Over the weekend I heard some wonderful family stories. . . each one bringing the black and white photographs of family members, long since passed, to life.
The starts and stops and facial expressions of an 83 year old matriarch keeping great, great grand stories alive entertained us for hours. It was a magical way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
These amazing family recollections got me to thinking about who will keep these stories alive? How will they be passed on to future generations if we don't capture them?
Often these stories start spontaneously and there is no thought of recording it. . . and you are just so captivated to hear about Granny Clark's quick temper, Uncle Wayne's adventures or how Paw Paw was such a prankster to even think to preserve it.
This morning over coffee I realized that I'm not alone. There are so many of us who need a gentle nudge to Pass on Life Lessons Through Family Stories.
As a Hatfield, I can say some of my fondest memories growing up was helping my Father research our family ancestry (yes, I am one of those Hatfields). . . and with October being Family History Month, I figured this would be a great opportunity to help others.
Here are a few great resources to help you get started ::
10 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month
I found this great little website that has great questions to help you collect your family stories. . . it's not fancy but there are some questions to ask of/answer for your family.
StoryCorps has some interesting questions for getting a conversation going!
PBS : Circle of Stories has a curriculum for Educators or families to use to record their family history.
If all of this seems a bit intimidating to you . . . consider starting a Journal Jar to record family memories.
:: For Geneology Buffs ::
Ancestry :: The world’s largest online resource for family history documents and family trees
My Heritage :: MyHeritage offers free family history, genealogy, and family history search.
Family Search :: Free Family History, Family Tree, and Genealogy - Records and Resources from Around the World
What is your family doing to preserve/research your family heritage?
What is one of your favorite family stories?
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Danielle, this is a great post! I am an admitted geneology addict, and have found many of these sites very helpful. I am from WV and have wondered if you were one of "those Hatfields". I dated one of your cousins all through middle school up through my freshman year in college & was always fascinated by the Hatfield/Mckoy feud!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christy! So glad it was helpful. . . and I am *still fascinated by my family history. The Hatfield/McCoy Feud is only the tip of the ice burg! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle
ReplyDeleteGreat article and so true ! I recently last my father and it made me realize that there is so much family history I lost out on