The most valuable gift a grandparent can give is not the set of china, antique furniture or stock portfolio. The most important gift is the rich family history, sense of connection and love passed on through their colorful stories.
Too often a family’s history is lost as it passes from one generation to the next. If one or both grandparents has passed, those stories are often lost forever.
To ensure your grandparents stories are enjoyed for generations to come, record them now. In doing so, not only are the facts preserved, but also the detail and richness that are only revealed when a story is delivered in person.
Below are three ways you can record your grandparents stories:
Recording a Grandparents Stories
~ Written Record ~
Like the notes in an old diary, a grandparent can record their stories in a journal or memoir. While they may not have the flair of a Laura Ingalls Wilder, writing one’s own stories at least ensures that stories are told in first person and are as accurate and detailed as can be remembered. A journal also has a special charm if written in a grandparent’s own handwriting.
Hiring a professional can take a memoir to a whole new level. A professional will conduct an interview to collect information and then clarify points and organize stories so they make more sense. They will also ask questions to prompt stories and information a grandparent may not have thought of on their own.
~ Audio Recording ~
Capturing a grandparents stories in an audio recording has the advantage of preserving their voice and demeanor. Children who never met a grandparent, love to hear their voice just as much as looking at an old photo. If a child knew a grandparent but have since lost them, hearing their voice again can often be as comforting as spending time with them.
These days consumer recording devices are easy to find and use. A professional, however, can ensure your grandparent’s voice is clear and distraction free. They can also transfer old scratchy audio off of cassette tapes and preserve it in a format that will not deteriorate with time.
~ Video Recording ~
Legacy Videos, or Video Memoirs add a whole new dimension to a grandparents stories. A Legacy Video Video captures personality, expressions and nuance, bringing stories to stories to life in a way the written word often struggles to do. With younger generations so screen focused, it’s no surprise that video memoirs are the new favorite way in which to preserve a grandparents stories.
You can record your grandparent using a smart phone, tablet or consumer video recorder. Or you may prefer to hire a professional. Through skillful interviewing, filming and editing a professional can bring your grandparent’s stories and your family history to life in a visually captivating way.
However you decide to record your grandparents stories, capturing them today will ensure your children, grandchildren and generations beyond will know them as you do.
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For questions to ask your grandparent to learn more about their life story and your family history, visit my post: ’25 Legacy Video Questions’.
For tips on making your own Legacy Video, visit: ‘Legacy Video Tips‘.
No time to interview or edit? Let us do the work for you! (See below)
~ Legacy Videos ~
Give your grandparent the gift of a lifetime by capturing their life story, family history and memories for your family to know.
Here at Family Tree Video we produce Legacy Videos, modern-day memoirs that weave a filmed interview together with family photos, documents, maps and other memorabilia. The result is a beautiful “moving portrait” capturing your loved one as they recount their life story and memories – a gift your family will cherish for generations to come.
To learn more about giving the gift of a Legacy Video, visit us at FamilyTreeVideo.com.
Family Tree Video LLC
Legacy Video Production
(312) 402-6406
Susan Saunders
Legacy Video Producer
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‘Grandparents Stories’
Grandparents Stories
Legacy Videos
Capturing Life Stories & Family History
for Future Generations
~ The Gift of a Lifetime ~
Family Tree Video
Video Biographies ~ Video Memoirs ~ Family History Videos
Family Documentaries ~ Anniversary Videos
Heirloom Videos ~ Video Tributes
‘Grandparents Stories’
~ Legacy Videos ~
I’ve never heard of video memoirs before. It sounds like an amazing idea. Pictures are nice, but it’s better when you have actual footage of your grandparents, especially for anyone who was too young to remember them.
Thanks Zequek! And it’s a lot of fun for the grandparents to participate in as well!