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how it works
Every family has a story. We help yours tell it.
Step 1 Upload your family tree file (.ged) or a screenshot.
Step 2 We trace the arcs and craft your ancestor's story using AI + human editors.
Step 3 Within 2-3 days, your personalized 1,000+ word story and custom-designed Ancestor Card are delivered digitally — vivid, emotional, yours to keep forever.
questions? we've got you
Every family is different. Here’s what you need to know.
Even 3–4 generations can reveal rich stories, especially if there's migration, survival, or transformation involved. Every tree has a tale.
Usually 2–3 business days for your personalized story to be completed and delivered digitally.
A .ged file from Ancestry, MyHeritage, or another builder is ideal — it carries more data. But if you don’t have one, a clear screenshot of your tree is also fine.
On Ancestry.com, go to "Tree Settings". Scroll down to "Manage Tree" and click "Export Tree." It will generate a .ged file that you can download to your computer and upload to us.
On MyHeritage.com, hover over the “Family Tree” tab and select the tree you want to download. Click on “Manage Tree” from the menu. Then, scroll down and choose “Export to GEDCOM.” This will generate a .ged file you can download to your computer and upload to The Telltale.
You’ll receive one beautifully formatted Ancestor Card along with your first story. More cards can be created as add-ons later if you'd like.
Sample Ancestor Card
edward Golden
#01 The Patriarch
| BIRTHDAY | MARRIED |
|---|---|
| April 2, 1853 | Mary, 1870 |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| BIRTHPLACE | IMMIGRATED |
| Russia | 1904, Dublin |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| OCCUPATION | DIED |
| Tailor | 1915, NYC |
Immigrant, Storyteller, Tailor— After the Kishinev pogrom, he made the decision to leave everything behind. Arriving to America in 1904, his name changed at Ellis Island, and he worked the garment district by day, whispered prayers by night, and died knowing his family had made it out.Read the full story ->
LIKES
Warm bread, quiet dignity.DISLIKES
Pogroms, winters on the Pale, wasted thread.QUOTE
“Knowledge is the one thing they can’t take from you”
Sample Ancestor Card
lucia lomonaco
#02 The Matriarch
| BIRTHDATE | MARRIED |
|---|---|
| 1876 | Giovanni Rinaldi, 1905 |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| BIRTHPLACE | IMMIGRATED |
| Sciacca, Sicily | 1903, NYC |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| OCCUPATION | DIED |
| Seamstress | 1959, Brooklyn |
Maker, New Yorker, Legend— Lucia LoMonaco arrived at Ellis Island with linens she’d sewn by hand — not to sell, but because she couldn’t imagine starting over without something she’d made herself. For 40 years, she worked a Singer machine at a Lower East Side garment shop. On Sundays, she stood on her stoop, handing out basil clippings to neighbors with babies.Read the full story ->
LIKES
Fresh basil, hand-rolled cigars.DISLIKES
Missed mass, cheap buttons.QUOTE
“A woman who can make something from nothing is never poor.”
Sample Ancestor Card
henrik dahl
#03 The Dreamer
| BIRTHDATE | MARRIED |
|---|---|
| 1881 | Elsa Jonsen, 1898 |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| BIRTHPLACE | IMMIGRATED |
| Västmanland, Sweden | 1911, Duluth |
| ㅤ | ㅤ |
| OCCUPATION | DIED |
| Blacksmith -> Machinist | Nov 5, 1943, Chicago |
Inventor, Immigrant, Machinist —Henrik never spoke much, but when he did, it was about gears. He arrived in Minnesota with frostbitten hands and a sketchbook of tools he wanted to build. He ended up helping forge some of the first components for farm engines in the Midwest — but what he really wanted was to build a flying bicycle. He never did. But his grandson became an engineer at Boeing.Read the full story ->
LIKES
Birch trees, rye whiskey, sketching in the marginsDISLIKES
Broken tools, wasteful men, small talkQUOTE
“The future starts with a spark, not a speech.”
start your telltale
Your Ancestors are waiting. We'll help tell their tale.✔️ Personalized 1,000+ word narrative
✔️ Custom-designed Ancestor Card
✔️ Secure, private upload — yours to keep forever
$39 — Secure, private, and yours to keep.