Guides
Guides for families
Guides for families who want to keep their history: how to record a parent's stories, what to do with old photographs and papers, how to find the family's records, and how a family history book is made.
Each guide answers one question in full, step by step, and names the sources it rests on. They are written for families of every background who want their parents' and grandparents' stories, names and papers kept for the generations after them.
Family stories and keepsakes
For families with a parent to ask or a box of papers to sort.
- What to do with old photos and family papersGuideName the people while someone can, then sort, label, store and copy, and keep the papers that lead to records.
- Questions to ask your parents before they dieGuideGentle questions in short sittings for a parent who is old or ill, the practical ones, and how to keep the answers.
- Questions to ask your grandparents about their livesListA hundred numbered questions grouped by period of life, a short set for young children, and where the answers lead in the records.
- Questions to ask your parents about their livesListA hundred numbered questions grouped by period of life, matched to the occasion, with how to keep the answers and where they lead.
Family history books
For families deciding what kind of book to make.
- What is a family history book, and which kind fits your family?ExplainerWhat a family history book is, the kinds families make, what each takes, and how to choose the one that fits.
- Family history book examples, page by pageWorked exampleThe kinds of family history book, and one researched history shown page by page.
- Professional genealogy research, step by step: how the Tarko family history was madeWorked exampleThe example traced step by step, from the first papers to the printed volumes.
- How to write a family history book, with a free chapter outlineGuideThe whole method, from deciding what the book covers to sending it to print, with a free chapter outline to copy.
Milestones and meaningful gifts
For adult children planning a birthday, an anniversary or a holiday gift.
- Legacy books for parents and grandparents, from fill-in journals to a researched family bookGuideEvery kind of legacy book for a parent or grandparent, with what it holds, who does the work, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Meaningful 70th and 75th birthday gifts for a parentListEleven gifts for a parent turning 70 or 75, built around their own life and grouped by how far ahead each one has to start.
- Meaningful 80th birthday gift ideas for a mother or fatherListThirteen gifts built around a parent's own life, grouped by how far ahead each one has to start.
- 50th anniversary gifts for parents that tell their storyListGifts for a parents' golden anniversary built around their marriage, from gold to a book of both families, grouped by how far ahead each one starts.
Finding family records
For families researching for themselves.
- How to trace your ancestry, starting with the papers at homeGuideWhere to begin: the papers in the house, the oldest relatives, the free American records, then the archives abroad.
- How accurate is FamilySearch? How to check an index against the original recordGuideHow far to trust the big sites, and how to test an index entry against the original, with a correction from the example.
- How to search Ellis Island records and find the right passengerGuideWhere the lists are, the years they cover, how to search every spelling, what both pages of a manifest give, and how to know the passenger is yours.
- How to find the town your family came from in EuropeGuideEvery record that can name the family's town, then how to find that town today when its name and its country have changed.
Hiring help, and what it costs
For families weighing doing it themselves against hiring help.
- Family history book writing services: the companies and what each deliversComparisonEvery kind of family history service, from prompt books to researched books, with named firms, prices and how long each takes.
- How much does a family history book cost? Prices for each kind of serviceComparisonPrices for every kind of service, from prompt books to researched histories, with what each includes and what it leaves out.
- How much does a genealogist cost? Hourly rates and project fees explainedGuideHourly rates, the large firms' packages, the expenses billed on top, and a plain way to budget.
- What a personal historian does, and how that differs from a genealogistComparisonWhat each role delivers, side by side, and where a researched family history book needs both.
Memorials and tributes
For families honoring a parent's life, in words the grandchildren will keep.
- What is a memorial book? From the funeral guest book to a family historyComparisonSix kinds of memorial book side by side, from the funeral guest book to a researched family history.
- How to write an obituary for a parent, with examplesGuideWhat goes in and in what order, three full examples and a template, how to check the facts, and what newspapers charge.
- How to write a eulogy for your mother or fatherGuideTwelve steps from the first calls to relatives to the printed page, with a template, length, tone, delivery, and what to do if you cannot speak.
- Eulogy examples for a mother or fatherExamplesSix complete eulogies of different lengths and tones, each with a note on what makes it work, an outline, and famous eulogies worth reading.
Newest guides
- What a personal historian does, and how that differs from a genealogistComparisonWhat each role delivers, side by side, and where a researched family history book needs both.
- Meaningful 70th and 75th birthday gifts for a parentListEleven gifts for a parent turning 70 or 75, built around their own life and grouped by how far ahead each one has to start.
- How to write your mother's or father's life storyGuideGathering, checking, outlining, writing and printing a parent's life story, with a worked chapter outline.
- How to write to a European archive and get a replyGuideFinding the right archive, what to ask for, a letter to adapt, fees and payment, how long replies take, and keeping a log.
- How to write a legacy letter to your children and grandchildrenExamplesWhat a legacy letter holds, a template to follow, two short examples, the tzava'ah tradition, and how to give and keep the letter.
Zichronos researches a family in the archives that hold its records, then publishes its history as a finished hardcover book. How we work