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Covers practical Word workflows including styles, citations, indexing, tracking changes, keyboard shortcuts, page layout options, and converting the final work to PDF for publication readiness.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/","Presentations",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/using-microsoft-word-to-write-your-family-history-tips-and-templates/242569/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/using-microsoft-word-to-write-your-family-history-tips-and-templates/242569.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Oliver Hayes","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-09-12",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What are the main Word features used to support genealogical writing in this guide?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The guide highlights styles and formatting via templates, inserting citations, automatic numbering through bookmarking, keyboard shortcuts, tracking changes, page layout, indexing, and converting the output to PDF.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the ahnentafel numbering system work?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Each ancestor gets an ID number; couples are kept together but treated individually. The father’s number is doubled from the person’s ID, and the mother’s number is doubled plus one.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What does the Register style organize, and how is it applied using the provided template?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Register style traces descendants from the earliest known ancestor toward the present, assigning sequential identification numbers. The template includes embedded paragraph and character styles, indents, and relative type sizes to form a ready-to-edit Register-style document.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},242569,1791715869,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,93,98,102,107,112,117,122],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},11,90,"presentations",{"id":89,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":94,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":55,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":103,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":108,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":113,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":118,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":123,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":125},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":127},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":128,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":22,"category_id":85,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":89,"language":135,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":139,"read_time":33},687207020761,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Using Microsoft Word to Write Your Family History  \nKyle Hurst, [khurst@nehgs.org](khurst@nehgs.org)  \nMicrosoft Word offers many functionalities that assist in the writing of genealogies. At American Ancestors, we rely on a number of them a great deal:*  \n• Using the ahnentafel and Register templates to apply styles and formatting  \n• Inserting citations  \n• Automatic numbering, using the bookmarking function  \n• Using keyboard shortcuts  \n• Tracking changes  \n• Laying out pages (for some publications such as the Register and Great Migration series)  \n• Indexing  \n• Converting to a PDF  \nUsing our ahnentafel template  \nAhnentafels go backwards tracing all direct ancestors of a particular descendant. Each ancestor receives an identification number. Couples are kept together as a pair but receive individual treatment. That ID number is doubled for their father with a plus one for the mother.  \n• Person x 2 = Father  \n• (Person x 2) + 1 = Mother  \nAmerican Ancestors has created an easy-to-use template (found on the course page and  \n[https://americanancestors.org/tools/research-templates](https://americanancestors.org/tools/research-templates)) to help you build each genealogical sketch.  \nYou can adjust the template to fit your project. Perhaps you do not need the instructional comments. To delete them, right click in the comment bubble and choose “Delete Comment.” Perhaps you want to get ahead start on the ahnentafel numbering system by adding more generations than the three provided. If so, simply copy and paste the heading and template sketches and type over with the new numbers.  \nTIP: Save the file as a template (.dotx), so that it shows up in the list of choices whenever you create a new Word document. Or you can save it as a document and overwrite it each time you want to have the ahnentafel style available to you.  \nWithin the genealogical sketch template, just type over the place-holder words (Person, Name of Wife, place, and date) with your data.  \n* These instructions apply to PCs. Screen shots were taken from Office 365 Microsoft Word version 16 on a PC. We have given Mac alternatives. Commands and settings may differ on your computer. (In general, you can convert a PC command to a Mac command by substituting the “Command” [⌘] key for the Ctrl key.)  \nUsing our Register template  \nRegister style follows descendants from the earliest (or earliest-known) ancestor down towards the present. Each subject receives a sequential identification number.  \nIf you want to write using the Register style, you may consider using our template (found on the course page and [https://americanancestors.org/tools/research-templates](https://americanancestors.org/tools/research-templates)). When you download the document, you will have the basis of a Register-style document—it contains the components of a family sketch, along with embedded paragraph and character styles, indents, and relative type sizes.  \nYou can look at the details of each style and modify it by selecting the style from:  \nPC: Home > Styles > right-click desired style > click “modify” from the dropdown menu  \nMac: Home > Styles Pane > click desired style > click “Modify Style” from the dropdown menu  \nA window will pop up giving you a description of the current style. Here you can alter the specifications: font size and style, positioning, and so on.  \nTo apply a style, either select the text you’ve written or at the beginning of the paragraph you want to create, and select the appropriate style. If it’s a character style, you’ll need to select the text that you want to apply the style to first. You can always change to a different style using the same steps.  \nUsing styles isn’t essential, but it will ultimately save you time. If you’re preparing an article for a journal, or if you’ll be working with a publisher, your journal or book editor will worry about styles and you can skip this step.  \nThe text of our template tells you what style to use for each component. He","cbCaiktnQzC6sJBP","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiktnQzC6sJBP","pdf",1512142,"English","# Using Microsoft Word to Write Your Family History\n## Key Word Tools for Genealogy\n## Using the ahnentafel Template\n## Using the Register Template\n## Applying and Modifying Styles\n## Practical Workflow Tips","[{\"question\":\"What are the main Word features used to support genealogical writing in this guide?\",\"answer\":\"The guide highlights styles and formatting via templates, inserting citations, automatic numbering through bookmarking, keyboard shortcuts, tracking changes, page layout, indexing, and converting the output to PDF.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the ahnentafel numbering system work?\",\"answer\":\"Each ancestor gets an ID number; couples are kept together but treated individually. The father’s number is doubled from the person’s ID, and the mother’s number is doubled plus one.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the Register style organize, and how is it applied using the provided template?\",\"answer\":\"Register style traces descendants from the earliest known ancestor toward the present, assigning sequential identification numbers. The template includes embedded paragraph and character styles, indents, and relative type sizes to form a ready-to-edit Register-style document.\"}]","Using Microsoft Word to Write Your Family History - Tips and Templates | PDF",1789192219]