If you’ve ever tried to piece together your family history, you know it’s part detective work, part treasure hunt. The thrill of discovery is real, but raw research alone isn’t enough—you need to turn those findings into a story people will actually want to hear.
The good news? You don’t need a degree in history to do this well. You just need the right tools. Here are eight essentials for bringing your ancestors’ stories to life, based on the toolkit I used for my last episode, How Far Would You Go for Love?​
In my latest video, you'll discover 8 essential tools for researching, crafting and sharing your family story.
Some of them you'll be well familiar with. Others may surprise you! Like the way I created a "voice" for my late great-grandfather, in a way that would've been impossible just 5 years ago.
In February I spent time with family storytellers of all kinds, getting their feedback on a very rough draft of software I'm developing to be a storytelling coach. Thank you so much to all of you. I'm looking forward to coming back to you with the next iteration.
A quick selfie with the NZ Society of Genealogists' Genealogical Computing Group
When life gives you a P.S.
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I thought I knew all about the circumstances of my grandfather's birth, but a recently unearthed aerogramme (remember those?) unearthed a startling new detail.
Coming up very soon (next week!) is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship HMS Irresistible in the failed Dardanelles naval campaign. I'm putting together a tribute video for my great-grandfather, who was first lieutenant of the Irresistible.
If you know anyone with any connection to the Irresistible, it would be great to get in touch. In the scale of the whole war, one ship is a small thing, but to the hundreds of crew - both survivors and those who perished - it was their world until March 18th, 1915.
If you know anyone, get in touch! Simply reply to this email or contact me through the contact page.
Connect with One Ancestor at a Time on social media
You can keep up to date with this project on YouTube, Facebook and BlueSky (an increasingly popular place for genealogists!).
That's it for now - I'd love to hear your feedback on this newsletter! How often would you like to hear from me? And what would you like to hear more of?
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