Many seniors have the desire to share their personal and family stories with their loved ones. In generations past, when extended families still lived in close proximity to each other, it was easier to keep family history alive through storytelling. Today, families are more geographically spread out, and reunions are few and far between. It has become more challenging to keep up oral traditions that help us stay connected to our past.
Since today's seniors grew up long before digital photography, they have the advantage of having boxes and albums full of pictures that chronicle their life stories. When paired with storytelling or written memories, these pictures provide the next generation with a personalized view of history.
Passing along a family's history can be very beneficial. In very practical terms, we can learn what kind of trends run in our genes. Most people with twins can identify at least one or two previous generations that also had twins, and genetic conditions may be easier to diagnose when there is some known medical history.
The benefits of telling our family stories go far beyond the practical, though. When children know more about where they came from, they gain a deeper understanding that they are part of something larger than themselves. They realize that they were born within a culture, and they begin to recognize the invisible connections between themselves and their loved ones. This perspective also teaches children about resilience when they know how their ancestors handled struggles. When they find out that a relative from the past survived the depression, or fought in a World War, they learn more about the shape of their own family. They may also view their history education through a new lens and begin to see their family's personal stake within the pages of their textbooks.
Family history also brings the past to life for the next generation. When young people hear funny and interesting anecdotes about different aunts, uncles, grandparents, or even their own parents, it helps them appreciate those older folks in a new light. Just imagine learning that grandmother was the first woman to obtain a driver's license in her town. Or maybe a long-deceased great-grandfather was a beloved surgeon who started a community hospital. An uncle may have played the accordian, an aunt toured the country as a vocal soloist, and don't forget how dad made the paper for some hilarious mischief. Most people tend to take pride in even the most everyday stories about older relatives because we love them and enjoy getting to know more about them.
The challenge for many seniors who want to share these stories is how to get started with the process. One way to begin is to use professional online resources that are built for just this type of project. There are also some basic ways to record your family history using your own resources.
Professional websites that help people develop these stories and share their memories include ancestry.com, familysearch.com, myheritage.com, familytree.com, and pinterest.com. All of these sites go about the process in their own way, but they each offer a platform to research, organize, and record information about family members that can then be shared with others.
If you don't want to work with a website, creating a memoir on your own can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. You can begin by developing an outline so that your history is well organized. Using any word processing program, just type your stories whenever you have time and save them individually or compile them into a single document. Digitize your photos by scanning them with a home printer/scanner or using a local service to have them scanned. The digital photos can be placed directly into the typed document to tie the words and pictures together for each story.
Once the work is complete, you can print copies of the stories and pictures to make binders or books for everyone in your family. Or you can keep the files saved digitally and share them by email or on a shared drive. Encourage your family to add their own memories, or to offer edits if some information might be missing. Building a living memoir with family members is yet another way to ensure that keeping the family history becomes a generational commitment to pass along.
The most important thing to keep in mind when writing your family history is to enjoy the process. This trip down memory lane should be a fun opportunity to reflect on the past and take pride in what you and your family have accomplished.