One of the remarkable things about having children is that it sparks a need to preserve family memories. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a well-preserved family Bible or an ancestor who wrote lots of letters. These vital resources are wonderful to pass down for generations, but can only be in possession of one family member at a time.
If you’ve ever wondered how your grandparents survived the summer heat with no air conditioning or wanted to know more about your uncle’s brief marriage that ended in a Quicke-Divorce, there’s no time like the present to preserve stories. The best way to capture family history is to ask questions of your relatives now.
Preserving family stories doesn’t have to be a huge project. If you aren’t sure how to go about preserving your family stories, use these five tips to get started.
Digitize photos and important family papers
Gather and digitize any photos or family paperwork you already have. For example, you might have a hand-drawn family tree, baptismal certificates, or recipes that have been passed from generation to generation. The items themselves can serve as a wonderful, tangible timeline of family history.
Present the same photo, recipe, or papers to multiple family members and ask them each to share a specific memory of the item that details the significance of the item. One recipe may yield a surprising amount of memories to add to your family’s history.
Photograph and document your family keepsakes
Every family has keepsakes that store family stories. Some items like books, Bibles, and artwork may tell a story on their own, but most collectibles like furniture and china need an interpreter.
Look around your home for family artifacts that have been passed down for generations. Document what was so meaningful about that object to you, your childhood memory of seeing it on special days, or the story of when you received it. Share your picture and story with other family members and ask them to record their memories of the object.
Capture the stories that are passed down
Embark on a journaling project to record important memories, family traditions, recipes, experiences, and stories, so they’re not lost. Use the photos and papers you gathered as memory triggers to prompt a list of stories from others. Visit your childhood home, a favorite vacation spot, or school that triggers strong memories and capture the stories.
Journals don’t have to be full of long stories and paragraphs. Use your phone to capture pictures, short videos, or a spoken story about a location. Put together a CD of favorite songs from a period of your life that impacted you and note why they were important.
Include all kinds of media
Include items in your collection that show handwriting, voices, video, drawings, and artwork. A stained recipe card written in your grandmother’s hand tells a story without additional documentation needed. Handwritten items from different times of life can tell a story all their own. A book written in a child’s hand with backward S’s and N’s is more valuable for its imperfections than for the story written in the pages.
Pass the digital photos, songs, audio recordings, and video clips to a young family member to compile. By involving them in preserving the memories, you create interest and ownership of the final product.
Join an online ancestry website
The online world of ancestry is fascinating and full of rich historical documents. Every ten years a census worker visited one of your ancestors and recorded information for you, and these documents are all available for you to review. Create a family tree and upload some of your family records to share with relatives. Your photos, stories, and recordings will leave a lasting impact for generations to come.
Preservation is a gift for future generations
Nowadays, people are more mobile and less connected to family than previous generations. The genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions that we keep and pass on are a gift to every future generation. Keep your family firmly connected to the past by using technology to share your most important memories.