Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega kicks off the New Year with a suggestion for a genealogy project. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
Family history researchers spend a lot of time in the past. That makes sense since we are tracing our lineage back generations. However, as the keeper of the family history, it also makes sense to document the most recent past.
Not writing about those we have personally known, such as parents and grandparents, is a mistake. One day, this information may be difficult for the future researcher to gather. In addition, when we have the experience of knowing someone, we can add details not found in records.
What about the details of your life? You may think it’s a waste of time to consider writing about your life, but nothing could be further from the truth. Maybe you have no descendants or feel like your life is less than exciting. Your story is still important for family members to have access to.
Think about your life experiences. You’ve experienced historical events, and you’ve known loved ones now passed. You can shed light on your family history that the future family will treasure.
Your Life Story
I realize not everyone is a writer or enjoys writing, but you are the expert of your life – and you can write a meaningful story about that life.
When you think of writing your personal story, the most important piece of advice I have is to just start. Start getting words down, whether it’s via computer or a piece of paper. Don’t worry about an outline or a specific flow. Start writing.
Divide what you write by time periods, such as decades or seasons of your life (such as young adult, young married life, retirement). Writing your story is a process; just commit to spending some time writing every week. You can always make corrections to grammar, dates, and other inaccuracies later when you edit.
What should you write about? That’s up to you, but some ideas include:
- Your childhood
- School days and graduations
- Hobbies and activities you enjoyed as a child
- First jobs
- First car
- Family members you’ve known
- Holidays and special family events
- Places you’ve lived
- Marriage/s
- Work history
Some tips to consider as you write:
- Don’t forget to add biographical details like your parents’ names, where you were born, and other important dates.
- If you can’t remember some details, use square brackets [] around your questions to remind yourself to look up information later. Don’t stop the flow of your writing. You can always come back to it. Here is an example: [look up the year I started working at the library].
- After you write, illustrate. Your story will be more interesting if you provide context in visual images. This can include newspaper articles, maps, postcards, or family photos.
- Don’t worry about what you think is “interesting.” Don’t be your worst critic about what you think is exciting or not. Talking about watching your grandmother cook has family history value. Vacations and the descriptions of places that no longer exist or are different are interesting. Even talking about your first car and what features it included can be of interest.
- Don’t worry about writing in chronological order. Once you write, you can move things around. Just get what you can remember on paper and then go from there.
- You’re done when you say you’re done. This doesn’t need to turn into an epic tome. Write what you want, and when you feel done, you’re done – whether that’s 3 pages or 300.
This life story writing project has some benefits besides documenting your story. First, it gets you used to writing consistently. It also can give you ideas about writing narratives about your ancestors: the more recent ones, and the ones from the distant past.
A new year means new possibilities. Take some time this year to write your story. After all, you are part of your family’s history.
Happy New Year to everyone!
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