introduction to a family history essay

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Family History Essay | How to Write? and 400 Words Essay on Family History

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Family History Essay: A family involves individuals living respectively that structure a gathering of people inside a local area. Individuals making this gathering are dependent upon connections either by birth or blood, and it involves at any rate two grown-ups as guardians and grandparents, along with little youngsters. The relatives have a common association between them. Thus, an exposition about family ancestry is a rundown of a person’s social personality and the equal relationship(s) he/she imparts to individuals living respectively.

Adapting family ancestry is indispensable to comprehend our economic well-being, mankind, and variety. History saves our recollections for ages to comprehend what their identity is and their geographic beginning. Having decent information on family foundation allows you to see the value in the things or penances made before by grandparents to encounter better things throughout everyday life. A person’s underlying foundations and beginning bring a self-appreciation revelation. Likewise, expounding on your family ancestry is one method of protecting its legacy for people in the future.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

How to Write a Family History Essay?

When composing a, there is a consistent construction you should continue in giving out your contentions. An appropriate diagram will deliver an energizing show of each segment, and it will interest the peruser. The standard design of an article has a presentation, body, and end. Here is a magnificent illustration of a layout for a family ancestry article:

• Topic: My Family History
• Introduction (Outline): Write a short brief about your family background and why your family is important
• Body: Write about your family members, how you live together and who your neighbors
• Conclusion: Rehashing your conflict, Sum up your key thoughts, and Give a last remark or reflection about the paper

Essay on Family History 400 Words in English

Would you need to know how everything began until here? My grandpa disclosed to me that he met my grandmother at a show where probably the best craftsman was performing during one of the late spring occasions in London. As he was moving alone, my grandpa moved toward a wonderful woman (who might turn into his perfect partner) to request that she dance together. They later consented to meet for a supper date. Our family lives in London. Without a doubt, this is the best family, and it’s an honor to be essential for it.

Each individual includes different sides inside his/her family; my fatherly side begins from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Despite the fact that my extraordinary granddad comes from Spain, my grandpa and grandmother live in London. My granddad is Indo-British who functioned as a barkeep, no big surprise he adored shows! My dad fills in as a traditionalist for amphibian fauna while my mom works in the bread kitchen. My mom and father met in a store when they were both shopping.

Despite the fact that we live in a similar city, my grandparents have their loft, a separation from our own. We live as a group of five; father, mum, and three youngsters. As we as a whole live in a similar city, we (me and my two sisters) incidentally visit our grandparents during the end of the week to invest some energy with them; grandpa and I were doing some planting while my sisters and grandmother do cook and other house tasks. The connection between our extraordinary guardians and our own is extremely phenomenal.

At Christmas, every one of my youngsters, mum, and father travel to our grandparents for an entire week. During the new year, we get together at our home, my parent’s home, to invite the year as a whole family. Now and again during the end of the week, we normally invest the majority of our energy on the seashore swimming, besides on chapel days. As a family, our number one food is rotisserie fish, rice, and vegetables. In any case, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

All in all, the social conjunction between us is fantastic, which has made a powerful common bond for the family. From visiting one another, investing energy in the seashore, getting together suppers to usher in the new year, and observing Christmas as a family, the bond continues to develop. I’m favored to be essential for a particularly incredible family.

FAQ’s on Family History Essay

Question 1. Why is it important to know family history?

Answer: Knowing your family ancestry is vital. It empowers one to self-find himself inside the general public and like the heredity. At the point when you find out about your family’s past, you will comprehend the things you see and experience today. Composing an article on family ancestry requires a ton of comprehension and consideration regarding the viewpoints you need to depict. The basic factor being the family foundation, at that point seeing how you need to design and scribble down your thoughts.

Question 2. What are the points that can be mentioned in a family history essay?

Answer: You can write about family members, relations, values and traditions of your family. Write down the places from where your ancestors belong or the origin of your family. Also, mention the family reunion or gatherings or the occasions when you all get together.

Question 3. What family really means?

Answer: Family implies having somebody to adore you unequivocally disregarding you and your weaknesses. Family is cherishing and supporting each other in any event when it is difficult to do as such. It’s being the best individual you could be with the goal that you may motivate your adoration ones.

Question 4. Why do we need family?

Answer: Family is the absolute most significant impact on a youngster’s life. From their first snapshots of life, kids rely upon guardians and family to ensure them and accommodate their necessities. Kids flourish when guardians can effectively advance their positive development and improvement.

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How to Write an Essay About My Family History

A family comprises of people living together that form a social group within a community. The people creating this group are subject to relationships either by birth or blood, and it comprises at least two adults as parents and grandparents, together with young children. The family members have a mutual connection between them. Therefore, an essay about family history is a synopsis of an individual's social identity and the reciprocal relationship(s) he/she shares with the people living together. Learning family history is vital to understand our social status, humanity, and diversity. History keeps our memories for generations to understand who they are and their geographic origin. Having a good knowledge of family background lets you appreciate the things or sacrifices made before by grandparents to experience better things in life. An individual's roots and origin bring a sense of self-discovery. Also, writing about your family history is one way of preserving its heritage for future generations.

How to Start A Family History Essay

Outline writing, tips concerning writing a family history essay introduction, how to write body paragraphs, how to write a conclusion for a family history essay, essay revision, essay proofreading, make citations, catchy titles for an essay about family history, short example of a college essay about family history.

• How to Get the Best Family History Essay

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When writing an essay, there is a logical structure you must follow in giving out your arguments. A proper outline will produce an exciting presentation of every section, and it will fascinate the reader. The standard structure of an essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is an excellent example of an outline for a family history essay:

• Introduction
• Short family background information
• Importance of writing about the family
• Body (paragraphs)
• Family members; grandparents, parents, and children
• The community in which family resides
• Form of livelihood
• Conclusion (a summarizing paragraph)
• Restating your contention
• Summarize your key ideas
• Provide a final comment or reflection about the essay

When writing a presentation about family history, you need to provide a hook to the readers, to make them interested to know much about the family. You can start with facts or anecdotes about grandparents; for example, how they met on the first date and opted to make a family together, you can as well describe the circumstances. You can also provide an insight into a situation by your ancestors that impacted your life experience—the other thing to include in the short background information about your family. Remember to provide a clear and debatable thesis statement that will serve as the roadmap for your discussion in the paper.

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The body paragraphs contain the arguments one needs to discuss the subject topic. Every section includes the main idea or explanatory statement as the first sentence; the primary purpose is a debatable point that you need to prove. The length of a paragraph depends on the accurate measurement of ideas. In most cases, a section has about five sentences; but it can be as short or long as you want, depending on what you discuss. A paragraph has the main statement, supporting sentence(s) with evidence, and concluding sentences. When crafting the body, ensure a clear flow of ideas, connecting from one argument to the other. Transitional words, when used accordingly, can provide a nice transition and flow of ideas from one paragraph to the other. The commonly used transitional words or phrases include moreover, also, therefore, consequently, hence, thus, finally, etc.

A conclusion is as crucial as the introduction; it is the final recap of what your essay entails. The ending paragraph contains three main parts that form a full section. First, remind the audience of your thesis statement and show its relation to the essay topic. Second, provide a summary of the key arguments that you discussed in the body paragraphs. Third, it is advisable to add a final comment or general reflection about the essay. It's important to state that you should use different wording in the conclusion when restating statements and arguments. Also, remember to use signal words at the start of concluding paragraphs like in conclusion, finish, etc.

Revision is an opportunity for a student to review the content in his/her paper and identify parts that need improvement. Some students start revising as they begin drafting their essays. During revision, you need to restructure and rearrange sentences to enhance your work quality and ensure the message reaches your audience well. Revising gives you a chance to recheck whether the essay has a short main idea and a thesis statement, a specific purpose, whether the introduction is strong enough to hook the audience and organization of the article. Also, you check if there is a clear transition from one paragraph to another and ascertain if the conclusion is competent enough to emphasize the purpose of the paper.

Nothing is more frustrating than submitting an essay to earn dismal grade due to silly common mistakes. Proofreading is an essential stage in the editing process. It is an opportunity for reviewing the paper, identifying and correcting common mistakes such as typos, punctuation, grammatical errors, etc. Since proofreading is the final part of the editing, proofread only after finishing the other editing stages like revision. It is advisable to get help from another pair of eyes; you can send the paper to your friend to help you in the same process. There are online proofreading tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway, which you can use to proofread, but you should not only rely on grammar checkers. Remember to proofread the document at least three times.

Making citations is an essential way of keeping references for the sources of content you used. As you are editing, you may make several changes to the document. Do not forget to correctly provide citations for every fact or quote you obtained from other sources. There are different citation formats such as APA, MLA, etc.; therefore, you need to ensure correct usage of quotes depending on the requirement by your professor. The sources you cite present the list of references or bibliography at the end of your essay for easy reference.

• Generation to Generation
• The Origin of My Family
• Our Circle and Family Heritage
• A Lifetime of Love
• Because of Two Lovebirds, I Am Here
• The Family Archives
• The Family Ties
• Branches of The Family Tree
• The Generational Genes
• Forever as a Family
• It All Started with a Date
• Bits of Yesteryears

Would you want to know how it all started until here? My grandpa told me that he met my grandma at a concert where one of the greatest artists was performing during one of the summer holidays in New York City. As he was dancing alone, my grandpa approached a beautiful lady (who would become his soulmate) to ask her to dance together. They later agreed to meet for a dinner date. Our family lives in New York. Undoubtedly, this is the best family, and it's an honor to be part of it.

Every person has two sides within his/her family; my paternal side originates from Canada, while the maternal side is from America. Although my great grandfather comes from Canada, my grandpa and grandma live in New York. My grandfather is Afro-American who worked as a bartender, no wonder he loved concerts! My father works as a conservationist for aquatic fauna while my mother works in the bakery. My mother and father met in a supermarket when they were both doing shopping.

Although we live in the same city, my grandparents have their apartment, a distance from ours. We live as a family of five; dad, mum, and three children. As we all live in the same city, we (me and my two sisters) occasionally visit our grandparents during the weekends to spend some time with them; grandpa and I were doing some gardening while my sisters and grandma do cook and other house chores. The bond between our great parents and ours is very excellent.

At Christmas, all my children, mum, and dad travel to our grandparents for a whole week. During the new year, we get together at our house, my parent's house, to welcome the year as an entire family. Sometimes during the weekends, we usually spend most of our time on the beach swimming, except on church days. As a family, our favorite food is deep-fried fish, rice, and vegetables. However, my grandpa likes chicken hash.

In conclusion, the social co-existence between us is excellent, which has created a robust mutual bond for the family. From visiting each other, spending time on the beach, having to get together meals to usher the new year, and celebrating Christmas as a family, the bond keeps growing. I am privileged to be part of such a great family.

How to Get the Best Family History Essay?

Every student would want to produce the best essay possible to earn a better grade. One way of getting information is through previously written materials such as essay samples. Pre-written essay samples have become popular recently among college students due to the vital information they offer. There are several sites, such as Essay Kitchen, that provide pre-written essays on family history at affordable prices. Students can use the essay samples to obtain enough content and idea about paper outline the professor expect; thus, producing a quality article.

Essay writing is a daunting experience for most college students. The academic pressure, coupled with a lot of other activities, makes the whole experience an ordeal. Some students have a lot of responsibilities and find themselves with limited time to handle their academic essays. Consequently, the students use online essay writing service 12 hours at Edu Jungles to write my essay for me at an affordable rate.

Knowing your family history is very important. It enables one to self-discover himself within the society and appreciate the lineage. When you learn about your family's past, you will understand the things you see and experience today. Writing an essay on family history requires a lot of understanding and attention to the aspects you need to describe. The critical factor being family background, then understanding how you need to structure and jot down your ideas.

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How to write an introduction for a history essay

Every essay needs to begin with an introductory paragraph. It needs to be the first paragraph the marker reads.

While your introduction paragraph might be the first of the paragraphs you write, this is not the only way to do it.

You can choose to write your introduction after you have written the rest of your essay.

This way, you will know what you have argued, and this might make writing the introduction easier.

Either approach is fine. If you do write your introduction first, ensure that you go back and refine it once you have completed your essay. 

What is an ‘introduction paragraph’?

An introductory paragraph is a single paragraph at the start of your essay that prepares your reader for the argument you are going to make in your body paragraphs .

It should provide all of the necessary historical information about your topic and clearly state your argument so that by the end of the paragraph, the marker knows how you are going to structure the rest of your essay.

In general, you should never use quotes from sources in your introduction.

Introduction paragraph structure

While your introduction paragraph does not have to be as long as your body paragraphs , it does have a specific purpose, which you must fulfil.

A well-written introduction paragraph has the following four-part structure (summarised by the acronym BHES).

B – Background sentences

H – Hypothesis

E – Elaboration sentences

S - Signpost sentence

Each of these elements are explained in further detail, with examples, below:

1. Background sentences

The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about. This is done so that when you state your hypothesis , your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about.

Background sentences explain the important historical period, dates, people, places, events and concepts that will be mentioned later in your essay. This information should be drawn from your background research . 

Example background sentences:

Middle Ages (Year 8 Level)

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges.

WWI (Year 9 Level)

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe.

Civil Rights (Year 10 Level)

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success.

Ancient Rome (Year 11/12 Level)  

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times.

2. Hypothesis

Once you have provided historical context for your essay in your background sentences, you need to state your hypothesis .

A hypothesis is a single sentence that clearly states the argument that your essay will be proving in your body paragraphs .

A good hypothesis contains both the argument and the reasons in support of your argument. 

Example hypotheses:

Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery.

Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare.

The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1 st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state.

3. Elaboration sentences

Once you have stated your argument in your hypothesis , you need to provide particular information about how you’re going to prove your argument.

Your elaboration sentences should be one or two sentences that provide specific details about how you’re going to cover the argument in your three body paragraphs.

You might also briefly summarise two or three of your main points.

Finally, explain any important key words, phrases or concepts that you’ve used in your hypothesis, you’ll need to do this in your elaboration sentences.

Example elaboration sentences:

By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period.

Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined.

The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results.

While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period.

4. Signpost sentence

The final sentence of your introduction should prepare the reader for the topic of your first body paragraph. The main purpose of this sentence is to provide cohesion between your introductory paragraph and you first body paragraph .

Therefore, a signpost sentence indicates where you will begin proving the argument that you set out in your hypothesis and usually states the importance of the first point that you’re about to make. 

Example signpost sentences:

The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20 th century.

The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

Putting it all together

Once you have written all four parts of the BHES structure, you should have a completed introduction paragraph. In the examples above, we have shown each part separately. Below you will see the completed paragraphs so that you can appreciate what an introduction should look like.

Example introduction paragraphs: 

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe. Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare. Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined. The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success. The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results. The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20th century.

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times. Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state. While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period. The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

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Essay about Family: What It Is and How to Nail It

Humans naturally seek belonging within families, finding comfort in knowing someone always cares. Yet, families can also stir up insecurities and mental health struggles.

Family dynamics continue to intrigue researchers across different fields. Every year, new studies explore how these relationships shape our minds and emotions.

In this article, our dissertation service will guide you through writing a family essay. You can also dive into our list of topics for inspiration and explore some standout examples to spark your creativity.

What is Family Essay

A family essay takes a close look at the bonds and experiences within families. It's a common academic assignment, especially in subjects like sociology, psychology, and literature.

So, what's involved exactly? Simply put, it's an exploration of what family signifies to you. You might reflect on cherished family memories or contemplate the portrayal of families in various media.

What sets a family essay apart is its personal touch. It allows you to express your own thoughts and experiences. Moreover, it's versatile – you can analyze family dynamics, reminisce about family customs, or explore other facets of familial life.

If you're feeling uncertain about how to write an essay about family, don't worry; you can explore different perspectives and select topics that resonate with various aspects of family life.

Tips For Writing An Essay On Family Topics

A family essay typically follows a free-form style, unless specified otherwise, and adheres to the classic 5-paragraph structure. As you jot down your thoughts, aim to infuse your essay with inspiration and the essence of creative writing, unless your family essay topics lean towards complexity or science.

Here are some easy-to-follow tips from our essay service experts:

• Focus on a Specific Aspect: Instead of a broad overview, delve into a specific angle that piques your interest, such as exploring how birth order influences sibling dynamics or examining the evolving role of grandparents in modern families.
• Share Personal Anecdotes: Start your family essay introduction with a personal touch by sharing stories from your own experiences. Whether it's about a favorite tradition, a special trip, or a tough time, these stories make your writing more interesting.
• Use Real-life Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples or anecdotes. Draw from sources like movies, books, historical events, or personal interviews to bring your ideas to life.
• Explore Cultural Diversity: Consider the diverse array of family structures across different cultures. Compare traditional values, extended family systems, or the unique hurdles faced by multicultural families.
• Take a Stance: Engage with contentious topics such as homeschooling, reproductive technologies, or governmental policies impacting families. Ensure your arguments are supported by solid evidence.
• Delve into Psychology: Explore the psychological underpinnings of family dynamics, touching on concepts like attachment theory, childhood trauma, or patterns of dysfunction within families.
• Emphasize Positivity: Share uplifting stories of families overcoming adversity or discuss strategies for nurturing strong, supportive family bonds.
• Offer Practical Solutions: Wrap up your essay by proposing actionable solutions to common family challenges, such as fostering better communication, achieving work-life balance, or advocating for family-friendly policies.

Family Essay Topics

When it comes to writing, essay topics about family are often considered easier because we're intimately familiar with our own families. The more you understand about your family dynamics, traditions, and experiences, the clearer your ideas become.

If you're feeling uninspired or unsure of where to start, don't worry! Below, we have compiled a list of good family essay topics to help get your creative juices flowing. Whether you're assigned this type of essay or simply want to explore the topic, these suggestions from our history essay writer are tailored to spark your imagination and prompt meaningful reflection on different aspects of family life.

So, take a moment to peruse the list. Choose the essay topics about family that resonate most with you. Then, dive in and start exploring your family's stories, traditions, and connections through your writing.

• Supporting Family Through Tough Times
• Staying Connected with Relatives
• Empathy and Compassion in Family Life
• Strengthening Bonds Through Family Gatherings
• Quality Time with Family: How Vital Is It?
• Navigating Family Relationships Across Generations
• Learning Kindness and Generosity in a Large Family
• Communication in Healthy Family Dynamics
• Forgiveness in Family Conflict Resolution
• Building Trust Among Extended Family
• Defining Family in Today's World
• Understanding Nuclear Family: Various Views and Cultural Differences
• Understanding Family Dynamics: Relationships Within the Family Unit
• What Defines a Family Member?
• Modernizing the Nuclear Family Concept
• Exploring Shared Beliefs Among Family Members
• Evolution of the Concept of Family Love Over Time
• Examining Family Expectations
• Modern Standards and the Idea of an Ideal Family
• Life Experiences and Perceptions of Family Life
• Genetics and Extended Family Connections
• Utilizing Family Trees for Ancestral Links
• The Role of Younger Siblings in Family Dynamics
• Tracing Family History Through Oral Tradition and Genealogy
• Tracing Family Values Through Your Family Tree
• Exploring Your Elder Sister's Legacy in the Family Tree
• Connecting Daily Habits to Family History
• Documenting and Preserving Your Family's Legacy
• Navigating Online Records and DNA Testing for Family History
• Tradition as a Tool for Family Resilience
• Involving Family in Daily Life to Maintain Traditions
• Creating New Traditions for a Small Family
• The Role of Traditions in Family Happiness
• Family Recipes and Bonding at House Parties
• Quality Time: The Secret Tradition for Family Happiness
• The Joy of Cousins Visiting for Christmas
• Including Family in Birthday Celebrations
• Balancing Traditions and Unconditional Love
• Building Family Bonds Through Traditions

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Family Essay Example

For a better grasp of the essay on family, our team of skilled writers has crafted a great example. It looks into the subject matter, allowing you to explore and understand the intricacies involved in creating compelling family essays. So, check out our meticulously crafted sample to discover how to craft essays that are not only well-written but also thought-provoking and impactful.

Final Outlook

In wrapping up, let's remember: a family essay gives students a chance to showcase their academic skills and creativity by sharing personal stories. However, it's important to stick to academic standards when writing about these topics. We hope our list of topics sparked your creativity and got you on your way to a reflective journey. And if you hit a rough patch, you can just ask us to ' do my essay for me ' for top-notch results!

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FAQs on Writing an Essay about Family

Family essays seem like something school children could be assigned at elementary schools, but family is no less important than climate change for our society today, and therefore it is one of the most central research themes.

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions on family-related topics. Before you conduct research, scroll through them and find out how to write an essay about your family.

How to Write an Essay About Your Family History?

How to write an essay about a family member, how to write an essay about family and roots, how to write an essay about the importance of family.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How to Write Your Family History

• Genealogy Fun
• Vital Records Around the World
• American History
• African American History
• African History
• Ancient History and Culture
• Asian History
• European History
• Latin American History
• Medieval & Renaissance History
• Military History
• The 20th Century
• Women's History

Choose a Format

Define the scope, set realistic deadlines.

• Choose a Plot and Themes

Do Your Background Research

• Don't Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

Include an Index and Source Citations

• Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University
• B.A., Carnegie Mellon University

Writing a family history may seem like a daunting task, but when the relatives start nagging, you can follow these five easy steps to make your family history project a reality.

What do you envision for your family history project? A simple photocopied booklet shared only with family members or a full-scale, hard-bound book to serve as a reference for other genealogists? Perhaps you'd rather produce a family newsletter, cookbook, or website. Now is the time to be honest with yourself about the type of family history that meetings your needs and your schedule. Otherwise, you'll have a half-finished product nagging you for years to come.

Considering your interests, potential audience, and the types of materials you have to work with, here are some forms your family history can take:

• Memoir/Narrative: A combination of story and personal experience, memoirs, and narratives do not need to be all-inclusive or objective. Memoirs usually focus on a specific episode or time period in the life of a single ancestor, while a narrative generally encompasses a group of ancestors.
• Cookbook: Share your family's favorite recipes while writing about the people who created them. A fun project to assemble, cookbooks help carry on the family tradition of cooking and eating together.
• Scrapbook or Album: If you're fortunate enough to have a large collection of family photos and memorabilia, a scrapbook or photo album can be a fun way to tell your family's story. Include your photos in chronological order and include stories, descriptions, and family trees to complement the pictures.

Most family histories are generally narrative in nature, with a combination of personal stories, photos, and family trees.

Do you intend to write mostly about just one particular relative, or everyone in your family tree ? As the author, you need to choose a focus for your family history book. Some possibilities include:

• Single Line of Descent:  Begin with the earliest known ancestor for a particular surname and follows him/her through a single line of descent (to yourself, for example). Each chapter of your book would cover one ancestor or generation.
• All Descendants Of...:  Begin with an individual or couple and cover all of their descendants, with chapters organized by generation. If you're focusing your family history on an immigrant ancestor, this is a good way to go.
• Grandparents:  Include a section on each of your four grandparents, or eight great-grandparents, or sixteen great-great-grandparents if you are feeling ambitious. Each individual section should focus on one grandparent and work backward through their ancestry or forward from his/her earliest known ancestor.

Again, these suggestions can easily be adapted to fit your interests, time constraints, and creativity.

Even though you'll likely find yourself scrambling to meet them, deadlines force you to complete each stage of your project. The goal here is to get each piece done within a specified time frame. Revising and polishing can always be done later. The best way to meet these deadlines is to schedule writing time, just as you would a visit to the doctor or the hairdresser.

Choose a Plot and Themes

Thinking of your ancestors as characters in your family story, ask yourself: what problems and obstacles did they face? A plot gives your family history interest and focus. Popular family history plots and themes include:

• Immigration/Migration
• Rags to Riches
• Pioneer or Farm Life
• War Survival

If you want your family history to read more like a suspense novel than a dull, dry textbook, it is important to make the reader feel like an eyewitness to your family's life. Even when your ancestors didn't leave accounts of their daily lives, social histories can help you learn about the experiences of people in a given time and place. Read town and city histories to learn what life was life during certain periods of interest.  Research timelines  of wars, natural disasters, and epidemics to see if any might have influenced your ancestors. Read up on the fashions, art, transportation, and common foods of the time. If you haven't already, be sure to interview all of your living relatives. Family stories told in a relative's own words will add a personal touch to your book.

Don't Be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

Photos, pedigree charts, maps, and other illustrations can also add interest to family history and help break up the writing into manageable chunks for the reader. Be sure to include detailed captions for any photos or illustrations that you incorporate.

Source citations are an essential part of any family book, to both provide credibility to your research, and to leave a trail that others can follow to verify your findings.

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• 5 Great Ways to Share Your Family History
• 10 Top Genealogy Questions and Answers
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• 8 Places to Put Your Family Tree Online
• How To Research Latino Ancestry and Genealogy
• Best Things to Make With Desktop Publishing Software
• How Are Cousins Related?
• How to Trace American Indian Ancestry
• Steps to a Successful Family Reunion
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How to Create an Outline for Writing an Interesting Family History

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You might approach writing with a mixture of caution, excitement and dread. On one hand, you look forward to sharing sweeping tales about your ancestors, the journeys they have taken and the triumphs and trials they have faced.

On the other hand, though, writing can be downright hard. The saying goes that the pen is mightier than the sword (or, in our digital world, the laptop or other electronic device). But when you struggle to find the right words to describe a person who means a great deal to you, the pen might feel like little more than a blunt stick.

In fact, because family stories are so personal, writing about them can be harder than writing about something more scientific or technical. You may know more about Grandma Ethel and her childhood than anyone else—but you know so much that you fear you will gloss over something important. Every time you sit down to write about her, nagging thoughts arise: what if I’m not doing her story justice? What if I’m leaving out important details or homing in on the wrong details? What if I’m just not the writer for the job?

Fortunately, writing doesn’t have to feel like a long, uncertain battle. You can break the writing process down into manageable parts, turning it from stressful slog into an illuminating journey.

Creating a handy outline can help. Below are some strategies to guide you in creating an outline that covers all you want to share about your family history.

What is a Writing Outline?

A writing outline is a tangible plan in which you lay out:

• what you are writing
• about whom or what you are writing
• the structure or organization of your work

Outlines take many different forms. Some may be linear, plotting out exactly what happens from the beginning to the end. For example, a story of your grandfather’s immigration to America may begin with the moment he left his homeland and end with him stepping foot on unfamiliar land.

Other outlines have a more stream-of-consciousness structure; you simply write whatever comes to mind as you brainstorm and use your notes as your guide. In this case, you might highlight specific descriptions or moments of your grandfather’s voyage, but don’t connect the dots,” at least right away.

This article focuses mostly on structured outlines. But the “right” outline is whichever feels the most useful to you.

And whatever outline you create, nothing in it has to be set in stone. Even if you map out Grandpa’s life perfectly from its humble start to its glorious conclusion, you may decide as you write to change some parts around, to add details, or to omit entire swaths of time and text altogether.

That’s okay. What makes the writing process so rewarding is uncovering old fond memories that you thought had turned to dust, or making new, startling epiphanies that enliven your story.

Every time I write something new, be it a story or article or essay, I end up writing something very different than what I had initially envisioned. Even the final draft of this article looks quite different from my outline. I embrace these differences, and I also embrace my outlines for carrying me to the end.

Types of Outlines

What does an outline look like? Below I highlight several common types and provide examples of each. Your outline might look entirely different, or blend elements from several varieties. What’s important is that you find an outlining strategy that helps you write your family history the way you want.

The Alphanumeric Outline

The alphanumeric outline is exactly what it sounds like: It uses a combination of letters (lowercase or uppercase) and numbers (Arabic or Roman numerals) to denote hierarchies in your thought process.

For example, you might identify three main topics you want to highlight in your family history and number them 1, 2, and 3. Then you can expand upon a main topic with supporting, more-specific “sub-topics” that you label a, b and c under the main idea. To put it another way, the main topic serves as an “umbrella” over those sub-topics.

You’ve probably used this outline to write structured essays in school—ones with a clear introduction and thesis statement, a cohesive body and a compelling conclusion. The alphanumeric outline is ideal if you’re looking to write a chronological family history that has a clear order to your thoughts.

Below is an example of an alphanumeric outline I drafted up to write a piece on my own family history:

Note that my topics have different numbers of sub-topics beneath them. Your outline, too, might not look completely balanced. Some subjects might simply spur more inspiration or warrant a more-detailed discussion. I also gave my outline a temporary, working title to differentiate it from other outlines.

The Sentence Outline

Like the alphanumeric outline, the sentence outline sorts ideas and subjects into subject groups. However, each topic and sub-topic is written as a complete sentence. Sometimes, I’m so overflowing with ideas that I break the rules and end up creating a (short) paragraph outline.

While it may seem like extra work, this outline is useful. It forces you to engage with your ideas just as you would while writing your actual family history. As a result, you can potentially identify at the outline level what you need to expand upon and what you could possibly pare down. For instance, if you struggle to write even one sentence to sum up the topic, you may consider reworking the topic altogether.

Another thing I appreciate about the sentence outline is that it allows me to play with language and tone. Most sentences from the outline won’t survive to the actual written family history, but they do help me uncover sensory images and valuable details that I might otherwise overlook during the writing process.

I also may notice certain themes that emerge organically and tie my story together. For example, I found that the concept of myths and mythologizing the past threaded many of the topics in my outline together. This revelation helped guide my narrative throughout the entire piece.

Here’s a sentence outline for the first top I laid out in my alphanumerical outline:

The Mind Map

If the outlines mentioned above feel too academic or rigid for you (or you just want something more visual), then the mind map may be right for you. The mind map usually begins with a single “seed” of a topic—something general, like “My Family History”—then branches off into many separate topics that intersect or sprout their own “sub-topics.” (It goes without saying, then, that a tree is an apt metaphor for the family history mind map!)

The mind map can help you visualize where your ideas are in relation to one another. As you add new ideas to your mind map, it grows, as does your understanding of what you are writing about.

Here’s a mind map outline that I created using a free version of Coggle:  

Most mind-mapping tools allow you to create several free mind maps and use basic mapping capabilities. The paid versions of these tools offer unlimited maps and more complex features (for example, color-coding, more bubble shape options, etc).

Here’s a quick breakdown of five different mind-mapping tools: Coggle , GitMind , Microsoft Visio , MindMeister and Miro . You can review this chart for number of free maps, free features offered, paid features offers and price.

Beyond the Outline: Family History Writing Organization Strategies

You might want jump right into writing once you’ve got an outline. By all means, go ahead! But if you’re still apprehensive, here are tips that will help you ease into the writing process, both before and after you start drafting an outline.

Before the Outline

Determine the form and length of your project.

Few writers can accurately predict how many words a piece will be, so it’s okay if you’re unsure about the length of your family history. However, your outline will be more helpful if it reflects the scope of your project: how deep you plan to go into your family history and what kind of form it’s going to take.

For example, are you writing a book-length memoir that captures snapshots throughout an ancestor’s life? Or are you weaving a narrative that has a clear beginning, middle and end? Is your family history going to be a cohesive narrative, or (like mine) a collection of shorter essays or stories tied together by a theme?

Determine Who You are Going to Write About

This might go without saying, but you’ll need to know who is going to appear in your written family history before you start outlining it. With that decided, you can spend the outlining stage sketching an accurate portrait of the person(s).

Determine Where You Fit into the Story

When you read a book (especially a work of fiction), the narrative point of view is usually one of the first pieces of information you receive. Who is telling the story?

Your family history isn’t fiction, of course. But you’ll want to decide how personal your storytelling will be. Will you let readers get a closer look at who you (the author) are, through personal memories? Or will family stories be told from the point of view of an omniscient, impersonal narrator? There’s no right or wrong answer, but deciding on an approach will help you build your outline.

After the Outline

Organize and integrate research.

Once you have your outline in hand, you can start incorporating your research into it. This is more challenging than it first seems, since you probably have decades of research and plenty of facts that you want to share. It can be tempting to dump all of that information on the page during the outline stage, but I get less overwhelmed if I write my outline first , then match details and facts to specific topics mentioned in my outline.

Make sure that the research you include is relevant to the story and reflects your overall vision. You don’t want your narrative to be bogged down in unrelated details.

Identify Common Images and Narrative Threads

I mentioned above how, during the outlining process, I recognized and embraced the theme of mythology that had emerged from my outline. As you study your own, look out for those such motifs. They might not be broad (such as connections to mythology) or subtle (such as memories of the sky, sea or birds).

Of course, you shouldn’t force such imagery into your writing if it feels unnatural. But concrete images can enrich your story and provide an emotional connection that your readers will respond to.

Find Photos, Heirlooms and Other Items That Can Help Strengthen Your Story

Consider looking through your family photos and keepsakes to find any objects that will help bring your story to life. While colorful descriptions of Grandma’s kitchen at Christmas can help readers visualize the scene (a flour-covered counter, or the smell of freshly baked cookies), an actual photo can transport them there.

For example, my Yia Yia kept a journal that dates to when I was just a baby. In it, she recorded notable milestones, stowed away some fun projects we did together, and described some of our trips to church. I could describe this journal to you in great detail, but that probably wouldn’t be as interesting as seeing it for yourself!

Final Thoughts

Outlines don’t force your family history into a prescribed, write-by-number template. Instead they guide your thoughts, spark memories and move you through years of joys and sorrows. You can always deviate from your outline—you don’t have to commit to a certain topic just because your outline says so. The outline is only a foundation that you can build higher or reshape as you see fit. Keeping that in mind will leave you open to your own treasured memories: how peaceful you felt when you walked with your grandpa through the woods; the touch of his weathered hand in your own; the sound of his wise, booming voice; how his shadow disappeared into those of the trees.

A version of this article appeared in the May/June 2023 issue of Family Tree Magazine .

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How to Go From Boring to Brilliant Family History Writing

So, you’ve done so much family history research that you’re drowning in facts and you’ve decided – that’s it – I’ve got to start writing some of this up!

Only now you are stuck. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Unless you’re a bit of a Marvin (from Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) you are probably perfectly fine at telling stories. I mean, we tell snippets of stories all the time, whether it’s moaning to the postman about our encounter with a grumpy lady in Tesco’s. Or explaining our Great-Grandfather to our 3rd cousin twice removed. We tell stories daily.

It’s often only when we come to write these stories down that we struggle. We can’t find the “right” words. We lose our voice. We get bogged down in details. We forget about our core story. The thing that made us want to tell it in the first place. We either stare at a blank white page, unable to even start writing OR we write tons of words – read them back and decide we’d like to delete the lot.

In this article, I’ll share some tips that’ll transform your family history writing. I’m not saying you are going to become a world-renowned author. We’re not all JK Rowling. But, when you give your cousin Sue the story about your great-gran, you can be sure she’ll read it, enjoy it and therefore remember it.

Table of Contents

Before you start writing your family history, decide your audience.

Sometimes our audience is clear, such as I’m writing this for my children. But, we don’t always have a particular person in mind. You may be writing up your family history for fun, to check for gaps in your research, as ‘cousin bait’, as a blog for fellow genealogists or professional reasons.

That’s fine, but you need to try to imagine who might be reading. Let’s use my blog post on my Woodrow witch ancestor as an example. It could attract unknown cousins, fellow genealogists or person’s interested in family history. It might attract those that like reading true stories.

These readers all have some things in common. They are unlikely to be children. They are likely to enjoy history. Yet, some readers may have lots of family history knowledge, others none at all. I need to ensure I don’t alienate anyone. For example, I use language appropriate to their reading age but without jargon.

Envisioning your audience, their likes and dislikes will help inform your writing.

Decide On The Message For Each Piece of Family History Writing

Your writing doesn’t have to have a deep and meaningful message. But, it does have to have some sort of point. For example, my blog post ‘ Blue Blood ‘ explores my illegitimate ancestor. I wanted to make my research journey clear and to inform readers of the parentage of my ancestor. That was my message. Whereas, my blog post ‘A Hidden Victim of Ripper Mania ‘ had a statement at its heart. I wanted to use my ancestor’s story to explore the effect of constricted gender roles. I wanted to show her story of suicide as a possible consequence of Victorian rigidity.

Regardless of whether your message is divisive, exploratory or informative, decide it before you start. Don’t let it get lost or diluted. Keep checking on your message. Are you getting to the point? Is it clear?

Set A Plan & Avoid Tangents

Before writing your family history make a plan. Exactly which ancestors are you going to cover? Over what time? Who will you start with? How will you break up their story? How does this plan work with your decided audience? Where will you show your message?

Setting a plan will give your writing structure. It’ll ensure you cover all the points you want to explore. It’ll ensure your message comes through. It’ll help you weed out or avoid random tangents.

Odd pieces of off-topic text can be very distracting. It’s easy to fall into a trap of including things because they are ‘interesting’. This is an error. Adding random pieces of content dilutes your story. It starts to feel rambling and the message becomes lost.

Writing Your Family History

If you can't write it, say it.

One of my favourite writing styles, especially for short stories, is ‘conversational’. I like to feel like the writer is sat next to me, sharing their tale over a cuppa. That’s not always easy to emulate. So cheat! Record yourself whilst you explain the story.

You don’t need anything fancy to do this. Download the free app Otter ( Google Play or Apple Store ) onto your phone. This nifty programme will listen to you talk and convert your words into text. It’s not perfect but its accuracy is impressive.

Next, take that speech-to-text and edit it. Use it as a starting point and build upon it.

Pay special attention to the words you use or turns of phase. This is your real voice. Use those phases in your family history writing to make it feel more authentic.

Use Endnotes or Footnotes to separate your family history writing from sources

You don’t have to put all your details within the body of the text. I have read a lot of family histories that start like this:

“My ancestor, John Brown was born on 5th June 1857. He was christened on 10 June 1857 in St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke. His older brother, Thomas was christened on the same day. Thomas was born on 20th March 1855.”

For an instant win, try putting some of those details in footnotes or endnotes, alongside any source information. Doing so transforms our sentence, to something like this:

“John and his older brother Thomas were both christened in the summer of 1857 at St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke.”

Bring Your Family History Writing To Life

Reading a list of facts is boring. We need details to help spark our imagination. Writing family history is challenging because we need both accuracy and imagination.

Let’s look at our 1857 christening example. It took place in the summer and it’d be easy to presume that the weather was hot. We need to check though! That June may have been infamous for its terrible weather.

Our example took place in a church. We may look at a photo of that stone building and presume it looked the same way in 1857. Again we need to check. What if the church flooded that year? What if the building we see today is a replica?

Once we’ve got our confirmed details though, we can use them to create texts rich in detail:

“Summer 1857 was hot and the parishioners of St Michael’s Church must have felt relieved to sit within the cool of the church’s thick stone walls. On 10th June the Brown family filled the congregation. A generation of bottoms squashed into the tiny pews. I imagine the new Brown babies (Thomas and John) cried as the icy holy water splashed onto their foreheads. Three years before them, a daughter had been baptised using that same deep stone font. Her little bottom was missing from the row of Browns that watched the ceremony. Perhaps her mother, Elizabeth was thinking of her as she hushed her son’s bawl…”

Find The Right Words

Successful authors tend to have a fantastic vocabulary. Reading widely can help you to expand your own. But, you can also use a thesaurus to aid you – especially if you find you are using the same words repetitively. There are loads of free thesaurus’ online.

It is also worth bearing in mind that old adage, “show not tell”. If you find your text is full of adjectives (describing words) then start pruning them! Replacing those adjectives with strong nouns can actually enhance your writing.

I recommend reading “ Kill Your Adjectives “. It really explains this concept in much more detail and gives some great examples.

Use Tech To Help With Grammar

Even the very best of writers make mistakes. That’s why they have proof readers and editors. Now, whilst using a real-life person is always best, that’s not always possible. So, use apps to try to fill the gap. Hemingway is a free editor. Type in your text and using various colours, it’ll highlight sections that use a passive voice or are hard to read. It’ll point out your use of adverbs too. Fixing these errors will lead to better writing. 

Other apps that can help include, Grammarly (a free app or chrome extension). It will point out all your spelling and grammatical errors. Underlined. In red. I hate it. I love it. It’s one of those kinds of relationships.

Editing and Proof-Reading

Apps aside, nothing beats a human eye on your work. In an ideal world, once completed, put your writing away. Leave it for at least a couple of weeks before you pick it up and start editing. Then finally hand it to someone else to read. Proof-reading is a talent. It’s why people get paid to do it! So, do what you can. Pass it to who you can. Don’t beat yourself up if 3 months later you look at it again and there’s an apostrophe in the wrong place.

Enhance Your Family History Writing

An image is worth 1000 words.

Those of us writing up our family history today have a huge advantage over our ancestors. We have the mighty power of the internet. Within seconds we can have access to quality photographs to add to our work.

Use images to “back up” the detail you’ve written or to separate large pieces of writing. These don’t have to be images of your ancestors. Use photos of buildings, maps, artwork, newspapers. Mix it up!

On a practical note, ensure you are not breaking any copyright laws. On Google Images select Settings-Advanced Search and filter by ‘Usage Rights’ to find images marked as shareable. Read the different levels of copyright and attribute your images as appropriate. If in doubt, check with whoever owns the image before you use it. If you can’t find someone to ask and are still unsure, then don’t use it. And yes, I know exactly how frustrating that can be!

Geograph is great for free images of places and buildings within the UK. You can also utilise sites like Unsplash , Pixabay  and Pexels to find free pictures. Use Canva to curate your own images and text graphics.

Add Charts To Your Family History Writing

Make use of another advantage available to modern genealogists. Create and add family tree diagrams to your text. These not only break up long passages but make the text itself easier to follow. Use charts to explain genetic relationships. Create these either within your family tree package or using Microsoft PowerPoint or Excel, or your Mac or Google equivalent.

Break Up Your Family History Writing

Depending on the length of your family history writing, consider using tools to make it easier to navigate. Very long works benefit from contents pages and indexes. All easily created in Word.

Shorter pieces may benefit from section breaks and sub-headings.

Give It A Title

People make snap decisions about what to read. Give your text the very best chance by giving it a great title. Use the Headline Analyser to see which of your ideas is worth pursuing. Or browse these 100+ blog title ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Do You Enjoy Writing Your Family History Stories?

Writing up your family history should be enjoyable. Be honest with yourself. If writing your family history feels like a form of torture then don’t do it! It’ll come through in your writing anyway. Writing up your ancestors’ lives is not the only method of recording their histories. You could simply do some oral recordings. You could try making a presentation.

Or you could join my Curious Descendants Club! With regular workshops and challenges, this Club is designed to help you write your family history. You can find all the details here, including testimonials from existing members .

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My Family History Essay Example

Family history is a journey that can take many different shapes. For some, it’s the story of how they became who they are today. For others, it might be simple curiosity about their roots or where their last name came from. It could also be an investigation into family secrets and mysteries for those with a more adventurous personality.

Writing an essay on family history is really challenging when it comes to describing every important aspect of it. That is why the essay sample serves an important purpose for the students here.

Essay Sample on My Family History

• Thesis Statement of My Family History Essay
• Introduction of My Family History Essay
• How Did Our Family use to live under a Single Roof?
• What are the Values that we learn by living in Joint Family?
• Causes that Separated the Family into little pieces

Thesis Statement of My Family History Essay This essay talks about my joint family or family tree in which we used to have a lot of fun and enjoy being together. Various glimpses of this happiness of togetherness is described in the essay below. Introduction of My Family History Essay Like every other family, we have our own family history which is illustrated herein details to the readers. The essay talks about how we used to live under a single roof and we have no need to set appointments to ask our elders for dinner. These joys of togetherness bring certain values in us as well like how to be happy among the people of different nature and hope. What is the result of being in togetherness that could be found in this essay? Readers will come to know about the instances that separate us from a joint family to a nuclear family in recent times. Main Body of My Family History Essay Here a detailed description of the family history is given to let you know about the era of happiness that used to exist in our life. Each and every single detail is given in this essay for better clarity of things. How Did Our Family use to live under a Single Roof? It dates back to the days when we were small kids and our grandmother used to feed us with a variety of dishes. Every day was like a festival for us as we were not supposed to go out for school and used to sit in the vicinity of our grandmother to listen to the different stories from her. We used to dine together and no one was supposed to watch television at the time of food. This is how we were spending our days happily. My parents were also very melodious towards us and everyone who visits our home at that time was bringing some refreshments to us. Hire USA Experts for My Family History Essay Order Now What are the Values that we learn by living in Joint Family? The joint family not only gave us happiness but at the same time, we adopt many values from our elders as well. For instance, living happily and ignoring the mistakes of others is the most important feature of residing in a joint family. That is what happened to us. We never fight with each other our siblings and always used to abide by the instructions of the parents whatever they ask us to do. More patience, compromise for small things, and becoming happy in the joy of others are some important things that we gained from our family history. The roots of love between the family members could easily be traced in those days. Causes that Separated the Family into little pieces As well said by a great philosopher that every good thing comes to an end eventually similar happened in our case as well. My grandmother died of cholera and we remain behind with the parents. As our age was gradually increasing we were sent to a school where the boring routine makes us remind of the old days and then the pressure of study starts suppressing our joy of being with the grandmother. We used to miss her for the entire long day, be that in the school hours or in the evening. Even the parents fail to continue the same routine of dining together owing to their jobs and all that we find around us was chaos in life. Buy Customized Essay on My Family History At Cheapest Price Order Now Conclusion The above essay draws a conclusion that it is a very positive thing to live in a joint family as it teaches values to us. But at the same time due to time constraints and technology-driven lifestyle we cannot suppose to cope up our life in joint families. This is how the family history has been narrated and it gives us a lesson that we should do something to save the ancient culture of staying together happily.

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Create a Family History

• Ancestors Season 2: Writing a Family History - video
• New Year's Resolution: Write Your Life Story #52Stories - FamilySearch blog article
• 1 Introduction Happy Family.jpg
• 2 What Is a Family History?
• 3 Why Create a Family History?
• 4.1 Before You Begin
• 5.1 Layout Decisions
• 6 Things to Consider as You Write
• 7 Start Writing
• 8 Other Things to Include
• 9 Time to Review and Evaluate
• 10 After the Review
• 11 Resources
• 12 Ideas for Teachers
• 13 Teaching Ideas
• 14 See also

Introduction Happy Family.jpg [ edit | edit source ]

This lesson will help you explore some of the ways to preserve your unique family heritage.

What Is a Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

A family history is a record of a family and of the lives of family members. It is usually written as a book, and this lesson will give ideas and instructions on writing a family history book. But a family history can take many forms, including the following:

• A record of your family with you as a child, containing recollections of your parents and other living ancestors.
• A record of your family with you as a parent, containing recollections of your children and your other descendants.
• A written history of an ancestor containing several generations of family information going back in time.
• An ancestral family history with a chapter for the couple you start with and additional chapters for each descendant family.
• A collection of family traditions and their origins.
• Newsletters.
• Time capsules.
• Family organization books.
• A genetic family history, which identifies specific physical traits (eye color, height, weight, complexion, and so on), causes of death, family illnesses.
• Family recipe collections.
• Heritage albums. More than a scrapbook; a heritage album is a record of the life of a family and includes photographs, documents, and so on.
• A record of your findings and experiences as you begin with one ancestor and work backwards, a story of research and discoveries.

Why Create a Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

A family history can be a great blessing to you and to your posterity and those who come after you. You and they can learn from the events, thoughts, and growth in your life and in the lives of your ancestors, even from those things that may otherwise seem mundane. Among the reasons to create a family history are the following:

• People want to know who they are and where they come from.
• A family history can help you gain knowledge and appreciation for those who have gone before you, where and how they lived, why they made the choices they made, and how they shaped the family’s future.
• It will help you gain greater understanding of yourself and how you fit in the overall picture of your family.
• It will help preserve family stories for future generations.

When To Create Your Family History? [ edit | edit source ]

Start now to write a family history, even if you only work on it a few minutes a day. Those minutes—and the work you do—will add up over time, and you will accomplish much as you work regularly and consistently.

Do not procrastinate working on your family history. The longer you wait, the more likely it will be that older family members may die or become invalid without passing along the memories that could be so valuable for you. You will never finish gathering family information or researching your ancestors, so don’t put off writing; you can always do a second volume to include new information you discover. Or you can do a binder of stories, which is easy to update.

Set a realistic time schedule. This will be a big project. Schedule enough time to gather information, organize it, and compile it into a finished format.

Before You Begin [ edit | edit source ]

The first step is to choose which type of family history you would like to create. Consider the resources available to you, the materials you have, and your skills and interests. Determine what kind of family history would be most beneficial to you and others. Consider also how you will focus your family history. Consider the following possibilities if you are going to create a written family history:

• Do you want to document all the ancestors of a family member?
• Do you want to identify an ancestral couple and document all their descendants?
• Do you want to focus on one family in a geographic location?

Beginning Your Work [ edit | edit source ]

Before you spend a lot of time in research and writing, you should determine what you already know and where there are gaps in your knowledge. Start by writing down what you know about your subject—this writing might be an outline, it might be a paragraph or a few pages of free writing (without regard to grammar or to connecting the sentences in a logical way), or it might take another form.

Once you have determined what you know, you can begin to organize it according to the form of history you have decided to create. If you are writing a book, you can determine what chapters will appear in the book. Will you organize the book chronologically? Will you divide it into chapters that deal with each branch of a family? If you have enough information, you might also determine how you will organize each individual chapter. To help you organize your information, you could consider creating a timeline for those people who are the focus of your work.

Look over what you have organized, and determine what gaps there are in your knowledge. What don’t you know that you need to know to carry out your plan? 3 The next step is to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Gather items and information related to the people you plan to write about in your history. Store everything you find in a safe and secure place. Keep in mind that you can continue writing your history as you gather information. If you wait to begin writing until you have finished gathering information, you may never get around to writing your history. Also it is often best to write when the gathered information is fresh on your mind.

The following ideas might help you as you gather information:

• Interview all living relatives who may remember events in the lives of your subjects. Or perhaps they never met the subjects but they remember stories of them as told by older family members. Another possibility is that they may remember community and world events that affected your ancestor, even if they do not know how your ancestor experienced the events personally.
• Interview friends, neighbors, work associates, or others who might have known something about those people your history will focus on.
• Gather photographs and illustrations that will add to the story—family portraits, photographs of family events, announcements of weddings or other events, pictures of churches and schools attended, the old family home, and so on. If a relative is reluctant to give you original documents, artifacts or photographs, ask if you can make copies or if you can photograph the items.
• Learn more about the geographic area where the individuals lived.
• Weather, geography, and politics will have had a direct effect on your family. Learn more about the time period and the world and community events.
• Consider studying old medical terms. Obituaries, death certificates, and doctor and hospital records generally give details of illnesses and cause of death. It is usually helpful to know what today’s illnesses were called in earlier time periods.
• Be honest in your writing. When you write fiction, you can be as creative with the facts as you want. When you write history, however, you must be careful how you interpret facts. History allows for some interpretation to a degree. But if you are unsure of facts and you have to make judgments, let readers know that you offer your own interpretation not what actually happened. Recognize that every person sees and records the same event from their own perspective and although different than another, neither may be right or wrong.

Layout Decisions [ edit | edit source ]

As you are gathering and organizing information, decide how you plan to lay out your family history. The following list is helpful if you plan on writing a book. You may add or delete some of these as the work progresses, but it is good to have a format in mind as you begin.

• Frontispiece
• Table of contents
• List of photographs and illustrations
• Narrative (the actual story)

Things to Consider as You Write [ edit | edit source ]

You will make good progress if you follow a consistent schedule in creating your family history. The following ideas may help you as you write your family history.

• Do not try to include all the information you have about every family member. Doing so will overwhelm or bore the reader. Be thorough, but be selective.
• Be honest. If you are going to include sensitive information, don’t try to minimize the real impact. Nor should you exaggerate the negative for the sake of interest or sensationalism.
• Be sensitive. Some events are fascinating and true but because of the delicate nature of those events, you may not want to include the information in your history. Time is usually the best deciding factor. If people are still living who were affected by the sensitive event, you may not want to include it in your history. You may consider writing what your research has uncovered, however, and putting it away to use later when it can be revealed without hurting others.
• Fictional histories (histories based on factual names and places but woven around events and experiences that may not have actually happened to your ancestors) are very popular. They can be fun to read. Family histories, however, are not the place for fictional accounts.

Start Writing [ edit | edit source ]

As you begin writing, do not get bogged down with anxieties you might have about writing. Get the information, stories, feelings, and outcomes recorded. Don’t worry about style, grammar, and punctuation at this point; you can polish your writing later. The following suggestions may help you if you are writing a book for your family history:

• As you include stories and statements from family members, don’t overly edit their words. Sometimes it is very effective to include unique speech patterns, grammatical errors, and the style of the speaker. You should be careful,however, to avoid making someone look less educated.
• Stories and accounts about the family or individuals.
• Photographs and illustrations that document events.
• Additional documents that supplement your stories.
• Discuss sensitive material with anyone you think may be concerned or affected by the material before you include it in your writing.
• Tell the truth, but don’t be offensive or defensive.
• Try to understand the choices and challenges your ancestors faced. Try to get your readers to empathize with each character.
• How did your ancestor get his property? Did he homestead? Did he inherit it? If he bought it, how did he get the money to purchase the land? How did he finance it?
• Did he have to clear trees, dig irrigation ditches, or build a road to his property?
• What was your ancestor’s profession? What was it like to have the job he had?
• What was an average day like in his profession or trade at that same time?
• Did your ancestor have to contend with hostile neighbors? Did they find neighbors who were helpful and supportive in times of need?
• How did your ancestor celebrate holidays and special events?
• Would your ancestors have used a particular dialect? If they emigrated to a new location in their lifetime, how did they adjust to their new culture?
• How did your ancestors deal with disasters that happened during their lifetimes (economic difficulties, epidemics, clashes in cultures, floods, droughts, and so on).
• The less you know about your ancestors, the more you will have to use general historical information about their place and time to put them into historical perspective.
• Don’t let your writing become a list of dates and places. Include stories and background information to bring dates and places to life.
• Get permission from living persons before you write anything about them.
• Talk about the joys and mistakes of the people you write about, their triumphs, tragedies, and hardships.
• Write a chapter; leave it for a few days, and then go back to it. Does it makes sense? Is it interesting as you review it?

Other Things to Include [ edit | edit source ]

Images and visual aids help readers visualize places and events and can portray what words cannot. It is often difficult to give an accurate description of a person. One photograph will do what a page of written text cannot do. Visuals that will help readers include the following:

• Photographs
• Maps showing the area your people lived or where they immigrated from
• Certificates
• Journal entries
• Copies of newspaper articles
• Copies of letters
• Official documents (wills, deeds, vital records, and so on)
• Personal writing, such as poems, stories, recollections, and so on
• Art work by a family member

Time to Review and Evaluate [ edit | edit source ]

After you finish your writing, find a relative or friend who can review your work. Ask yourself and other reviewers the following questions:

• Do you feel involved as you read? Do you care about the outcome of the history?
• Do the stories flow well? Does one story, idea, sentence, or event transition well into the next one? If not, how can the connection between them be strengthened?
• Have you made the identity of the people in the stories clear? For example, if you speak about Grandma, have you explained which grandma, or do you explain which aunt you refer to when you say “My aunt gave me my favorite Christmas gift that year”?
• Does anything need clarification?
• Is the writing too technical or too hard to read?
• Are the sentences too long or complicated?
• Is there too much detail?
• Are there any spelling errors?
• How is the grammar? (Often grammar mistakes are obvious if the material is read aloud.)
• Are the same words or expressions used too often? For example, is the phrase “I remember” used too much?
• Is the history clear and well organized?
• Do the stories need to be reduced, or do details need to be added to make them more enjoyable?
• Are people described well enough?
• Are names, dates, and places accurate?
• Is the proper tense used throughout the history?

Now is the time to review and correct the appearance of your work. Consider line spacing, headings of chapters, and sections of work. Now is also the time to decide where to insert photographs, letters, copies of letters, and so on.

After the Review [ edit | edit source ]

After the review, express gratitude for the efforts of those who helped you, and then use what you feel is valuable. Continue polishing your work. 7

Resources [ edit | edit source ]

• A selection of resources for writing family histories.
• A guide for writing family histories.
• This surgeon general’s Web site helps build the health histories of family members and ancestors.
• How to Write Your Personal and Family History —a resource manual by Keith E. Banks. General resource for personal and family history writing.
• Writing Family Histories and Memoirs by Kirk Polking. An outline of why and how to write different types of family histories, with brief information on basic research.
• Scrapbooking Your Family History by Maureen A Taylor. Organizing and preserving materials for family history based on memory books.
• Writing Up Your Family History by John Titford. Information on preparing, writing, and publishing your family history.
• You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. Guide to writing your family history.

Ideas for Teachers [ edit | edit source ]

This class can be taught in two or more weeks if you need extra time for class members to work on activities outside of class. The extra time will give class members the opportunity to discuss issues involved in creating a family history, followed by a week to start their work and bring it into class for review.

The following suggestions will help you present the information in this lesson. Choose information from the lesson that will be most helpful to your class members, and consider the best way to present that information.

Consider the needs of your class members, and plan and adapt the materials to suit their needs.

Teaching Goals

• Help students understand that there are a variety of ways that a family history can be created and preserved.
• Help students understand issues to consider when beginning a family history.
• Help students understand what should be included within a family history.
• After reviewing the students’ progress in their family history research, help them know if they are ready to begin writing a family history.

Preparing to Teach

The following suggestions are important if you are working with your class members for the first time.

• Contact your class members before the first class period and get to know a little about each student.
• Ask about their expectations for the class.
• Assess their experience with writing and with family history. Determine if they have read other family histories.
• Ask how much they know about their family.
• If you can find them, bring several examples of family histories other people have created.

Teaching Ideas [ edit | edit source ]

During the first class

• Bring several examples of family histories you have found. Share how you feel about these histories. Ask if any of the class members have a history of an ancestor that is significant to them. Discuss how the relations and descendants of your class members might feel about the family history they are planning to write.
• Ask class members why they want to create a family history. Remember that there are no wrong answers.
• Discuss with class members who will benefit from the family history.
• Discuss different types of family histories. What interests do the class members have?
• Have students consider which family or line they want to pursue.
• Have students write a paragraph about why they are writing the history. This paragraph may become an introduction.
• Ask class members to come next week with a brief family story and if possible an artifact that relates to the story.
• Encourage the class members to begin gathering information and objects they will use as they begin to create their family history.

During the second class

• Ask class members what information and or objects they found that might prove helpful in creating a family history.
• If class members have begun writing a family history, ask them if they would be willing to share what they have created.
• Have the students who desire, exchange stories. Give them time to read the stories and then have the class members discuss the stories and ask questions about them for enrichment and clarification.
• Have students discuss whether they want to change or modify the focus of their family history project after their work so far.
• Review the list of Websites and books.
• You may want to invite and encourage students to set a goal for when they will complete their personal history

See also [ edit | edit source ]

What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected

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Introductions & Conclusions

The introduction and conclusion serve important roles in a history paper.  They are not simply perfunctory additions in academic writing, but are critical to your task of making a persuasive argument.

A successful introduction will:

• draw your readers in
• culminate in a thesis statement that clearly states your argument
• orient your readers to the key facts they need to know in order to understand your thesis
• lay out a roadmap for the rest of your paper

A successful conclusion will:

• draw your paper together
• reiterate your argument clearly and forcefully
• leave your readers with a lasting impression of why your argument matters or what it brings to light

How to write an effective introduction:

Often students get slowed down in paper-writing because they are not sure how to write the introduction.  Do not feel like you have to write your introduction first simply because it is the first section of your paper.  You can always come back to it after you write the body of your essay.  Whenever you approach your introduction, think of it as having three key parts:

• The opening line
• The middle “stage-setting” section
• The thesis statement

“In a 4-5 page paper, describe the process of nation-building in one Middle Eastern state.  What were the particular goals of nation-building?  What kinds of strategies did the state employ?  What were the results?  Be specific in your analysis, and draw on at least one of the scholars of nationalism that we discussed in class.”

Here is an example of a WEAK introduction for this prompt:

“One of the most important tasks the leader of any country faces is how to build a united and strong nation.  This has been especially true in the Middle East, where the country of Jordan offers one example of how states in the region approached nation-building.  Founded after World War I by the British, Jordan has since been ruled by members of the Hashemite family.  To help them face the difficult challenges of founding a new state, they employed various strategies of nation-building.”

Now, here is a REVISED version of that same introduction:

“Since 1921, when the British first created the mandate of Transjordan and installed Abdullah I as its emir, the Hashemite rulers have faced a dual task in nation-building.  First, as foreigners to the region, the Hashemites had to establish their legitimacy as Jordan’s rightful leaders.  Second, given the arbitrary boundaries of the new nation, the Hashemites had to establish the legitimacy of Jordan itself, binding together the people now called ‘Jordanians.’  To help them address both challenges, the Hashemite leaders crafted a particular narrative of history, what Anthony Smith calls a ‘nationalist mythology.’  By presenting themselves as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, as leaders of the Arab Revolt, and as the fathers of Jordan’s different tribal groups, they established the authority of their own regime and the authority of the new nation, creating one of the most stable states in the modern Middle East.”

The first draft of the introduction, while a good initial step, is not strong enough to set up a solid, argument-based paper.  Here are the key issues:

• This first sentence is too general.  From the beginning of your paper, you want to invite your reader into your specific topic, rather than make generalizations that could apply to any nation in any time or place.  Students often run into the problem of writing general or vague opening lines, such as, “War has always been one of the greatest tragedies to befall society.”  Or, “The Great Depression was one of the most important events in American history.”  Avoid statements that are too sweeping or imprecise.  Ask yourself if the sentence you have written can apply in any time or place or could apply to any event or person.  If the answer is yes, then you need to make your opening line more specific.
• Here is the revised opening line: “Since 1921, when the British first created the mandate of Transjordan and installed Abdullah I as its emir, the Hashemite rulers have faced a dual task in nation-building.”
• This is a stronger opening line because it speaks precisely to the topic at hand.  The paper prompt is not asking you to talk about nation-building in general, but nation-building in one specific place.
• This stage-setting section is also too general.  Certainly, such background information is critical for the reader to know, but notice that it simply restates much of the information already in the prompt.  The question already asks you to pick one example, so your job is not simply to reiterate that information, but to explain what kind of example Jordan presents.  You also need to tell your reader why the context you are providing matters.
• Revised stage-setting: “First, as foreigners to the region, the Hashemites had to establish their legitimacy as Jordan’s rightful leaders.  Second, given the arbitrary boundaries of the new nation, the Hashemites had to establish the legitimacy of Jordan itself, binding together the people now called ‘Jordanians.’  To help them address both challenges, the Hashemite rulers crafted a particular narrative of history, what Anthony Smith calls a ‘nationalist mythology.’”
• This stage-setting is stronger because it introduces the reader to the problem at hand.  Instead of simply saying when and why Jordan was created, the author explains why the manner of Jordan’s creation posed particular challenges to nation-building.  It also sets the writer up to address the questions in the prompt, getting at both the purposes of nation-building in Jordan and referencing the scholar of nationalism s/he will be drawing on from class: Anthony Smith.
• This thesis statement restates the prompt rather than answers the question.  You need to be specific about what strategies of nation-building Jordan’s leaders used.  You also need to assess those strategies, so that you can answer the part of the prompt that asks about the results of nation-building.
• Revised thesis statement: “By presenting themselves as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, as leaders of the Arab Revolt, and as the fathers of Jordan’s different tribal groups, they established the authority of their regime and the authority of the new nation, creating one of the most stable states in the modern Middle East.”
• It directly answers the question in the prompt.  Even though you will be persuading readers of your argument through the evidence you present in the body of your paper, you want to tell them at the outset exactly what you are arguing.
• It discusses the significance of the argument, saying that Jordan created an especially stable state.  This helps you answer the question about the results of Jordan’s nation-building project.
• It offers a roadmap for the rest of the paper.  The writer knows how to proceed and the reader knows what to expect.  The body of the paper will discuss the Hashemite claims “as descendants from the Prophet Muhammad, as leaders of the Arab Revolt, and as the fathers of Jordan’s different tribal groups.”

If you write your introduction first, be sure to revisit it after you have written your entire essay.  Because your paper will evolve as you write, you need to go back and make sure that the introduction still sets up your argument and still fits your organizational structure.

How to write an effective conclusion:

Your conclusion serves two main purposes.  First, it reiterates your argument in different language than you used in the thesis and body of your paper.  Second, it tells your reader why your argument matters.  In your conclusion, you want to take a step back and consider briefly the historical implications or significance of your topic.  You will not be introducing new information that requires lengthy analysis, but you will be telling your readers what your paper helps bring to light.  Perhaps you can connect your paper to a larger theme you have discussed in class, or perhaps you want to pose a new sort of question that your paper elicits.  There is no right or wrong “answer” to this part of the conclusion: you are now the “expert” on your topic, and this is your chance to leave your reader with a lasting impression based on what you have learned.

Here is an example of an effective conclusion for the same essay prompt:

“To speak of the nationalist mythology the Hashemites created, however, is not to say that it has gone uncontested.  In the 1950s, the Jordanian National Movement unleashed fierce internal opposition to Hashemite rule, crafting an alternative narrative of history in which the Hashemites were mere puppets to Western powers.  Various tribes have also reasserted their role in the region’s past, refusing to play the part of “sons” to Hashemite “fathers.”  For the Hashemites, maintaining their mythology depends on the same dialectical process that John R. Gillis identified in his investigation of commemorations: a process of both remembering and forgetting.  Their myth remembers their descent from the Prophet, their leadership of the Arab Revolt, and the tribes’ shared Arab and Islamic heritage.  It forgets, however, the many different histories that Jordanians champion, histories that the Hashemite mythology has never been able to fully reconcile.”

This is an effective conclusion because it moves from the specific argument addressed in the body of the paper to the question of why that argument matters.  The writer rephrases the argument by saying, “Their myth remembers their descent from the Prophet, their leadership of the Arab Revolt, and the tribes’ shared Arab and Islamic heritage.”  Then, the writer reflects briefly on the larger implications of the argument, showing how Jordan’s nationalist mythology depended on the suppression of other narratives.

Introduction and Conclusion checklist

When revising your introduction and conclusion, check them against the following guidelines:

Does my introduction:

• draw my readers in?
• culminate in a thesis statement that clearly states my argument?
• orient my readers to the key facts they need to know in order to understand my thesis?
• lay out a roadmap for the rest of my paper?

Does my conclusion:

• draw my paper together?
• reiterate my argument clearly and forcefully?
• leave my readers with a lasting impression of why my argument matters or what it brings to light?

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• How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
• The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

• Historical, geographical, or social context
• An outline of the debate you’re addressing
• A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
• Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Family History — How My Family Has Defined My Identity as a Person

How My Family Has Defined My Identity as a Person

• Categories: Family History Personal Identity Self Identity

About this sample

Words: 1039 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 1039 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, the multifaceted family identity, the religious identity within the family, the branches of my identity, the missing leaves of humanity, works cited.

• Sharma, R. S. (2001). India's Ancient Past. Oxford University Press.
• Rodrigues, H. (2006). Hinduism: The eBook. Journal of Buddhist Ethics Online Books, Ltd.
• Kapoor, K. (2019). Sindhis: A Seafaring Community. Niyogi Books.
• Haider, F. (2005). The Origins of the Pakistani Civil War. Oxford University Press.
• Kour, J., & Oberoi, J. P. S. (2008). The Sikhs and Their Literature: A Guide to Tracts, Books, and Periodicals, 1849-1919. Oxford University Press.
• Rothstein, R. L. (2014). From Hinduism to Humanism: My Intellectual and Spiritual Journey. International Journal of Hindu Studies, 18(2-3), 165-184.

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History | June 25, 2024

Meet the Forgotten Woman Who Revolutionized Microbiology With a Simple Kitchen Staple

Fanny Angelina Hesse introduced agar to the life sciences in 1881. A trove of unpublished family papers sheds new light on her many accomplishments

Corrado Nai

To study microorganisms in laboratory settings, scientists often rely on a perhaps surprising medium: agar , a jelly-like substance that, when mixed with other nutrients, supports the growth of bacteria and similarly small living things.

But agar hasn’t always fulfilled this function. Prior to the late 19th century, it was more commonly used as an ingredient in desserts and soups. At the time, researchers lacked a method to easily grow microorganisms (also known as microbes) as pure cultures isolated from other species—a crucial step in finding a cure for the diseases caused by these organisms. Solid substances like potato slices and coagulated egg whites presented several drawbacks, chief among them their high opacity. Gelatin offered some advantages, but it was easily consumed by microbes and melted at the high temperatures needed to cultivate bacteria . Adding agar to a nutrient-rich mixture avoided these problems, providing a transparent growth medium that wouldn’t be degraded by bacteria.

Agar’s introduction to the life sciences dates to a hot summer day in 1881, when Fanny Angelina Hesse proposed an unexpected replacement for the gelatin her husband, Walther, was using to study microbes in the air. According to a 1939 journal article , “the maddening liquefaction of gelatin ruined many of the experiments, and finally [Walther] began to seek new solidifying agents.” Hesse, in turn, suggested agar, “which she had been using for years in her kitchen in the preparation of fruit and vegetable jellies.”

Many puddings made in Indonesia contain agar, a gelling agent that, unlike gelatin, doesn’t melt at the blistering temperatures typical in the Southeast Asian country. Though not Indonesian herself, the American-born Hesse had learned about agar’s culinary uses from a neighbor who once lived in the then-Dutch colony.

A complex sugar obtained from red algae, agar (a name derived from “ agar-agar ,” meaning “jelly” in the Malay language) is so important to scientific research that during World War II, when faced with import restrictions from Japan, the substance’s main producer at the time, the United Kingdom recognized the shortage as a national emergency . Across the U.K., citizens started foraging alternative seaweeds in an effort to safeguard the production of vaccines and antibiotics.

Despite agar’s significance, few remember Hesse’s key role in microbiology history. Much of the available information about her life comes from two sources: the 1939 paper about the introduction of agar into bacteriology (the study of bacteria), co-written by Arthur Parker Hitchens and Morris C. Leikind, and a short biography published in 1992 by the couple’s grandson, Wolfgang Hesse. Popular articles about Hesse tend to portray her chiefly as a housewife, but newly resurfaced documents shared by Wolfgang’s children and detailed here for the first time reveal her skill as a scientific illustrator and scholar in her own right. The records will be soon deposited at the Museum at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin.

“Those kinds of materials are a historian’s dream,” says Colleen Puterbaugh, an archivist and public historian at the Center for the History of Microbiology Archives .

I first heard Hesse’s story around 2012, at a workshop in Berlin. What surprised me, over the years, was the realization that even people who use agar every day tend not to know her name. I became determined to learn more about the woman who changed the world thanks to an Indonesian pudding. This quest eventually led me to Hesse’s great-granddaughter, Ursula Angelina von Stockhausen. “Oh, joy of joy,” von Stockhausen wrote in an October 2023 email. “We found what we were looking for”: 11 original illustrations created by Hesse in the summer of 1906. Next year, my colleagues and I hope to build on these drawings and similarly overlooked sources to publish an original graphic novel about Hesse’s many contributions to microbiology.

Hesse (often called Lina) was born Fanny Angelina Eilshemius in New York on June 22, 1850. Her father was a wealthy Dutch merchant who immigrated to the United States as a young man, while her mother, a daughter of the Swiss painter Louis Léopold Robert , was born in Lugano.

Hesse’s parents married in 1849 and had ten children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Hesse was the oldest of the siblings. The artistic spirit ran in the family: She followed in her grandfather’s footsteps by creating scientific illustrations, and her brother Louis Michel Eilshemius found success as a painter in New York City.

Despite living in the U.S., the family had strong ties to Europe. After the upheaval of the Civil War, wealthy Americans frequently visited Europe in the summers, with Germany—particularly the city of Dresden, sometimes referred to as “ Florence on the Elbe ”—emerging as a popular destination. In September 1865, at the age of 15, Hesse was sent to a finishing school in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, to learn French, home economics and decorum, as was common for elite young women of the time.

Back home in the U.S., the family knew the German doctor Richard Hesse, who’d moved to Brooklyn to practice medicine. Richard introduced the Eilshemiuses to his Dresden-based brother, Walther, who’d served as a physician on a German ship traveling to and from New York in the winter of 1872 and 1873. Walther later drew on this experience to write a report on seasickness.

After meeting in New York, Walther and Hesse reconnected in Dresden. The couple married in Geneva in 1874, then settled in the German state of Saxony. A common cause united the duo: the desire to understand the invisible forces that make people fall ill.

As a county physician in the town of Schwarzenberg, near Dresden, Walther investigated the mysterious lung disease afflicting workers in nearby uranium mines. Two decades before Marie Curie ’s discovery of radium in 1898, radioactivity and its pernicious health effects remained poorly understood. Instead, Walther focused his attention on hygiene and dirt particles in the air.

To further his research, Walther studied under hygienist Max von Pettenkofer in Munich in 1878 and 1879. His next position was with Berlin-based bacteriologist Robert Koch , who advised him on the study of microbes in the early 1880s. It was through this final, long-lasting medical interest of Walther’s that the power of agar—and of Hesse’s insight—came into full force.

“Berlin was the Mecca of medical research in the 1880s,” says Benjamin Kuntz, director of the Museum at the Robert Koch Institute. “When Walther joined his lab, Koch was an unknown physician, and he’d just settled down as a young scholar. The house where Koch and Walther worked is still there.”

Agar is the breeding ground that allows microbes to grow, rendering them visible without a microscope. These tiny organisms were first observed in 1674, when Dutch merchant and self-taught scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek spotted what he called “little animals” in plaque scraped from his tooth. “There are more living animals in the unclean matter in the teeth in one’s mouth than there are men in a whole kingdom,” he declared after viewing the specimen under a rudimentary microscope. But seeing doesn’t equate to understanding. Up until the early 1880s, physicians hotly debated whether microbes could cause disease or if they were just byproducts of sick cell tissue.

According to Wolfgang’s 1992 biography, Hesse was Walther’s “major supporter in many different projects,” creating drawings of microscopic samples for her husband’s published papers and aiding him in the lab. In the summer of 1881, Walther, who was attempting to study airborne microbes, grew frustrated with the gelatin used to coat his lab’s glass tubes. “One day, [he] asked Lina why her jellies and puddings stayed solid at these temperatures,” Wolfgang wrote. “She told him about agar-agar.” Stable at high temperatures, resistant to degradation, and easily sterilized and stored for lengthy periods of time, agar enabled long-term cultures , in which microbes can reproduce under controlled conditions, making them easier to analyze.

Walther sent a letter detailing the discovery to Koch, who was trying to determine the cause of tuberculosis, an infectious disease then killing roughly 1 in 7 infected people in Germany. On March 24, 1882, Koch held a highly praised presentation in which he proved that tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium , paving the way for better diagnosis and treatment of the disease. (The anniversary is commemorated annually as World Tuberculosis Day .) A few years later, in 1890, Koch wrote , “One could also indulge in the hope that in the not-too-distant future, the pathogens associated with all contagious diseases could be found.”

Popular accounts of microbiology history sometimes attribute the first use of agar in laboratory settings to Koch. The Nobel Prize website , for example, notes that the scientist “invented new methods … of cultivating pure cultures of bacteria on solid media such as potato, and on agar.” In his 1882 lecture , Koch mentioned agar’s role in discovering Mycobacterium tuberculosis but failed to acknowledge the Hesses’ contributions to his research. The couple themselves never wrote a report about agar, which might explain why their names are virtually unknown today.

Though Koch publicized agar’s applications, he didn’t immediately recognize its superiority as a microbial growth medium. For years, scientists ( Walther included ) continued to debate the merits of gelatin versus agar. At a time when women had no place in the lab (and almost nowhere beyond the kitchen), Hesse’s achievement was unassuming, everlasting and—as is often the case in scientific disciplines—gradual.

“In the Hesse family, this contribution to bacteriology was hardly ever mentioned,” Wolfgang wrote. “Lina never spoke about it, probably because she was a very unassuming person.”

Hesse died in December 1934, 23 years after her husband, who died in July 1911. The 1939 journal article offered a brief overview of her pioneering career but noted, “We know little of her early life.” The 1992 biography, based on a longer unpublished account written in German, was stripped of many personal details during editing and its translation into English. The cover of the journal in which the essay appeared features one of Hesse’s stunning scientific illustrations.

An unassuming parenthetical in Wolfgang’s biography alludes to these artworks’ existence, stating, “The author is proud to possess his grandmother’s original drawings.” This sentence eventually led me to Wolfgang’s children, who shared 11 illustrations drawn by Hesse for Walther’s last publication . A series of plates with splashes of watercolor, the images document the dilution of fecal samples to quantify intestinal bacteria growing on a nutrient-rich agar plate. Though they look hastily created, they’re accurate and informative.

The Hesse family also shared unseen family portraits, as well as the full biography written by Wolfgang. To tell his grandparents’ story, Wolfgang drew on scientific and personal documents preserved by Hesse, as well as his own memories of his grandmother. (Walther died before Wolfgang was born in 1915.) The unpublished biography brings to light new details about Hesse’s early and late life. From Wolfgang’s perspective, readers meet a loving grandmother who enjoyed telling stories and spending time with her grandchildren, often surprising them at Christmas with her special puddings.

The newly uncovered materials paint a portrait of a placid, humble woman who took care in preserving her husband’s life’s work. Hesse never spoke about her role in introducing agar to the life sciences, though at least one scholarly work linked her name to agar during her lifetime. This might explain why her mark in collective memory has been so different from others who introduced great innovations or made grand discoveries—and didn’t hesitate to act upon their grandeur. Koch, for one, lamented in his 1905 Nobel Prize lecture that his warnings regarding tuberculosis had “been unheeded.” Leeuwenhoek added the prestigious-sounding suffix “van” to his name after he achieved fame.

Agar is still essential today. It has been the breeding ground for countless world-changing discoveries, from antibiotics to gene editing tools like CRISPR . Recent shortages of seaweed due to overharvesting sent waves of alarm through the scientific research community, which lacks real alternatives to agar. No one knows this better than lichenologists, who study the symbiosis between fungi, algae and other microbes that form lichens . “Culturing is a crucial skill for lichenologists,” says Lucia Muggia , a scientist at the University of Trieste in Italy. “For a study published in 2018, we tested an alternative gelling agent, alginate. And while we didn’t see many changes in how lichens formed under these lab settings, agar was still more practical to handle, so we stuck with it.”

We are creating a graphic novel about Fanny Angelina Hesse, the forgotten woman who introduced agar to the life sciences... & we need your support! Please help if you can! https://t.co/Jg02RKN9YG Wonderful team includes @jens2go @matteofarinella @eliza_coli @JoVerran & many more! — Corrado Nai (@jan_corro) June 12, 2024

Hitchens and Leikind, the authors of the 1939 journal article, pointed out that “lesser innovations and discoveries are commemorated with the name of the innovator.” A short report published in 1887 by Julius Petri, for instance, made that scientist a household name, forever associated with the glass dishes that often hold an agar-based growth medium, despite the fact that other scholars boast stronger claims to the invention.

“Could not ‘plain agar’ from now on be designated as ‘Frau Hesse’s medium?’” Hitchens and Leikind asked. “Her contribution to bacteriology makes her immortal.” The authors might have been more successful if they’d suggested calling agar plates “Hesse plates”—the counterpart of Petri dishes. Eighty-five years after the article’s publication, Hesse’s name is sadly still unknown to most.

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Corrado Nai | READ MORE

Corrado Nai is full-time parenting and part-time writing. He has a PhD in microbiology and used agar every day for over ten years. He is currently writing a graphic novel about Fanny Angelina Hesse’s story and legacy, which can be supported through Kickstarter .

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Jim Schlossnagle: The Ex-Aggie Now Responsible for Texas A&M's Biggest Heartbreak

Matt guzman | jun 25, 2024.

Two losses occured Tuesday afternoon in College Station.

One saw former Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle leave the program for a job 100 miles west of Aggieland in the scorching heat of Austin, while the other saw the coach himself forfeit his status as an Aggie, and not just in a literal sense.

It seldom happens. Coaches come and go — especially within a program so hellbent on finding success in a dynamic collegiate sports landscape — but they often leave after failing to make the College Football Playoff, The Big Dance in March or baseball's coveted College World Series.

Most recently, those coaches to go were Billy Kennedy in 2019, Rob Childress in 2021, and Jimbo Fisher in 2023. While the last one left a sour taste in the mouths of Aggie faithful, it was only because he simply didn't live up to the hype he came in with. The "write-your-own" plaque he was given upon taking the job in College Station had to be thrown away, and fans likely won't recall fondly many memories of the seasons he spent there.

Even then, when the Aggies were seemingly on the precipice of becoming the program they dreamed of being, Fisher didn't deliver or follow through. The struggles that Texas A&M came to be too familiar with continued after that season, but Fisher didn't leave until he was let go.

And he certainly didn't leave the year after finishing No. 4 in the country after beating down on North Carolina in the Orange Bowl.

Parallels can be drawn from the state of those Aggies and the state of the ones who sat in disbelief against the backstop of their own dugout after coming one run shy of a national championship over the Tennessee Volunteers.

Sure, the 2021 football team wasn't contending for a national title, but finally making a statement to the playoff committee after faring far better than Notre Dame — the team that beat out Texas A&M for the right to be in the College Football Playoff — meant that they felt they were on the cusp of truly contending.

The same goes with last night's Texas A&M Aggies. After making it to Omaha in Year 1 of the Jim Schlossnagle era, they fell backward slightly in a loss during the Standford regional. The response?

They landed one of the Cardinal's best transfers, Braden Montgomery, and rallied behind him to get back. After he went down with an injury in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament, they flexed their depth to reach the final series without him.

They put together a valiant effort in hopes of coming away with their first major national title in ages.

They fell short. But what they accomplished isn't able to be overlooked because what they showed was that they, too, were at the cusp of becoming a powerhouse. With one of the nation's best coaches, Texas A&M was one piece away from winning it all next season, or at the very least, competing for it.

The Aggies had everything but a trophy to show for their efforts, and Schlossnagle was supposed to be the person to deliver that to them.

Not anymore.

He made sure of that.

Schlossnagle sat next to a heartbroken graduate student-athlete Monday night in Omaha. He watched him field questions about how great of a season he'd had, how proud he was of The 12th Man, and what he loved most about the program.

Just a few minutes before, he watched that same player, Hayden Schott, sit on the dirt with his teammates' arms around his shoulder as they both came to terms with the fact that their season was over. He watched every single one of his players endure one of the biggest heartbreaks in sports.

For those who were leaving, there was added turmoil to deal with, as leaving behind an entire collegiate career is never easy. For those who were staying, there was a feeling of sadness, but also an added boost of motivation to get the job done in the next season. They'd do it for themselves, their teammates, and the coach who promised to get them there.

Only that coach wasn't going to be Schlossnagle.

He'd end up taking the head coaching job for the Aggies' biggest rival, the Texas Longhorns, but not before giving his players a sense of false hope.

"I think it’s pretty selfish of you you to ask me that question, to be honest with you," Schlossnagle said coldly to a reporter who addressed the question that, in hindsight, would have given his intentions away. "I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again. And that hasn’t changed in my mind."

That statement alone calmed the worries of any who felt he might consider leaving the program he built for a "better" position. That statement alone made the move hurt worse.

He didn't stop there. He actually berated the reporter.

"I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job," he assured the media room. "I poured every ounce of my soul into this job, and I gave this job every ounce I could possibly give it.

"Write that."

Within minutes, the headlines went from " Tennessee Defeats Texas A&M in CWS Final " to " Selfish! Jim Schlossnagle Shoots Down Longhorns Coaching Rumors. " The national narrative was spun to make the reporter look like the bad guy, and Schlossnagle the unwavering hero of the Aggies' baseball program. But he wasn't being totally honest.

When the news came in that Schlossnagle had taken the job in Austin, Texas A&M went from heartbroken to feeling betrayed. Not only had they just lost the coach who had brought them to two College World Series appearances in three seasons, but they'd lost him less than 24 hours after he fervently assured his place in College Station was permanent.

The Aggies have seen something like this before. Way back in 1957, then-head football coach Bear Bryant helped turn around Texas A&M's program. It was in a position to contend for a national title — sound familiar? — and didn't expect anything to get in the way of that. Only midway through the season, it was announced that Bryant had decided to assume the same role at Alabama.

Those Aggies didn't win another game after starting the season 8-0. They didn't win a title as they had hoped, and they certainly didn't continue to rise into a national contender in the years that followed. It was the backstabbing of all time to many Aggies, yet, somehow it was watered down by the fact that Bryant was an Alabama alumnus.

That's what makes Schlossnagle's move hurt worse. He had no prior basis for taking the job. No known personal connection other than Chris Del Conte — the Longhorns' new athletic director — which apparently meant more to him than any of the connections he'd made in three seasons with the Aggies.

And yet, all of it could have been avoided.

Or at least delivered in a better way.

Instead of baring his teeth at the reporter asking about the now clear interest he had in the position over with Texas, he could have declined to answer the question. He could have informed the media that he was in no position to speak on his future after witnessing all of his players suffer one of the worst losses of their collegiate careers — and some, their last.

But he didn't. What he did was speak about his 'commitment' to the Aggies. He decided to jump ship and leave a program on the rise high and dry. Now, Texas A&M faces the arduous task of retaining its recruits, keeping its players, and reassuring its transfers. Not only does it have to embark on another coaching search, but it has to find a coach who could do what Schlossnagle was able to do.

That was arguably the hardest part of the entire dilemma.

There isn't any denying how good of a coach he was. It makes sense why Texas wanted to target him to fill the void left by David Pierce, and why it'd be willing to offer him the double buyout he's entitled to for making an in-state move.

But as justified as the Longhorns were in wanting Schlossnagle, it won't change the new narrative surrounding the former coach in Aggieland. Fans once joked about building Schlossnagle a statue at Olsen Field if he were to deliver on his promise to win a national title, and now, he's the face of the Aggies' biggest betrayal. He's the coach who did the unthinkable.

The Aggies must find a way to move past the loss they've endured, and they will. Whether or not they'll be able to remain at the level they were with Schlossnagle is yet to be seen, but they're certainly going to try.

And when Schlossnagle comes to town sporting Burnt Orange at the helm of the Longhorns' program, he'll be showered with boos instead of bubbles. He'll be omitted from any positive retellings of Aggie baseball's "glory days."

As far as Texas A&M's faithful are concerned, he's lost his Aggie status in every sense.

Schlossnagle wasn't shy about stating that he left his family for the head coaching job at Texas A&M when boasting about the sacrifices he'd made to be where he was.

The irony, now, is that he's seemingly done the same thing. Only the Maroon & White family he's leaving behind for Austin is much bigger.

And extremely unforgiving.

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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