There is an art to the process of telling your family’s history. There are so many details to research: names, dates, places, circumstances. Like crafting a tapestry, we insert the plain facts of our ancestors’ existence while taking care to blend in the color and texture that can only be found when we go beyond researching census records and certificates. By examining two case studies, we will see how the use of other resources—from public reports in newspapers to the more private and intimate accounts of letters, diaries, and oral histories—will enable us to find the threads of our ancestors’ story lines and weave them together into a compelling account of their lives.