Writing Your Family and Personal History: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:55, 2 April 2008

Why write a family history?[edit | edit source]

Evaluating our history reminds us of who we are. Evaluating major events in our lives helps us and our posterity becomes reacquainted with who we are. Take a good look at events in our past; tell those who read the history our strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths can give courage to those who read it; weakness will suggest what needs to be avoided and the consequences. Personal histories can introduce us to future generations, our descendants. We will become real people as we share our lives experiences.

We tell the events in our life the way we saw and felt about them. We can tell our side of live experiences as we saw them. Family history makes us real to future generations. We give them a feeling of family and inclusion in the history of our family’s past. Family traditions can live on such as traditional celebrations, holidays, and anniversaries, and unique events like camping, vacations, or celebrations of a family historical event.

Getting started by gathering information[edit | edit source]

Have family discussions family members. There are friends and family members who are carrying family history around in their heads. Make appointments to talk to them. Record the interviews.

Make a commitment to write. Find a specific day and time to write each week perhaps a Sunday afternoon. Find a place to write. A table or desk with space for material, group sheets, pictures, mementos. Sort out the important documents, letters, pictures and memorabilia that will put life into your stories. Collect mementos, pictures, news paper clippings, items that will trigger memories. You may want to keep separate folders for each sage of your life. Decide how you wish to capture what you write. You may want to write it in a note book, dictate it onto a CD, use a computer, or have another person assist you.

Make a time line of your live thus far

What to write[edit | edit source]

Start with your birth:[edit | edit source]

Parents

Where did your family live when you were born?

Your birth date (and time if known)
Where were you born at home or a hospital?
Describe the circumstances of that day.
Grandparent visits.
Were you blessed when you were given a name?
Names of brothers and sisters
What was your place in age of the family?
Describe memories and events with brothers and sisters.
What was the name of your grade school?

First day of school [edit | edit source]

Do you remember the names of friends that you had at school?
Baptism and confirmation.

High School and collage Years. [edit | edit source]

Name of your high school
First date
High school clubs that you participated in.
Favorite music
Dress and hair styles
Your first car
The fads of the day

Adult experiences [edit | edit source]

Collage days and social organizations you belonged to.
Mission experiences
Military service Courtship and marriage 
How and when did you meet your spouse 
Events of your courtship
Wedding plans
Wedding day, where were you married and by whom.
Birth of first child
Political affiliation

Family Life[edit | edit source]

First house
Children and their influence in the home
Challenges of raising children
Rules of the house
New family traditions
Neighbors and friends
Extended family, in-laws
Family recipes
Career history
Include humorous situations in your life. Future generations will enjoy knowing the light hearted side of your live experiences.

Retirement Years [edit | edit source]

What activities or hobbies do you enjoy Financial plans that you have made for your retirement years.
How is your health?
What society or life style changes have you seen over the years.
What events affected you life the most?
What Now!

Include goals for the future that you have set for yourself.

Continue writing. Life is one event, one challenge, and one memorable story after another. You will get to know yourself better by remembering each of those hills and valleys. Decedents will learn from your successes and challenges. Your decedents will be curious about how you viewed the world events in your life. Further readings see: Family Focused by Janice T. Dixon, PhD

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Why write a family history?'''
+== Why write a family history? ==
-Evaluating our history reminds us of who we are. Evaluating major events in our lives helps us and our posterity become reacquainted with who we are. Take a good look at events in our past; tell those who read the history our strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths can give courage to those who read it; weakness will suggest what needs to be avoided and the consequences. Personal histories can introduce us to future generations, our descendants. We will become real people as we share our life's experiences.
+Evaluating our history reminds us of who we are. Evaluating major events in our lives helps us and our posterity becomes reacquainted with who we are. Take a good look at events in our past; tell those who read the history our strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths can give courage to those who read it; weakness will suggest what needs to be avoided and the consequences. Personal histories can introduce us to future generations, our descendants. We will become real people as we share our lives experiences.
-We tell the events in our life the way we saw and felt about them. We can tell our side of life experiences as we saw them. Family history makes us real to future generations. We give them a feeling of family and inclusion in the history of our family’s past. Family traditions can live on, such as traditional celebrations, holidays, and anniversaries, and unique events like camping, vacations, or celebrations of a family historical event.
+We tell the events in our life the way we saw and felt about them. We can tell our side of live experiences as we saw them. Family history makes us real to future generations. We give them a feeling of family and inclusion in the history of our family’s past. Family traditions can live on such as traditional celebrations, holidays, and anniversaries, and unique events like camping, vacations, or celebrations of a family historical event.
-See also ''[https://www.byutv.org/player/172a35b3-3e43-4f9c-b90e-79e593d26360/ancestors-writing-a-family-history?listid=4fe0fee5-0d3c-4a29-b725-e4948627f472&listindex=2&q=%22family%20history%22 Ancestors Season 2: Writing a Family History]''.
+== Getting started by gathering information ==
-<br>
+Have family discussions family members. There are friends and family members who are carrying family history around in their heads. Make appointments to talk to them. Record the interviews.
-== Getting started by gathering information  ==
+Make a commitment to write. Find a specific day and time to write each week perhaps a Sunday afternoon. Find a place to write. A table or desk with space for material, group sheets, pictures, mementos. Sort out the important documents, letters, pictures and memorabilia that will put life into your stories. Collect mementos, pictures, news paper clippings, items that will trigger memories. You may want to keep separate folders for each sage of your life. Decide how you wish to capture what you write. You may want to write it in a note book, dictate it onto a CD, use a computer, or have another person assist you.
-Have family discussions with family members. There are friends and family members who are carrying family history around in their heads. Make appointments to talk to them. Record the interviews.
+Make a time line of your live thus far
-Make a commitment to write. Find a specific day and time to write each week, perhaps a Sunday afternoon. Find a place to write -- a&nbsp;table or desk with space for material, group sheets, pictures, mementos. Sort out the important documents, letters, pictures and memorabilia that will put life into your stories. Collect mementos, pictures, news paper clippings, items that will trigger memories. You may want to keep separate folders for each stage of your life. Decide how you wish to capture what you write. You may want to write it in a note book, dictate it onto a CD, use a computer, or have another person assist you.
+== What to write ==
-Make a time line of your life thus far.
+=== Start with your birth: ===
-== What to write  ==
+* Parents
-=== Start with your birth  ===
+Where did your family live when you were born?&nbsp;
-*Parents
+* Your birth date (and time if known)&nbsp;<br>
-*Where did your family live when you were born?
+* Where were you born at home or a hospital?&nbsp;<br>
-*Your birth date (and time if known)
+* Describe the circumstances of that day.&nbsp;<br>
-*Where were you born (at home or a hospital)?
+* Grandparent visits.&nbsp;<br>
-*Describe the circumstances of that day.
+* Were you blessed when you were given a name? <br>
-*Grandparent visits.
+* &nbsp;Names of brothers and sisters<br>
-*Were you blessed when you were given a name?
+* What was your place in age of the family?&nbsp;<br>
-*Names of brothers and sisters
+* Describe memories and events with brothers and sisters.&nbsp;<br>
-*What was your place in age of the family?
+* What was the name of your grade school? <br>
-*Describe memories and events with brothers and sisters.
+*
-*What was the name of your grade school?
+=== First day of school&nbsp; ===
-=== First day of school  ===
+* Do you remember the names of friends that you had at school?&nbsp;<br>
+* Baptism and confirmation.
+<!--{12071661390460} -->
-*Do you remember the names of friends that you had at school?
+=== High School and collage Years.&nbsp; ===
-*Baptism and confirmation
-=== High School and college Years  ===
+* Name of your high school&nbsp;<br>
+* First date<br>
+* High school clubs that you participated in.&nbsp;<br>
+* Favorite music&nbsp;<br>
+* Dress and hair styles&nbsp;<br>
+* Your first car&nbsp;<br>
+* The fads of the day <br>
+*
+=== Adult experiences&nbsp; ===
-*Name of your high school
+* Collage days and social organizations you belonged to.&nbsp;<br>
-*First date
+* Mission experiences&nbsp;<br>
-*High school clubs that you participated in
+* Military service Courtship and marriage <br>
-*Favorite music
+* How and when did you meet your spouse <br>
-*Dress and hair styles
+* Events of your courtship&nbsp;<br>
-*Your first car
+* Wedding plans&nbsp;<br>
-*The fads of the day
+* Wedding day, where were you married and by whom.&nbsp;<br>
+* Birth of first child&nbsp;<br>
+* Political affiliation <br>
+*
+=== Family Life ===
-=== Adult experiences  ===
+* &nbsp;First house&nbsp;<br>
+* Children and their influence in the home <br>
+* Challenges of raising children <br>
+* Rules of the house&nbsp;<br>
+* New family traditions&nbsp;<br>
+* Neighbors and friends&nbsp;<br>
+* Extended family, in-laws&nbsp;<br>
+* Family recipes&nbsp;<br>
+* Career history <br>
+* Include humorous situations in your life. Future generations will enjoy knowing the light hearted side of your live experiences. <br>
+*
+=== Retirement Years&nbsp; ===
-*College days and social organizations you belonged to
+* What activities or hobbies do you enjoy&nbsp; Financial plans that you have made for your retirement years.&nbsp;<br>
-*Mission experiences
+* How is your health?&nbsp;<br>
-*Military service
+* What society or life style changes have you seen over the years.&nbsp;<br>
-*Courtship and marriage
+* What events affected you life the most?&nbsp;<br>
-*How and when did you meet your spouse?
+* What Now!
-*Events of your courtship
-*Wedding plans
-*Wedding day, where were you married and by whom.
-*Birth of first child
-*Political affiliation
-=== Family Life  ===
+Include goals for the future that you have set for yourself.
-*First house
+Continue writing. Life is one event, one challenge, and one memorable story after another. You will get to know yourself better by remembering each of those hills and valleys. Decedents will learn from your successes and challenges. Your decedents will be curious about how you viewed the world events in your life. Further readings see: Family Focused by Janice T. Dixon, PhD <!--{120716434085911} --> <!--{120716434085912} --> <!--{120716434085913} --> <!--{120716434085914} -->
-*Children and their influence in the home
+<!--{120716434085915} -->
-*Challenges of raising children
-*Rules of the house
-*New family traditions
-*Neighbors and friends
-*Extended family, in-laws
-*Family recipes
-*Career history
-*Include humorous situations in your life. Future generations will enjoy knowing the light hearted side of your life experiences.
-=== Retirement Years  ===
-What activities or hobbies do you enjoy Financial plans that you have made for your retirement years. How is your health? What society or life style changes have you seen over the years? What events affected you life the most? What Now! Include goals for the future that you have set for yourself.
-Continue writing. Life is one event, one challenge, and one memorable story after another. You will get to know yourself better by remembering each of those hills and valleys. Descendants will learn from your successes and challenges. Your descendants will be curious about how you viewed the world events in your life.
-=== See&nbsp;also&nbsp;  ===
-*[[Preparing a Family History|Preparing a Family History]]
-*[[Start Family History by Writing What is Known|Start Family History by Writing What is Known]]
-*[[A Guide to Printing Your Family History]]
-*''Family Focused ''by Janice T. Dixon, PhD
-*[[What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected]]
-*[[Creating A Personal History|Creating a Personal History - An extensive list of questions.]]
-[[Category:Personal_History]] [[Category:New_to_Genealogy]]