Using Family History Research in Writing
Where Genealogy Meets Imagination
By Linda Brown - Core Contributor
ISSN 2977358x (online)
I’ve long been a keen genealogist. In fact, I’ve been exploring my family tree – following its many different branches, twigs and unexpected offshoots – for far longer than I have been writing.
It’s hardly surprising then that many of my short stories, non-fiction articles and my work-in-progress novel draw on information and discoveries unearthed through my research.
But you don’t need to become a professional genealogist to use your family history in your writing. Stories from the not-so-distant past can be revealed from a simple chat with older family members, and a little bit of digging in birth, marriage, death and census records can open the door to fascinating characters, captivating plots and juicy conflicts.
Delving Into Online Records - Let’s Start With BMD’s and Census.
There is no need to visit dusty archives. Today it is easy for researchers to delve into historical records through online archives and genealogy platforms. It’s worth remembering many sites require subscription fees, or pay-as-you-go charges may apply, although there are a few excellent free-to-research websites. Birth, marriage and death (BMD) and census records can be treasure troves of material just waiting to be plundered, sparking ideas and inspiring both fiction and non-fiction writing.
Family history can be surprisingly dramatic, even when your ancestors appear to be downright ordinary folk. Consider:
the birth of a child registered alongside the name of a ‘reputed’ father
a marriage between spouses with a striking age gap
an unusual cause of death
unexpected people living under the same roof
a sudden and improbable change of occupation.
Ask yourself :
What circumstances led to that birth – and why was the father recorded as ‘reputed’?
What prompted a young bride or groom to tie the knot with someone decades older?
Was the cause of death truly natural, or does it hint at something darker?
Who were the strangers and why were they present in the household on census night?
And how does someone make the bizarre leap from farm labourer to bookseller?
These discoveries are gifts to writers, offering rich opportunities to flesh out characters, deepen backstory and introduce intriguing plot twists, especially for historical fiction.
Digging Deeper – Looking at Wills and Other Records.
Beyond the basics gleaned from BMD records and censuses, a wealth of other historical sources can open up exciting seams of story inspiration just waiting to be mined. Wills, for instance, can expose family feuds, betrayals and astonishing acts of loyalty. Many other records can be equally revealing - military, emigration and occupational records, court documents, prison registers, electoral rolls, poor relief/Parish records and – in Scotland only - Kirk Session records. Each offers glimpses of past lives, capturing people at times of change, conflict and crisis.
Consider:
a child omitted from their parent’s will
a volunteer using false details on a First World War enlistment form
a couple listed on a ship’s manifest emigrating without their children
a person held in police custody for culpable homicide being released without charge
a married woman in receipt on poor or parish relief
Ask yourself:
What had happened for a parent to disinherit their child?
What was the volunteer hiding – or escaping – when they used false details?
What became of the children left behind? Did they ever see their parents again?
Who were they accused of killing? And how did the victim die?
What led to the woman being in such hardship that she required financial support from the parish?
Read All About It – Researching Newspaper Archives
It is amazing what made the press! Your ancestors didn’t need to be famous, rich, or titled to make their mark in local or national newspapers. Crimes, accidents, scandals, achievements, political leanings – these may have been reported on, often in surprising detail, illuminating aspects of lives that may otherwise have been long forgotten.
If you know – or discover – that an ancestor was a thief or a murderer (shocking, I know!), injured in a mining or workplace accident, involved in embezzlement, bigamy or bankruptcy, a pioneering businessperson, a community leader, a Suffragette, or a music hall entertainer …the list goes on…chances are their exploits, disasters and successes appeared in newsprint.
Recently, while helping a friend research a local newspaper for evidence of a bigamous marriage suspected in their own family history, I accidently stumbled across an article reporting on one of my three-times-great -grandfathers, a stonemason. He had suffered a horrific fall into a gully while working on the construction of a bridge – a dramatic incident that has become the catalyst for a short story I’m currently working on.
Don’t Forget Personal Primary Sources
Do you or your relatives own personal records from the past – old photographs, diaries, letters, family bibles – cherished and passed down through generations?
These sources, if you are lucky to have them, often offer vivid and intimate insights into emotions, relationships, motivations, and experiences that official documents can never provide. Pure gold for writers.
Final Tip – Handle the Past with Care
Be respectful with the information you uncover. In fiction, names, places, dates can be tweaked to suit your storyline. In non-fiction, accuracy matters – please stick to the facts and make sure any speculation is clearly defined as such.
Online Family History Resources
Being a Scot with predominately Scottish ancestry, I’m very fortunate to have the wonderful resource of Scotland’s People ( scotlandspeople.gov.uk) to dig into.
But there are many other major family history websites and genealogy websites which may support your research.
Global platforms
Ancestry (ancestry.com / ancestry.co.uk)
FamilySearch (familysearch.org) – free and run by the LDS Church
MyHeritage (myheritage.com)
Find a Grave (findagrave.com)
UK-focused resources
The National Archives (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk)
British Newspaper Archive (britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Freecen (freecen.org.uk)
Scottish Indexes (scottishindexes,com)
International & historical records
Europeana (europeana.eu) – European cultural and historical archives
Trove (trove.nla.gov.au) – Australian newspapers and records
Ellis Island Database (ellisisland.org) – immigration records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (cwgc.org)
Newspapers & local history
British Newspaper Archive (britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Newspapers.com
And, of course, your local archives and libraries.
Have you, like me, used your family history as the basis for your writing?
If not, are you tempted to do family history research to find hidden gems to spark your fiction writing? I’d love to learn your thoughts.
Author Bio
Linda Brown writes a variety of articles including nature and historical for Ayrshire Magazine. A two-time President of Ayr Writers' Club, she has won several awards for both fiction and non-fiction with the Scottish Association of Writers. Linda is a member of Litereight, a collective of female writers in Ayrshire, and is published in their anthology. She will serve as Development Officer for the Scottish Association of Writers in 2026, and is currently working on her debut historical crime novel.
What an interesting and informative article - I too am a family history researcher (also Scottish) and have used a family situation in one of my mystery novels. It happened in the year 2000 or so that one of my mother's cousins died intestate, an only child who owned her own house. Her lawyers had to search internationally for other cousins - she was from quite a prolific family and, as Scots tend to do, many of them had emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, so it was a lengthy search. I did add a few murders to the story but apart from that I took quite a lot from these true events.