A start

George Morgan suggested doing a time line for an ancestor and then writing up a biography for the ancestor.  He suggested doing it in word and showed his format.  I already had a timeline for Charles M. McCarley in an Excel spreadsheet, so I decided to continue with it.  After going through all of the information I have on Charles M. McCarley, I have 29 pieces of information about his life including his birth, death, and marriage information.  I included the birth of his 12 children which in most cases tell me where he probably was at their birth.  I guess he might be somewhere else but he is always on the census with the family so I am assuming that he was close by when his wife had the children.  I also have some tax records and all of the census records during his lifetime.  I'm including his wife's birth and death information. 

There are reasons why I haven't started the book before.
1. I have no proof that Ezekiel McCarley is Charles M.'s father though I am fairly certain of it.
2. I don't know who his wife's parents are.  I would love to prove that the Mrs. Hines who is running a Female Institute (school) in Maury County, TN is Ann Matilda Hines' mother.
3. I would like to check the deed records in Smith Co., TX, Marshall Co., MS, Hardin Co., TN and Maury Co., TN for any land that Charles M might have owned.   I plan on going to Smith County in Sept to check those deed records.

But no more delaying, I'll write his story and if I find more information I'll add it later. Now how to write it without being boring?