.png)
Are you working on writing your family history but concerned it might come across as, well, a bit dry? Maybe you’re even thinking about telling the story in the first person to make your ancestor’s life feel closer and more relatable. I get it—using “I” statements could seem like a way to pull readers in.
But before you dive in, let’s take a look at why first-person storytelling might not be the best fit for family history and how a shift to third-person narration can actually make your writing stronger, more accurate, and still incredibly engaging.
Why First-Person in Family History Can Mislead Readers
Imagine this: you’re writing from your ancestor’s perspective, describing their emotions, thoughts, and reasons behind life-changing decisions. But here’s the problem—you can’t truly know what they were thinking.
Even with personal artifacts like diaries or letters, capturing their exact motivations or worldview accurately is nearly impossible. It’s easy to assume certain things based on the details you have, but without a firsthand account, first-person narration can lead you (and your readers) to imagine too much about what your ancestor might have felt or thought.
And if you believe in an afterlife, think about this—one day, you might meet your ancestor and hear them say, “Uh, that wasn’t quite how it happened!”
A bit humorous, sure, but the reality is that taking liberties with their personal thoughts can create a fictionalized version of their life. To avoid that, consider sticking to the third person to bring accuracy and respect to their story.
How Third-Person Narration Brings Authenticity to Family Stories
Writing in the third person doesn’t mean giving up on a vivid and relatable story. When you follow your ancestor around as an observer, you can paint a detailed picture of their world without trying to read their mind. You can include quotes from letters or diaries they left behind, adding personal touches while staying true to what you can confidently say about their life.
Plus, third-person narration lets you focus on the bigger picture—the historical context, societal changes, and the broader events that shaped your ancestor’s life. You’re not limited to an imagined perspective. Still, you are free to bring their story alive by highlighting significant moments, struggles, and achievements they experienced, letting readers connect with the real narrative without the need for guesswork.
The basic idea is to state where you are deriving the answer to your research question.
↪️ Are you ready to write a family history?
Story Arcs That Make Family Histories Compelling
Now, let’s talk about what makes a family story truly captivating: a strong story arc. You may have heard of the seven classic story arcs; two fit particularly well in family history writing. Here are examples to show how they work:
The Journey Arc: Take Richard Stanley Kevern, an ancestor of my husband’s family. His life’s story follows the journey arc, beginning in a small Cornish village and leading him across the ocean to the silver mines of California in the 1920s. The details are remarkable—he traveled on the HMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister ship, and his story reminds us how a single choice or stroke of luck can alter family history forever.
Rags to Riches to Rags Arc: My ancestor, Sherman Brown, lived this story arc. He started as an unskilled laborer, bouncing between jobs until he eventually opened a small auto repair business, ‘Brown and Sons.’ Yet by the mid-1920s, the business dwindled, and he ended up driving an ice truck before passing away in 1937. The story’s power isn’t in knowing Sherman’s every thought but in tracing the rise and fall of his fortunes—a tale of persistence, resilience, and eventual loss that echoes through our family narrative.
When you use a story arc, you’re giving readers a sense of your ancestor’s journey and struggles without needing to fill in imaginary details. This brings their story to life with respect for the facts, allowing readers to experience the world they lived in without fabricated emotions.
