Synthesizing Our Family History

My aim in writing these family stories has always been to compile them into a book someday. Since my genealogy research has basically been at a stalemate for over a year now, it might be time to start the process. This might be the introduction of the book:

Our family represents many of the colorful folks in our country's history. We have ancestors who came here in the beginnings of this country for the sake of religious freedom. We can claim Sons of Liberty, religious leaders and theologians, Mayflower pilgrims, inventors, military veterans and POWs, teachers, historians, plantation and slave owners, wealthy shipping magnates, ranchers, Indian fighters, governors, musicians, carpenters, first settlers and pioneers, and even some recent immigrants. There are scandals and intrigues. There are ordinary responsible citizens representing all levels of education and types of employment. Taking our family lines back to Europe, we come from royalty and famous literary figures.  

The closest relative to me who presented the greatest research challenge was my orphan grandmother, Teresa (AKA Ethelyn) Allen. She also provided the most emotional "Aha!" moments in discovering her origins. I have found close family members that she never knew. I have typed her story with tears of sorrow streaming down my face. 

The greatest notoriety in our family history is a prominent New England theologian of the 19th Century, Orrin Bishop Judd. His scandalous divorce from my 3 times great grandmother Elizabeth made front page news in Connecticut and New York City.

Sometimes our family lines have intersected in certain places and times in our country's early history. Both my father's ancestor and my mother's ancestor once attended the same church in a small town (Farmington, Connecticut) in the late 1700's (with only 86 church members, they surely new each other). Both of my parents have colonial ancestors inscribed on a "Founders" monument and buried in the same cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut.

I haven't decided on the organization of the book yet. Should I start with the present and go back in time chronologically, or start with the past..? Feature only the ancestors who have an interesting story? Have a chapter for each family name? Geographical? Topical? Still pondering.