What is in your family story and what parts of it do you want to preserve and share?
Our family stories are layered and complex, consisting of many threads that woven together, give us the tapestry that is….US!
With genealogy being one of the biggest hobbies around, how do you capture the richness and uniqueness of your family story?
Well, we have put together some really fun ways to put together your family story. Why? Well because these stories are important! And preserving these stories for future generations is not only important but can be really really fun!
SO get inspired!!! And preserve and share your family today!
Young Scrappy and Hungry
Scrapbooks as we conceive them today have been around since 1872 when Mark Twain actually patented a self pasting version. Yeah, that was a ‘huh’ moment for me too. At any rate the man with a mustache recognized the value of saving newspaper clippings, cards, photos, and bits and bobs to preserve moments and story.
Tips to preserve and share your family story for generations to come in a scrapbook
Label the photos with names AND dates. Can’t tell you how many seemingly random photos I have in boxes from generations ago and no context! It’s an ongoing project to identify and organize them. Be nice to your descendants and label who everyone is and when and where the photos were taken. Extra Credit: A short write up of the event that is being captured. (the why)
Preserve and Share Your Family Story via Scrapbook Now
Ways to Experience American History
Film Your Family Blockbuster
Quite possibly the easiest way to preserve a memory these days because all the smart phones can record. Sit down with a family member and ask them a question.
“WHAT? Conversation? That is sooooo last century…” Oh that was my sarcastic little shoulder devil vocalizing a strong opinion on a lost art. Apologies… 😉
In all seriousness ask about a childhood memory, recall a life event, ask anything you want! After all, this is YOUR family story you are putting together.
Tips to preserve and share your family story in a video
Make sure you have good lighting. You’ll want to refer to this for years to come so take the time to light it right. Also, store the finished product in more than one place. It’s so easy to delete things. Back it up and then back it up again.
Preserve and Share Your Family Story via Film Now
Experience Native American Culture
Decorate With Purpose
Choose a shelf, a wall, or even a room to tell your family story. Do you have a piece of family history? A flag? A doll? Set up an area that you can put your family story on display for you to enjoy and as a conversation piece for company.
Tips to preserve and share your family story as decorative pieces
Measure your items before you purchase a shadow box, including ‘depth’. If putting your genealogy on display, make sure you’ve done the leg work to verify each generation. I knew someone who was very proud of their genealogy and publicly shared it. It was a devastating blow when he found out the genealogy was based on family stories and not followed up with documentation. He had to redo several generations. Oops.
Preserve and Share Your Family Story in your home now
Experience Living History Parks in America
Get Digi With It
There is the obvious of collecting old family tapes and converting them to a digital format. This is a laborious endeavor but definitely worth it to preserve the memories. There is a thought to do it all yourself and upload it to the cloud or google drive for the whole family to share but my experience is that people like it and then forget about it. If your goal is to preserve these memories, take the extra step to get it all catalogued properly and then share with everyone.
Storyworth
A second idea is to invest in Storyworth. THIS is an amazing program that sends your loved one a question each week for them to answer via email. At the end of the run, the answers are compiled and put into a hard covered book with a photo on the cover. It’s a tremendous way to connect over internet and across the miles. The result is a year long conversation and a permanent record of the memories and stories. We’ve used it twice now. Big Fans. Huge.
Tips to digitally preserve and share your family story
Hire a professional to handle all the photos and film and put them all together in one place. It will cost you but it will save your sanity…and your storage. Consider also using an application like iMovie or something similar and user friendly to capture some highlights to share with the larger family.
Digitally Preserve and Share Your Family Story Now
Storyworth: Use THIS LINK and get $10 off
Come and Get It!
Who doesn’t like to eat?? Who doesn’t have their own ideas of comfort food? Chances are that stems from family recipes. Make it your project to collect family recipes for each of the generations beginning with yours. Work your way back… you’ll likely be connected with cousins and distant family but what a way to connect! How far can you go back? How many cultural foods and meals are part of your family story?
Tips to preserve and share your family story for generations to come in food
When you put your recipe card together, make sure to include where the recipe came from and what time period. Another option is to include a little related family story on the back.
Preserve and Share your family story in food now
Be a Tourist In Your Home Town
Sew It All Together!
It has been said the gift of a quilt is the gift of a hug. Speaking as a quilter, it’s true. Every time I have ever made a quilt for someone the very best part is placing it on their shoulders and wrapping them up in it. It never fails to bring smiles and tears of joy. It is a memory book in fabric and brings lasting joy. How do you preserve and share a family memory in a quilt? Oh, sew easy…see what I did there? 😉
Tips to preserve and share your family story for generations to come in a quilt
Take a t shirt from each person, or pieces of an article of clothing from a special occasion. Cut them all into 12″ by 12″ squares. You can employ fabric markers to further detail each memory.
Preserve and Share your family story in a quilt now
Experience Authentic American Culture
Final Notes
Taking the time to preserve and share your family story is not something that happens without an effort. It has to be an action with purpose. We don’t live lives like our ancestors where stories were readily passed down during the natural course of a day.
It doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Like every project, you have to begin somewhere. Make a decisions of how your preserve and share your family story. Then make sure you have the tools you need. Then carve out the time. Step by step and little by little you will put together a meaningful story that you will be proud of, want to share with others, and pass on to future generations for them to enjoy as well.
Pin It for Later!
Not ready to preserve your family story? No problem! Pin it for later! We’ll be here when you are ready!
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