Looking at his ancestor page on Family Search, I read the "Brief Life History" which is a good head start on a bite-sized bio, based on information and sources attached to this man's Details tab on Family Search.
Basics are included
I like that the brief history includes his full name, birth date and place, full names of parents and their ages when this son was born.
Also the life history lists full maiden name of his wife, where/when married, and mentions their children. Then it ends with his death date and place, age at death, and burial place. This is an excellent head start or outline for a bite-sized bio.
Although sources are attached to Charles August Wood that verify the info in his "brief life history," this type of bio is only as good as the sources attached to the ancestor's profile and your interpretation of the sources within context.
Ideas to flesh it out
Here's what I'd add to flesh out this man's bio without making it too long:
- Charles's place in family birth order (he was 10th of 17 children born to Thomas and Mary).
- Charles's occupation (he was a carpenter, like most of his brothers).
- Names of children and how many survived childhood.
- Cause of death, if known (his obit said "la grippe" but death cert said tuberculosis).
- Maybe add whether his widow remarried.
Above is the Brief Life History of Mary Slatter Wood (1869-1925), a sister-in-law of Charles Augustus Wood. I would improve in three key ways:
- Her brief bio says she was married "about 1898" although the source attached provides a specific date and place. Easy to improve.
- In 1871, she did not live in a church (Saint Mary Matfelon); that was the civil parish where she was enumerated with her parents and siblings in Whitechapel in London, England. This is easy to clarify.
- Although the Find a Grave memorial for Mary is attached as a source, the brief bio doesn't mention her burial place. Again, easy to flesh out.
Take a look at the Brief Life History for your ancestors on Family Search. Maybe these will be a good starting point for a bite-sized bio for each ancestor that you can flesh out and share on other genealogy sites and with your family. As Diane commented below, these brief histories aren't a brand-new feature but if you haven't focused on them, see whether they jumpstart your writing projects!
For more about bite-sized bios, please see my book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.
This will be fun fleshing out from the starting point.
ReplyDeleteI have never paid much attention to these, but now I will. On a side note, cool that you have Cuyahoga County ancestors. I'm from Ohio, and was born in Parma, and lived in Cleveland when I was a child, both located in Cuyahoga County.
ReplyDeleteNancy, my hubby was born in Cleveland and still insists Ohio is an "Eastern" state when folks like me from NYC know it's in the Midwest LOL. TY for reading and commenting.
DeleteYes, these are nice little references and as you mentioned "starting points" that have been on FamilySearch for quite awhile now. Yes, only as good as the sources. ;) I did include this in a presentation on publishing your family history the easy way, a while back, for those that are beginners. :)
ReplyDeleteMy family tree program (Reunion) is able to write a similar bite-sized bio based on entered info. I guess what's new here is having it as part of FamilySearch. But I agree, it's a good starting point.
ReplyDelete