How to make a family history book
Updated 2026-10-10
To make a family history book: choose whose story it is, interview them and the relatives who know them, gather photos and documents, sort everything into chapters by life stage, then write it up and print it. The interviews are the part most families never finish — start there.
Step by step
- 1. Choose the focus: one person, one couple, or one branch of the family.
- 2. Make a question list for each life stage — childhood, youth, love, work, family, lessons.
- 3. Interview the person, and the people who remember them.
- 4. Collect photos, letters, recipes and recordings, and label who and when.
- 5. Arrange it into chapters.
- 6. Write it up in their words, not yours.
- 7. Print it, or save it as a PDF to share.
A free chapter outline
| Chapter | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Early years | Where they were born, their parents, home, school |
| Youth | Friends, first jobs, leaving home |
| Love | How they met their partner, the wedding |
| Family life | Children, moves, hard years, good years |
| What they want remembered | Lessons, regrets, wishes for the family |
Doing it without the hard parts
Go Family Story does steps 2 to 5 for you. It emails the questions on the day you choose, collects the answers, photos and recordings from the person and from relatives, and arranges everything into those chapters automatically, with each person named under the stories they told.
Go Family Story's Keepsake Gift is $59, paid once. It opens one private story space for a full year, with 100 questions written for that exact relationship and another 100 whenever you ask (up to 1,000), free for every brother, sister and friend who joins. Answers become a book you can read, print or save as a PDF.
Give the gift of their story
$59 once. One year, 100 questions for that relationship, more whenever you ask, and the whole family joins free.
- Paid once — $59
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Family helps free
Giving it for Christmas? Start by November so there are answers to give on Christmas morning.
Common questions
- How long does it take to make a family history book?
- Most families need several months to collect the interviews. Answering a few questions a week over a year is the most reliable way to finish.
- What should I ask in a family history interview?
- Start with childhood and home, then work through youth, love, work and family. Our family history interview guide has a full list.