When writing a tribute or a family history how do you make sure the people you write about aren’t just a name and dates on a family tree?

The A&E’s Biography has created a tool called Biography Assistant to help.

It contains 80 topics and lists of questions to help you gather stories that will help readers know your subject as a person. Topics range from daily life to broader historical events. Here are a few samples:

• Entertainment and Popular Culture – What was the most popular kind of entertainment of the time? What were the fashions of the day?
• The Great Depression – What is the first thing that comes to mind when she hears the word Depression now? What did she have to do without?
• Watergate – De she witness Nixon’s speech to the nation? What was her reaction to Nixon’s resignation?

The Biography Assistant is available on Genealogy.com Click here to visit the genealogy.com website.