How family history books can bring stories to life

In our guide to creating a family history book, we looked at how you can share your research and discoveries with family members, friends, and future generations, putting the facts and figures in context and creating an engaging, emotional story.

Legacy Books have some brilliant examples of how family history books can bring a story to life. Recent commissions have showcased an inventor whose ideas changed the world, the remarkable and poignant tale of how the Holocaust affected a family, and even a family story written in two languages.

The Legacy of a trucking pioneer

"At Legacy Books, we find joy and excitement in every book we help to make, and every memory we help to preserve. Right now, we’re especially excited about working with the Gaussoin family, the descendants of Judy Gaussoin," says John Catron, the CEO of Legacy Books.

Judy Gaussoin was a self-taught engineer whose innovation changed the trucking industry forever. His most notable invention, the single-stick truck transmission, allowed drivers to shift gears while keeping one hand on the wheel, a game-changer in safety and efficiency, and now an industry standard.

The Gaussoin family wanted to tell the story of their innovative ancestor, from his time tinkering with tractors on his childhood farm to building Silver Eagle, a trucking and manufacturing business, and a family history book was the obvious choice.

"We are honoured to not only write about the history of Judy’s business, Silver Eagle, but about his roots, his family, and his life outside of the business," says John.

The proud story of a long lost family

Mark Marcus came to Legacy Books with several decades of notes, letters, and research in hand and a remarkable story to tell.

Raised in a Christian household, Mark only discovered he had Jewish ancestors when he was 17.

His family history research later revealed his ancestry had been dramatically affected by the horrors of the Holocaust, and he discovered new relatives, many of whom had survived and escaped the Nazi regime in Hungary.

After failed attempts to find family members in the 1950s, Mark's research led to the discovery of many family members, and after many visits to this new extended family, he had the information to create a book. Such was the wealth of family stories and photographs Mark had compiled over 60 years, it filled almost 500 pages.

"We ensured the book felt like a story of where the family had come from, and designed custom family trees and historical maps to accompany the story," John tells us.

"More importantly, he wanted help sharing it with everyone in his family, no matter what country they were in. Legacy Books printed and bound several copies of the book for sharing with close family members, and created an e-book that could be shared with all of the family he’d discovered during his genealogical journey. We added digital media as well, with QR codes that lead to videos, source lists, a complete family tree, translations in multiple languages, and even a playlist by his cousin’s jazz trio."

A bilingual book of memories

Phil Ross sought to honour his heritage with a unique family history book for his relatives in both the United States and Israel. That meant overcoming the challenge of telling the stories in two different languages.

The book features the family’s history in English on one side and in Hebrew on the other, with both versions meeting in the centre. Hebrew readers naturally begin from their language’s right-to-left perspective, so the design was neatly tailored for both audiences.

Legacy Books prints books in low quantities, prints in bulk, and also sets their client's books up on a print-on-demand service, ensuring clients have many options for book distribution. Online book options are also offered. 

Legacy Books provides a wide range of services, and the process can take 8-10 months, but it typically depends upon the scope and the client’s needs. Whilst Legacy Books are based in the United States, they consult and provide services to clients worldwide. 

Find Out More

Legacy Books is the leading provider of custom-designed, custom-crafted books for individuals, families, and organisations who wish to preserve their legacies. Contact Legacy Books using the online form.

Website: legacybooks.com
Phone (USA): (800)-208-1405