which you can describe in your narrative. “In the only surviving photograph of Mary (taken circa 1910), she wears a high-necked Victorian blouse with a cameo brooch. Her hands, rough from years of field work, are folded calmly in her lap, and thanks to a colorized version of the photo, we can imagine the blue of her eyes that matches her granddaughter’s today.” Descriptions like that create a connection between the reader and the subject. (The colorization tool indeed can “bring them to life” by letting us see them more realistically, which in turn helps the storytelling.)

Mind the Balance – Don’t Just List Facts: Avoid the pitfall of writing a biography that reads like: “He did this. Then in 1900 he did that. In 1910 he lived here. In 1920 he died.” That’s dry. Instead, use narrative sentences and vary your sentence structure. Combine facts into flowing sentences. Use transitional words to move between times and events: “By 1900, John had left farm life behind and was working in the city…”, “After the war, things changed dramatically for the family…”, “Years later, in the 1960s, as a grandfather, he would often tell his grandchildren about…”. These phrases make the story cohesive. Imagine you are writing a novel or telling a story out loud around a campfire – you wouldn’t rattle off bullet points; you’d connect them into a tale.

Include Both Triumphs and Trials: Every life has ups and downs. To engage readers emotionally, don’t shy away from mentioning the hardships along with the happy times. If your ancestor lost several children young (common in earlier eras), mention it respectfully – it shows their resilience or sorrow. If they achieved something (even small, like paying off their mortgage, or all children graduating high school), highlight that sense of pride or relief. This creates an emotional narrative arc. For instance: “The 1880s brought hard times: three bad harvests in a row and the loss of their youngest to illness. But through perseverance (and some help from neighbors), the family endured, and by 1890 the farm was prospering again.” Such passages make readers root for your ancestor as if they were the protagonist in a novel.

Mind the Voice and Tense: Generally, biographies are written in the third person and past tense (since you’re describing past events). Stick to that for consistency. It might feel natural anyway, but sometimes people slip into first person or present tense, which can confuse the reader. Third person/past tense keeps it clear: you are the narrator of someone else’s story. (Exception: if you decide to include a first-person imagined perspective in a creative way, like a diary-style entry, but that should be clearly set off and used sparingly, if at all.)

Use MyHeritage’s Storytelling Tools: MyHeritage has a feature called DeepStory (an expansion of the earlier tool, Deep Nostalgia). With DeepStory, you can upload a photo of an ancestor and a script, and it creates an animated video of your ancestor “telling” their story. This can be a fun way to share the biography once written, but even in the writing phase, it can be useful. Writing a script for DeepStory forces you to summarize the highlights in the ancestor’s own voice. Trying that might give you ideas for phrasing or which points are most engaging. While the biography you’re writing will be in third person, thinking in first person for a moment (“I remember when…”) can help humanize the narrative. Once you have your story drafted, you could even input a few parts into DeepStory and see how it feels to have “them” say it – it might highlight sentences that sound awkward or areas that need more emotional punch. It’s a very modern tool to complement the age-old craft of storytelling. Don't forget

Edit for Clarity and Engagement: As you write, periodically step back and read what you have. Is it clear and concise? Genealogists sometimes feel the need to include every detail (“He bought land on March 3, 1856, then sold 40 acres on July 20, 1862, then appeared in tax records in 1865…”), but too many minutiae can overwhelm the narrative. You might have all those dates in an appendix or footnotes, but the main story could summarize: “He gradually expanded his property during the 1850s and 1860s, eventually doubling the size of his farm.” Then cite the deeds. The reader stays focused on the story, not a list of transactions, but the evidence is there if they want it. Aim to keep paragraphs reasonably short (as we’re doing here) – each paragraph around 3-5 sentences focusing on one topic or period. This improves readability and pacing.

Another editing tip: have someone else read a draft – even someone not familiar with genealogy. If they get confused about who’s who or why something happened, you might need to clarify those points. Often, adding a brief phrase can solve this (“his brother William (who had emigrated alongside him)” or “a cholera epidemic struck that year, which likely caused her death”).

By the end of this step, you should have a narrative that not only recounts the events of your ancestor’s life but also paints a picture of their character and times. Your ancestor is now the protagonist of their own story – with context, color, and humanity. This engaging biography will be a gift to your family and a legacy in itself, preserving not just the facts of a life, but the feel of it.

Before we wrap up, there are a couple more important considerations: handling sensitive information and properly citing sources in your biography.

Step 6: Using MyHeritage AI Biographer – An AI Writing Aid

For genealogists looking to streamline the writing process, MyHeritage’s AI Biographer offers an innovative helping hand. This tool uses artificial intelligence to automatically compile a biography of your ancestor’s life story using the data you’ve collected. With just a click, it can generate a “Wikipedia-style” article about a person, drawing on information from your MyHeritage family tree and matching historical records. The AI Biographer organizes these details into a well-written narrative, saving you the time of writing a first draft from scratchblog.

Under the hood, AI Biographer uses MyHeritage’s record matching technology and a powerful language model to gather and compose your ancestor’s story. You simply select a person in your family tree and hit the “Create AI Biography” option. The AI then pulls in all the facts from your tree (and even finds additional details from historical records or other family trees, if available) to begin writing the narrative. Before generation, you’ll be prompted to choose between a Standard biography (using only the information you’ve entered) or an Enhanced one that adds enriched details from matching records, other trees, and web context. The Enhanced mode usually provides a fuller narrative with historical background, so it’s often the preferred choice for the most engaging story. Under the hood, AI Biographer uses MyHeritage’s record matching technology and a powerful language model to gather and compose your ancestor’s story . You simply select a person in your family tree and hit the “Create AI Biography” option. The AI then pulls in all the facts from your tree (and even finds additional details from historical records or other family trees, if available) to begin writing the narrative. Before generation, you’ll be prompted to choose between a Standard biography (using only the information you’ve entered) or an Enhanced one that adds enriched details from matching records, other trees, and web context. The Enhanced mode usually provides a fuller narrative with historical background, so it’s often the preferred choice for the most engaging story.

The result is a shareable narrative that reads a bit like an encyclopedia entry of your ancestor’s life. An AI-generated biography is well-structured: it usually begins by listing key life events and immediate family members (parents, siblings, spouse(s), and children) as a quick overview . After that, it presents a narrative of the person’s life story in full paragraphs, covering details like their education, occupations, military service, and other significant milestones. The story is generally told chronologically and ties together the facts into a coherent tale of their life.

What makes the AI Biographer especially interesting is that it doesn’t stop at just dry facts. It enriches the biography with extra context that a human author might otherwise have to research separately. The AI will often weave in relevant historical events or social background to provide a deeper understanding of the world your ancestor lived in . In addition, most AI-generated biographies include a note about the origin of the person’s surname – a small detail that can add insight into family heritage . These contextual additions can spark ideas or highlight connections you might have overlooked while focusing on names and dates.

Another valuable feature is that AI Biographer cites its sources. The generated article comes with footnotes referencing each fact to the original records or family tree entries . This means you (and your readers) can verify every detail and see exactly which documents support the narrative. The tool also flags any conflicting information in a “Consistency Issues” section – for instance, if one census record says your ancestor was born in 1880 but another source says 1881, the biography will note that discrepancy . This level of transparency keeps the AI’s summary draft grounded in evidence and alerts you to areas that may need further fact-checking.

Step 7: Handle Sensitive Information Ethically and Respectfully

When writing a family biography, especially for an ancestor who may have closer living relatives (like a grandparent or even parent), it’s crucial to consider the ethical aspects of what you share. Family histories can sometimes include secrets or sensitive topics – and while our instinct as genealogists is to uncover and document the truth, we also have a responsibility to handle that truth with care and respect for people’s feelings and privacy.

Privacy of Living Individuals: A good general rule is not to publish personal information about living people without their explicit permission. In many cases, your ancestor’s biography might mention living relatives (for example, “He had four children, two of whom are still alive as of this writing”). It’s usually fine to name living people in context as children or relatives, but avoid giving out details like their exact birthdates, middle names, or other private info. MyHeritage itself follows a policy of not publicly displaying details of living family members in online trees by default, which is a practice you should emulate in writing. If the person you’re writing about is someone’s parent or grandparent who is still alive, talk to those family members. Make sure they’re comfortable with what you plan to share. This is not only ethical but often a legal consideration in some places. A quick conversation can prevent hurt feelings or breaches of trust.

Sensitive Revelations: What qualifies as “sensitive” can vary. Common examples include: discovering an ancestor was born out of wedlock, was adopted, had a different biological father (NPE – non-paternity event), had a secret marriage, had a criminal record, suffered from mental illness, or anything that in their time might have been stigmatized. Today, we might view these with understanding, but some family members might still feel uncomfortable airing these facts. Before including a sensitive detail, weigh its importance to the story against the potential impact on living family members. If it’s central to the ancestor’s story (for example, an ancestor’s parentage is key to understanding their identity or why they migrated), you might decide to include it, but present it factually and without judgment. If it’s a more tangential piece of gossip that doesn’t affect the narrative, consider leaving it out or saving it for an appendix/research notes.

It’s wise to consult with family members who are directly affected by the information. As one article advises, “consult any living family members you plan to feature in your work to ask if there is any information they would prefer to keep private.” This goes a long way in maintaining trust. For instance, if you discovered via DNA that Grandpa had a half-sibling no one knew about, that’s a huge revelation – you would definitely speak with close family before publishing that in a biography, as it might be emotionally challenging news.

Tone and Tact: If you do include sensitive information, phrase it with empathy and discretion. Avoid sensationalism. Consider how you would feel reading about your own parent or child. For example, instead of, “She gave birth to an illegitimate child whom she gave up,” you might write, “At 18, Maria faced an unintended pregnancy. She made the difficult decision to place the baby for adoption, a choice likely made out of hope for the child’s better future.” This way, you’re not sweeping it under the rug, but you’re framing it in an understanding and compassionate light. As another example, if someone had a criminal past: “Family letters indicate that John spent two years in state prison in his twenties; the exact circumstances aren’t clear, but upon release he turned his life around and became a devoted family man. This chapter, while troubled, perhaps shaped his later determination to lead a productive life.” You’re honest but not salacious.

Respect for the Deceased: Even though ancestors are no longer with us, they deserve respect in how they’re portrayed. Genealogy has a motto: “Tell the truth about your ancestors, but don’t inflict unnecessary pain.” You owe honesty to history and future generations, but you also owe dignity to the person’s memory. If an ancestor had flaws (and we all do), it’s fine to mention, especially if it impacted others, but try to avoid moralizing with today’s perspective. For instance, discovering an ancestor was a slave-owner is difficult – but if you’re writing their bio, it’s part of the historical record. You should acknowledge it straightforwardly, possibly noting the context (e.g., how common it was in their region, etc.), and maybe how the family today feels about that legacy. Or if an ancestor was known to be abusive in the family, that’s very sensitive; you might decide it’s beyond the scope of a public biography and perhaps keep that in a private family memo instead. Each situation is unique, but the guiding star should be: what would this person’s child or spouse feel reading this? If the answer is “deeply hurt,” reconsider your approach.

Consequences of Privacy Breaches: It’s worth noting that revealing secrets can have real emotional fallout. People may feel a sense of betrayal or loss of control over their own story if something personal is revealed without consent. It can even strain or break family relationships in extreme cases. As the biographer of your family, you must tread carefully with such power. If you conclude that a certain fact must be included because it’s integral to the truth, try to discuss it with those affected beforehand so it’s not an “unexpected revelation” to them in print.

Alternatives to Full Disclosure: If you decide not to include a sensitive detail in the main biography, you can still keep a record of it in your private research notes or a separate document. Not every finding needs to be in the published narrative. You might also choose to phrase things obliquely. For example, rather than stating “Due to infidelity, the couple divorced,” you could write, “The marriage ended in divorce in 1925. Family accounts hint at serious troubles between the couple in the years leading up to the split.” This communicates that it was messy without spelling it out. It leaves room for readers to inquire privately if they want more info, which you can handle case by case.

Permissions and Legalities: If you plan to publish the biography (beyond just a family circulation), be aware of rights and permissions. If you quote someone’s recent letter or use a photo that someone took, ensure you have permission. When it’s mostly historical, this isn’t an issue, but it’s part of ethical consideration too.

In summary, treat your ancestor’s story as you would want yours told. Honesty tempered with kindness is the balance to aim for. By being considerate of sensitive topics, you show respect not just for the dead, but for the living family members who will read and cherish this biography. Genealogy isn’t just about uncovering secrets; it’s about understanding our ancestors as whole people – and that understanding should foster empathy.

As you finalize the narrative, double-check you haven’t included something inadvertently that cousin so-and-so might object to. If in doubt, ask them. It’s easier to have a conversation now than a conflict later. With ethical considerations in mind, you’re ensuring that your ancestor’s biography will be received as a loving tribute and not cause unintended hurt.

Now, with your engaging and ethically sound narrative ready, one final step remains: providing proper source citations to back up your work.

Step 8: Cite Your Sources and Preserve the Evidence

You’ve written a wonderful biography – but how will readers know that the facts in it are true? That’s where source citations come in. Citing sources is a fundamental part of genealogical writing (and really, any historical writing). It gives credit to the records and references you used, and it allows others to trace the evidence behind every statement. In genealogy, we have a saying: “Without sources, family history is mythology.” So let’s make sure your ancestor’s biography is well-documented.

What is a Source Citation? A source citation is basically a note that tells the reader where a specific piece of information came from. In an academic paper, you might see footnotes or in-text citations; in a family history, you often see footnotes or endnotes corresponding to statements in the text. The citation should include enough detail for someone else to find the original source. It might be in a formal format (like Evidence Explained style, which many genealogists use, based on Chicago Manual of Style), but it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. The main point is to answer: who/what is the source, when/where was it created, and where can it be found?.

For example, if you wrote “John Doe was born on July 4, 1880 in Springfield,” a citation for that might look like: “John Doe birth certificate, July 4, 1880, Springfield (Illinois), Volume 2, p.123, Springfield County Records Office.” Or if you found it on MyHeritage, “1880 Birth Register, Springfield County, Illinois, image accessed on MyHeritage, record for John Doe.” There are numerous ways to format it, but it should contain the key info. According to expert Elizabeth Shown Mills - author of Evidence Explained - a good citation makes it easy to locate the source and also indicates the source’s reliability (for instance, “family bible” vs “county record” – one might be more inherently reliable than the other, but both are cited).

Why Cite Sources? Citing might feel like extra work, but it greatly enhances the credibility of your biography. When readers (especially fellow genealogists) see those citations, they know you’ve done your homework. It allows them to verify facts or explore further. Think of your biography not just as a story, but as a piece of genealogy research – future generations might build on it. If you cite sources, your great-grandchildren can go look at those same documents themselves. If you don’t, they might have to redo all the research from scratch to verify it. Citations are a gift to the future, as well as a guard against misinformation. They also protect against memory’s fallibility. As the MyHeritage Knowledge Base notes, citing sources makes it easy to confirm info later or discover new details upon re-examining a source. You might misremember whether you got a date from the 1900 census or 1910 census; a citation will clearly state it, preventing confusion.

How to Cite in the Biography: In practice, the easiest method is to use footnotes or endnotes. If you’re writing in a word processor, you can insert footnotes at the end of sentences where a fact is stated. Then at the bottom of the page (or end of document), you put the source details. For a family biography that might be shared as a PDF or printed, footnotes are nice because they appear on the same page for reference. Endnotes (all citations compiled at the end) also work, especially if the biography isn’t too long or if you prefer not to interrupt the flow on each page.

For example, your paragraph might read: “He enlisted in the Union Army on May 1, 1864, joining the 20th Illinois Infantry and serving until the war’s end.” After this sentence, you’d put a footnote number. In the footnote, you could cite: Civil War Service Records for John Doe, 20th Illinois Infantry, compiled military service record (CMSR), National Archives; accessed via Fold3. That one citation backs up the enlistment date and regiment info in that sentence. The reader sees the little number, and if they care to, can read the footnote to see where you got it. If they don’t care, the number is unobtrusive and doesn’t ruin the story.

For narrative sections that are more speculative or thematic (where you might not have a direct source, e.g., describing typical farm life), you generally don’t cite those, since they’re more background context unless you pulled a specific fact from a history book, etc. But any specific detail or quote needs a citation. Birth, marriage, death details should each have at least one source. Direct quotations (from letters, newspapers, etc.) definitely should be cited with their source. If you cite a source once and then use information from it again, you can cite it again or use a shortened citation for subsequent references.

Using MyHeritage for Citations: As mentioned, MyHeritage automatically generates source citations in your online tree when you add information from Smart Matches or Record Matches. You can view these by going to the person’s profile on MyHeritage, clicking “Sources” or looking at the facts. For instance, if you attached a census record, under the birth fact you might see a citation like “1880 U.S. Census” with details. You can actually copy and paste from those, or use them as a starting point. MyHeritage’s format might not be exactly how you want it in the narrative (they sometimes provide a URL and an ID which is more for database use), but the essential info will be there. You can also add manual citations on MyHeritage for things like personal knowledge or external sources. This means your family tree on MyHeritage can serve as a repository of all the sources which you then mirror in the written biography.

One method is to prepare a “Sources” section at the end of your biography or footnotes, listing all sources in a bibliography style. But in genealogy, it’s more common to tie each source to the fact via notes, as described, because readers want to know exactly which fact came from where (especially if facts conflict – they’ll check which source you trusted).

Example of Source Citation in Text: Let’s illustrate with a snippet and footnote (and we’ll use our citation format style): “James Edward Jones was born on 1 May 1800 in what is now Trumbull County, Ohio" Here is a cited reference that might have given that example phrasing, but in your actual text you would cite the source of the birth info, e.g., James Jones’s baptism record or the genealogical society article that listed his birth.

Another example: “According to the 1851 England Census, Joseph Dalton, 62, lived in Denby, Yorkshire, working as a ‘Fancy Weaver’” In a real bio, the citation might be: “1851 England Census, Yorkshire, Denby, piece 2334 folio 45, p.10, Joseph Dalton household.” And you would footnote that.

The citations we’ve included in this guide (the bracketed numbers) are specifically to external sources we referenced while writing these instructions. In your biography, your citations will point to historical records or sources about your ancestor.

Clarity and Consistency: There are formal guides (like Evidence Explained) if you want to format perfectly, but don’t stress too much. The important thing is that someone can find the source. So include key details: type of record, date, names, location, repository or website. For books or articles, include author, title, year, page number. For websites, give the site name and URL (and access date, because URLs can change). Consistency means choose a format and stick with it. If you decide to italicize titles of record collections, do it for all, for instance.

Preserve Your Research: Along with citing sources, consider appending a section to the biography with a list of sources or a brief research summary. Some genealogists include an appendix with transcriptions of key documents (like a copy of a will or a pension abstract). This can be valuable for family members who want to see the raw data. If your biography is going to be more of a narrative story, you might keep heavy data like that separate, but making it available is a good idea.

Additionally, save your citations and notes in a safe place. Your compiled research (perhaps in the form of a research report or just the footnoted biography itself) should be backed up digitally and/or in print. MyHeritage allows you to export a GEDCOM of your tree – that GEDCOM will include your source citations that are attached to the tree. Consider exporting one and keeping it as a backup, so all that hard work of documenting isn’t lost.

Finally, after all this meticulous citing, you’ll have a piece of work that stands up to scrutiny. Readers can see exactly where each fact came from, adding to their confidence in the story. It also educates others who may not be genealogists themselves – they’ll see how much work goes into establishing each detail. You might even inspire them to contribute or to take up family history research with the good habits you’ve modeled.

As a finishing touch, you could include a note in the foreword or afterword of the biography explaining that you’ve cited sources and encouraging family members to refer to those notes if they have any questions about where information came from. Invite them to ask you if they want more detail or if they have information you might not have seen. A family biography can be a living document – you might update it if new sources or stories emerge.

With sources cited, your ancestor’s biography is now both engaging and well-documented. It has the soul of a story and the backbone of evidence.

Conclusion: Bringing It All Together with MyHeritage’s Help

Writing an ancestor’s biography is indeed a labor of love. You’ve gone from a collection of disparate records to a cohesive narrative that captures a person’s life journey. Along the way, you’ve worn many hats – researcher, detective, historian, writer, and even ethicist. By following a step-by-step approach – gathering data, verifying facts, resolving conflicts, outlining, writing with narrative flair, minding ethical boundaries, and citing sources – you’ve created something truly special: a story that connects your family’s past to its present and future.

Throughout this journey, MyHeritage’s features have been valuable companions. From the start, tools like Smart Matches™ and Record Matches likely introduced you to new information and saved you time in finding records. The extensive historical record collections on MyHeritage provided the raw materials of your story. MyHeritage’s family tree platform helped you organize facts and even flag errors with the Consistency Checker, ensuring your data was sound. DNA Matches may have given you clues to solve mysteries or connect with long-lost cousins who shared anecdotes and photos. The photo colorization and enhancement features allowed you to see your ancestor in a new light (literally!), sparking imagination for your descriptions. And as a modern assist, MyHeritage’s AI Time Machine™ / AI Biographer™ can automatically compile a biography using AI, drawing on records and historical context. While nothing replaces the personal touch you’ve given your ancestor’s story, such AI-generated drafts can serve as a helpful starting point or a fun way to see your data summarized (just remember to fact-check any AI output, as it may occasionally err). It’s amazing to think that with a single click, an AI tool can produce a Wikipedia-like biography with references to historical events – but by going through the process yourself as you have, you’ve ensured a level of accuracy, detail, and emotional resonance that a generic summary could never match.

Now, you have in your hands (or on your screen) a comprehensive ancestor biography that is well-organized, engaging, and backed by evidence. What should you do with it? Here are a few final suggestions:

Share it with family: Send the biography to relatives who might be interested. You might be surprised how it rekindles their interest in family history. Even those who aren’t into genealogy may find themselves drawn in by a good story about great-grandpa’s adventures or great-aunt’s challenges and triumphs. Consider printing a few nicely bound copies as gifts.
Add it to your MyHeritage tree: MyHeritage allows you to add a narrative biography to a person’s profile (in the Notes or Biography section). You could either paste the whole thing there (if it’s not too long) or a summary with a note “Contact me for the full biography.” Also, upload photos you have and possibly a PDF of the biography as a document. This way, anyone who views that ancestor on your family site can read their story. It also preserves the story online for posterity (and you control the privacy settings).
Involve the younger generation: Use parts of the biography to teach younger family members about their heritage. Maybe create a short slideshow with images and highlights from the story. Or use that DeepStory feature to have the ancestor “tell” a short version of their life – kids and grandkids might find that fascinating and it can draw them into reading the full biography.
Keep updating and editing: A family biography is not set in stone. If new information comes to light (maybe another record is found, or a date was wrong), update the text and note the revision. Because you’ve cited sources, it’ll be easier to slot in the new source or correct an entry. Think of it as a living document that can be refined as genealogy research progresses. Perhaps you’ll even write biographies for other ancestors, creating a whole collection of family stories.
Preserve your work: Ensure the biography (and all the research behind it) is stored safely. Save digital copies in multiple locations (your computer, an external drive, cloud storage). Print a copy on archival paper for long-term keeping. You might even submit a copy to a local genealogical society or family history library, especially if the ancestor was from a certain area – others researching the same family might find it helpful (and they’ll see your sources to verify or build on).

By writing your ancestor’s biography, you’ve not only documented facts – you’ve given voice to someone from the past, connecting facts with narrative, and ensuring their memory lives on in rich detail. This is one of the most gratifying achievements in genealogy. It turns research into story, and data into legacy.

As you close this project, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned about your ancestor and perhaps about yourself. Often, in writing about an ancestor’s perseverance, love, or hardship, we gain new appreciation for the resilience of those who came before us and how their lives shaped the family we know today.

Finally, don’t stop here. There are always more stories to tell – perhaps the next biography of another relative is waiting for you. And new resources, like the ever-growing databases on MyHeritage or innovative tools, will continue to make the journey exciting.

Explore more about Writing An Ancestor's Biography

MyStories by MyHeritage
How to Get the Most Out of Record Matches on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
Introducing AI Biographer™: Create a Wikipedia-like Biography for Any Ancestor Using AI, Enriched with Historical Context on the MyHeritage blog
Memorializing Ancestors with Bite-Sized Bios on MyHeritage on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
What Smart Matches™ Are And How To Make The Most Of Them on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base