How do I preserve my family history?
Key Points:
Research your family tree or try DNA testing if you want facts
Collect important documents, photos and letters and tell the story behind them
Record your family’s stories since they’re the richest part of our family history
Hire a genealogist or researcher (but they’re pricey)
Preserving your family history will have value for generations to come!
What is family history?
Family history is the story of your family. As you start to gather information about your family, you may be surprised by what you find. The more you uncover and understand about your ancestors, the more connected you feel to them and to your heritage.
By learning how they lived, what they valued, and what they accomplished, we can enrich our own lives with a deeper understanding of who we are. The stories you collect during your family history research will give context to historical events and connect individuals with their families. It’s an ongoing process that can last for generations—helping families connect with their past as well as each other.
Research your family tree.
Many people start with a family tree, which is an easy way to visually map a family's basic facts and records. Others use ancestry.com or familysearch.com to search archives for relevant facts. There are many ways to supplement your family tree, and doing so will add much-needed context and emotional resonance to the bare bones of names and dates. Here are a few suggestions:
Have every member of the family tell their stories. Do this in person if possible—or record a Zoom call if that’s not possible.
Talk about your own stories. How did you become who you are? What are your hopes, dreams, wishes? How did your family help shape who you are today? What would you like to contribute to future generations?
Add photos and mementos to bring the stories to life.
Try DNA testing.
If you don't know your family's ancestral origins, testing can reveal that information. For those of us who are pretty sure we already know our ancestry (a cousin of mine did a DNA test that told him he was 100% of Indian origin...), DNA testing might have value as the technology evolves to also identify genetic risks for medical conditions.
Collect important documents, photos, and letters.
Collecting important documents, photos, and letters from your family is an easy way to start. If you end up inheriting a box of these later, even better!
Scan and upload them to the cloud—or create a family website to store and share them. It's even better if you can tell the story behind each document. Why is it important? Explain why they're important so future generations understand what they mean and why they should preserve them.
Record your family's stories.
The richest part of our family history are the stories - the oral history. The best way to capture family stories is by recording an interview. You can set up a video camera and get the whole family involved, or you can simply pull out your phone and record using a free app (StoryTiling even comes with questions and pre-set interview topics). Sit down with your parents, grandparents or elderly family members, turn on the recorder and ask them questions about their lives.
You might consider focusing on different areas of their life–their childhood, growing up, when they met your other grandma/grandpa, memories from being married to each other for 50 years, etc. Don't be afraid to ask hard questions—this will make it more interesting for everyone else later on when they listen to it!
We can email you a list of questions to use:
Hire a genealogist or researcher.
Hiring a genealogist or researcher is a great idea if you don't have the time to do it yourself. These professionals can conduct the research and write up your family history for you. But hiring one can be very expensive, so be sure to ask a lot of questions before signing any contract.
Preserving your family history will have value for generations to come!
Preserving your family history is a great activity that will be a valued resource by many people, including your children and grandchildren. It may even become an important historical document that contributes to our understanding of the past!