Have you ever wished you could ask your Great-Uncle George how soldiers felt about World War I or your Great-Aunt Georgina how she weathered the Great Depression? Or perhaps you rue the loss of your Grandmother Gretel’s recipe for delicious German strudel? Family traditions and lore can be completely lost in a generation or two if families do not actively take steps to preserve their history. A family history is a legacy, and preserving your legacy for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be an invaluable gift. You don’t have to sit down and write out a laborious record of your family history, however, in order to preserve your legacy, although that would indeed be an incredible gift. Small projects and new family traditions can instill an invaluable sense of history in future generations.

If your house burned down tonight and you could only save one of your belongings, what would it be? A frequent reply to that question is “family photos.” As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Nothing is more interesting than realizing you have your grandfather’s nose or your great-grandmother’s eyes. Photos can become disorganized, scattered, and, in the end, meaningless, however, if you don’t take steps now to compile them into some semblance of order and to share them with younger generations. Ask family or friends if you can copy any original photos that you don’t own. Describe the people in the photographs, either orally or in writing. Regale your children and grandchildren with anecdotes about your summer trips to the beach or the day you caught the prize-winning fish. Placing your photos in a scrapbook is a particularly powerful way to preserve their meaning and message, and be sure to incorporate captions and other written descriptions of the pictures. Also, don’t forget to include other important documents, such as birth certificates, old report cards, or original art work, poetry, or songs in the scrapbook. Even if you are not artistically inclined, the acid-free scrapbook paper and glue will preserve your photographs and memorabilia for years to come, so just slap them onto the paper as best you can. A lovingly-composed scrapbook will really become a family treasure. 

Another way to capture an image is on video. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, take your home video camera and sit down with an older family member. By asking certain questions, you can mine their memories for gems of wisdom and valuable family anecdotes. You can also help steer the interview so that it is relatively chronological or comprehensive. Perhaps the interviewee may even want to prepare his answers beforehand. Ask about family residences, including physical descriptions or even a room-by-room verbal tour. Sensory descriptions are particularly interesting. Talk about ethnicity and religion and its impact on family traditions or customs. Ask family members about major historical events. Move the discussion from childhood friends to high school events to college, career, and romance. Perhaps you could even interview people from the past, such as old friends or current spouses, about the interviewee. Also encourage your family members to share the disappointments and struggles that they faced as well as the life lessons and wisdom that they gained. A permanent record of not only your family member’s memories but also the way they looked and talked is an invaluable gift to future generations.

If you don’t have a video camera, then use a tape recorder; and if you don’t have a tape recorder, then use a pen and pencil to record your family history. Start a journal, and include not only thoughts and feelings but also descriptions of current events and culture. Such a record will be fascinating to your descendants, no matter how mundane it may seem in the present. There are numerous book and internet sites about journaling or writing a memoir that can help you get started.

Finally, make your family history an interactive experience for your children and grandchildren. Visit the house where you grew or the country from which your grandparents immigrated. Seeing a place first-hand will give future generations a sense of their background and roots. Permanent edifices also provide valuable clues about the economy, architecture, and culture of the time in which family members lived. In addition, make your grandmother’s German strudel with your children, or teach them how to play a harmonica like their Great-Uncle George. Pass your skills and wisdoms down to them in ways they can enjoy. Such highly sensory experiences are not easily forgotten.

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