This is an excerpt from a resources article published on Log Your Legacy.
Are you interested in creating a book to document your roots and capture meaningful memories? Something family members will take great pride in and pass down to future generations?
As you’re getting started you may wonder what actually fills the pages. What can you include to truly capture the essence of those it’s about?
I want to help you think through important elements that will bring color and context to the book you want to create. To go beyond the obvious and represent a life well-lived.
Family facts or family tree
It may sound basic, but there’s a reason more and more people are scouring genealogy databases or enlisting the help of DNA services. If left undocumented, important details about our families and ancestors get buried in the dust of time.
It’s up to you how wide and far back you want to go. The details or diagram may include:
- First and last names
- Maiden names
- Gender
- Years of birth
- Places of birth
- Years of death
- Visual representation of relationships
Memories and stories
Do facts mean anything without context behind them?
That’s where stories come in. The name “Florence Smith” brings on new meaning when Grandma recounts how her eldest sister, Flo – who took on housekeeping duties after their mother passed away – made her scrub the kitchen floors on her hands and knees every single day after school. A chore she still can’t stand the thought of 50 years later.
