The most valuable gift a grandparent can give is not the engagement ring in the safety deposit box, the antique furniture or stock portfolio. The most important gift is the family history, sense of connection and love passed on through family stories.
Too often a family’s story is lost when memories aren’t shared. Ensure your children and generations beyond will know their family stories (and history) by recording them today. 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 family’s stories…
Recording Family Stories
~ Written Record ~
Like the notes in an old diary, family members can record their stories in a collective journal or memoir. While they may not have the flair of a Laura Ingalls Wilder, writing down one’s memories at least ensures that stories are told in first person and are as accurate and detailed as can be remembered.
Hiring a professional can take a family journal to a whole new level. A professional will conduct interviews to collect background information and then organize the stories and clarify points so they make more sense. They will also ask questions to prompt stories family members may not have thought of on their own.
~ Audio Recording ~
Capturing a family’s stories in audio recordings has the advantage of preserving 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 family members’ voices are clear and distraction free as they recount memories. 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 ~
Video adds a whole new dimension to a family stories. Video captures image, personality, expression and voice along with priceless information. Woven together with old family photos, this captivating video memoir brings stories and family history to life in a way the written word often struggles to do.
Families can record using a smart phone, tablet or consumer video recorder. Or they may prefer to hire a professional for a truly heirloom quality video memoir.
However you decide to record your family stories, preserving them today will give your children and generations beyond a chance to know them as you do.
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For interview questions to ask your parent or grandparent, visit my post: ’25 Legacy Questions’.
For tips on interviewing a parent or grandparent, visit my post: ‘Interviewing a Grandparent.’
Or let us do the work for you! (See below…)
~ Legacy Videos ~
Capture your family stories and history in a Legacy Video for younger generations to know!
Here at Family Tree Video we produce Legacy Videos, modern-day memoirs that weave a filmed interview with one or more family members, together with family photos, documents, maps and other memorabilia. The result is a beautiful “moving portrait” capturing your loved ones sharing life stories, family history and memories – a gift your family will treasure for generations to come.
To learn more about capturing your stories in a Legacy Video, visit us at FamilyTreeVideo.com.
Family Tree Video LLC
Legacy Video Production
Since 2008
Susan Saunders
Legacy Video Producer
(312) 402-6406
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“There are only two lasting bequests
we can give our children.
One is roots, and the other, wings.”
H. S. Carter
Family 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
Family Videography
~ Legacy Videos ~