1️⃣ Ground your ancestor in time and place

Your ancestor lived in a real world — coal towns, immigrant neighborhoods, farming communities. Historical context is the foundation of every chronicle.

2️⃣ Work directly with the records

Stop relying on index entries. The original records hold the details that make your chronicle real — the neighbor's name, the letter no one talked about, the "X" where a signature should be.

3️⃣ Scope the story

Don't write a biography. Pick the turning point — the migration, the war, the moment everything changed. That's your chronicle.

4️⃣ Show your evidence

Your family wants to know it's real. Cite your sources — not for scholars, for the people who'll read this and say "this really happened."

5️⃣ Let AI help you make it

AI researches historical context, transcribes difficult records, structures your narrative, and formats your citations. You bring the evidence and the judgment. AI helps you finish.

"I never considered myself to be a good writer... however this course proved me wrong, that I could do this. Taking the course was the best decision I ever made pertaining to memorializing my family stories. By participating I was inspired to believe that I could do the writing, and ultimately did!"Mark Gilliin

"I completed the story on my grandfather and shared with my siblings. I feel much more comfortable using AI to assist me with the process."Kathy Kelley

"The biggest change is that I no longer feel stuck. I'm writing with more ease, taking risks, and letting the story grow naturally. That's the progress I'm most proud of."Ellen F.