For many families, mine included, family history is fading away. Many younger generations don’t take an interest in familial history until it’s too late and a part of the family’s identity is lost. I’ve been on a mission this last year to save my family history. Here are eight ways I’m trying to preserve my family history for future generations.
1. Preserve Family Photos and Videos
Many family photos have been left in a box and have faded over time. There’s hardly ever writing on the photos, making it hard to distinguish who the relatives are in each photograph. I’ve been working on digitizing my family’s photos using a scanner app. This makes it easy to share the albums with other family members. Some companies like Legacybox will handle this process for you. All you have to do is send them your photos and videos and they’ll do the rest.
2. Dig Deeper into Your Family Tree
I’ve been working on my and my husband’s family trees using Ancestry.com. There are so many fascinating things I’ve learned about our ancestors that I’d never heard before. I also utilized 23andMe for a DNA test. I was connected with so many family members that I didn’t know I was related to from all around the world!
3. Write Down or Digitize Family Recipes
One of my biggest regrets is not writing down and preserving family recipes. After all, food is often a way that families bond with one another. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get my great-grandma’s stuffing just right as it has been tweaked and cooked from memory for so many years. Most of my mom’s recipes were lost during moves or are so stained that they are illegible. For what few recipes I do have left, I used Create My Cookbook to make a book for myself and my relatives.
4. Record Family Stories
After a relative passes away, the stories they always told become harder to recall. I wish that I had asked my grandparents more questions about their lives and written it all down. My husband, who still has his grandparents, decided to start a Storyworth subscription. Every week, he picks a prompt to send to his grandparents to learn more about their stories. We’ve learned so much about what they were like in high school, their proudest accomplishments, and so much more. We can’t wait to make all of the grandkids a keepsake book this Christmas filled with all of their responses.
5. Organize Family Reunions
Every year, my dad’s family used to have a family reunion that included all of our extended family. We’d gather on the family farm and have a huge celebration. As the matriarchs of the family got older, the reunions stopped. If this has happened in your family, try and organize a gathering. Some families take a trip together or spend the day in the park together. Whatever it looks like for your clan, try to set up an event where you can gather and enjoy each other’s company. This is a great way to learn about other family members’ history and their personal stories.
6. Preserve Heirlooms
Heirlooms are often stored in attics and basements where they get damaged. When our family home’s basement got flooded, many family keepsakes were not salvageable. Humidity, temperature, and sunlight are all important things to consider when preserving heirlooms. A temperature-controlled storage unit could be a good option for keeping your family history alive.
7. Start a Family Group
Families often end up spread across the country and the world, making preserving family history difficult. My family has created a Facebook group where we keep each other updated and share photos and other memories. You can even use Facebook to video chat with the group. This is a great way to stay connected, no matter how far apart you are.
8. Fill in The Gaps
As I went through my family history, I started to see gaps in things I didn’t know. By asking other family members, using genealogy tools, and doing a bit of detective work, I was able to fill in the gaps in my family’s story. If you are struggling to make sense of your ancestry, don’t get discouraged! Fill in what you know and go from there.
Saving Family History for Future Generations
Preserving your family history can seem like a daunting task, but it is so rewarding. With time and effort, you can have meaningful stories, recipes, heirlooms, and photos to pass on to future generations. The more we engage with our past, the less of our history we will lose in the future.