52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Turning Research Into Stories

Most of us who do genealogy share the same problem: the research piles up, but the stories don’t. We have family tree charts, DNA matches, and carefully saved documents – yet many of our ancestors remain just names and dates in a database.

A few years ago, I decided to do something about that and joined 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, a storytelling challenge created by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. The idea is simple: each week for a year, you focus on one ancestor and use a prompt to help you tell one story from your family history.

It turned out to be an excellent way to move my research out of the filing cabinet and into readable, shareable stories.

In this post, I’ll explain what the challenge is, how it works, and why I found it so valuable.

What Is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks”?

Amy describes the problem very clearly on her website: we’ve worked hard on our genealogy, made great discoveries – but they don’t do much good sitting on our computers or in binders.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is her answer to that problem:

• It is a series of weekly prompts sent by email.

• Each prompt is designed to help you write or share one story about an ancestor.

• The aim is to take ancestors from “dry facts to real people… without overwhelm or writer’s block.”

You can read more and sign up here:
👉 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Amy Johnson Crow

My Experience With the Challenge

When I first took part in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I discovered very quickly that the hardest part of writing about family history is not the lack of material – it is choosing where to begin.

The weekly prompts solved that for me. Instead of staring at a long list of names, I could ask:

• Who in my tree fits this week’s theme?

• Which document, place, or memory comes to mind?

Sometimes the prompt led me to a well-known ancestor I had meant to write about for years. Other times, it nudged me toward a more obscure relative who suddenly stepped out of the shadows and onto the page.

By the end of the challenge, I had a collection of small, self-contained stories – not a grand “family history” book, but something much more approachable for relatives to read and enjoy.

I also discovered that some of the weekly prompts simply didn’t fit any of my known ancestors – at least not in a way that felt natural. That’s perfectly fine. There is no rule saying you must complete every single prompt in order. You can skip the ones that don’t speak to you, come back to them later, or ignore them entirely. Think of the prompts as a menu, not a checklist: choose the themes that appeal to you, and work through them in your own tempo. The goal is to tell more of your family’s stories, not to score 52 out of 52.

How the Challenge Works

The format is very flexible, which is one reason it has appealed to so many genealogists.

Weekly prompts

Once you sign up, you receive a new prompt each week. The prompts give you a theme or angle to use when choosing an ancestor and shaping your story. You don’t have to follow them rigidly; they are there to spark ideas and help you get started.

Share wherever you like

You can share your 52 ancestors in whatever way suits you:

• On a blog

• On social media

• In emails to family

• Or simply in a private document or notebook

When I took part, I found that publishing some of the stories on my blog was a good way both to keep myself accountable and to make the stories easier to find later.

Not just ancestors

Although the challenge is called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, it doesn’t have to be limited strictly to direct ancestors. Amy encourages participants to include:

• Siblings

• Aunts and uncles

• Cousins

• Even “chosen family” – close friends and neighbors who played a key role in the family story

I found that mixing in a few of these collateral relatives often made the overall picture richer and more human.

Free Version and “52 Ancestors Plus”

When you sign up, you can choose between:

• A free version – you receive the weekly prompt and suggestions for writing, along with general inspiration.

• 52 Ancestors PLUS – a paid option that includes everything in the free version, plus extra research tips and resources connected to each prompt.

When I participated, the basic structure of a weekly prompt was enough to keep me going, but those who enjoy more guidance and research ideas might appreciate the PLUS option.

Why 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Works So Well

There are many “write your family history” projects out there, but this one has a few strengths that stood out to me.

1. It breaks the work into small pieces

Instead of dreaming about a big book you will “write someday,” you are simply asked to tell one story each week. That feels realistic. Even in a busy week, it’s often possible to sit down and write a short sketch.

2. It gives structure and focus

You don’t have to invent a topic from scratch. The weekly prompt provides a starting point, which is often enough to get past the blank page. That alone is worth a great deal.

3. It builds momentum

As the weeks went by, I noticed that the stories began to talk to each other. Themes, places, and family patterns appeared. The more I wrote, the easier it became to keep going. At some point, “I should write about that” turned into “I already have a place to put this story.”

4. It turns data into people

Perhaps the greatest benefit is how the challenge helps you move from:

“born 1874 – died 1952”

to something like:

“the fisherman who risked his life on winter seas and still came home to read stories to his children by lamplight.”

Those are the kinds of details family members remember – and the challenge is a gentle way to tease them out of your research.

How You Can Join the Challenge

If you feel inspired to try 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, here is a simple way to begin:

1. Visit Amy Johnson Crow’s page and sign up for the challenge
   👉 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Amy Johnson Crow

2. Decide how you’ll share your stories
   Will you write blog posts, short notes to family, social media posts, or keep everything in a private file?

3. Make a short list of ancestors
   Jot down 10–15 people you already know something about. This gives you a comfortable starting point for the first prompts.

4. Aim for progress, not perfection
   Some weeks you may produce a neatly rounded story. Other weeks it may only be a short reflection or a story built around a single record. That is perfectly fine. The important thing is that your research begins to live on the page.

A Quiet Recommendation

Looking back on my own experience with 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I am struck by how a simple weekly framework can transform the way we approach family history.

If you have been meaning to “write it all down” but never quite get started, I can warmly recommend giving this challenge a try. One ancestor, one story, one week at a time – it is a traditional and very effective way to make sure your hard-won research turns into something your family can actually read, share, and remember.

I have shared stories written by genealogy friends before and are happy to do so again. If you want to share your story here, go to my Contact page and send me a word.

Amy Johnson Crow is a professional genealogist, author, and educator with more than 30 years of experience helping family historians discover and share their ancestors’ stories.

As a Certified Genealogist®, she holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University and has presented at major events such as RootsTech, the National Genealogical Society conference, and Legacy Family Tree Webinars.

Through her website AmyJohnsonCrow.com, her Generations Connection membership, the Generations Café podcast, and popular projects like 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, she focuses on making genealogy approachable and practical—showing everyday researchers how to turn records into real people and meaningful family stories.