From memory to Chronicle
Family history lives across people, boxes, devices, and places. We guide the gathering, connect the record, and carry the editorial work through to a finished family book.
The work behind the finished book
Technology can help transcribe, organize, and compare. Douglas Chapman directs the questions, writing, editing, and production. Your family reviews what becomes the Chronicle.
Tell us about your family and what prompted you to begin. We explore likely storytellers, branches, material, and important unanswered questions. If the fit is right, we prepare a private commission scope and proposal.
Before private intake, we establish the scope, permissions, intended readers, family review, production, and stewardship. One family coordinator helps with decisions; they do not have to be the author or know every story.
Family members contribute what they know and hold in manageable rounds. We plan how material will be shared, including existing recordings, letters, photographs, and family-tree fragments. You do not need to sort it all first.
We record who remembers the story, who supplied the material, and what is known about it. A cousin’s recollection, an old letter, and a later interpretation each keep their identity.
We compare dates, people, relationships, and accounts. Focused follow-up helps identify faces and clarify transitions. When memories disagree or a date remains uncertain, we preserve that honestly.
You help correct names, clarify meaning, flag sensitivities, and review meaningful passages. We shape a readable factual manuscript with clear attribution and family approval before production.
The reviewed narrative, photographs, captions, and source treatments become a considered book design. We prepare proofs, production files, and physical-book production according to the written scope.
Your family receives the Chronicle, professionally prepared files, and an organized source export. After delivery review and confirmation of receipt, working materials follow the agreement-defined grace period and closeout plan.
What your family contributes
What Kin & Chronicle handles
A practical intake plan makes a large collection manageable. We agree the contribution methods and pace with your family; the commission scope sets timing around the work required.
Begin with a conversation
Request a Story Map: an introductory conversation about your family, likely storytellers, branches, and the material you already have. If the fit is right, we develop a custom commission scope. There is no obligation to commission.
Request a Story Map