Motivation and Inspiration for The Family Historian in Us All!
In this Family History Products blog I hope to share my passion for preserving family history (stories) through lifestory and
autobiography writing, family photo and video preservation, journaling and more.
In a nutshell, I want to help ensure that as many stories about you and your family are
preserved and past on to your children and grandchildren as possible.
I try to do that through a combination of inspiring stories and reviews of cool "Tools and Toys"
that a family historian (like you) has available to them on the Web. I want to make it
easier for you and above all else.... a lot of fun!
Oct 30, 2012
Quotes on Memories - Poems About the Past
Collection of my favorite quotes on memories - Poems about the past
This tells an amazing and selfless story about a group of people that preserved thousands of damaged photos, damaged by the 2001 Tsunami, in Japan.
May 09, 2012
Growing Old and Leaving Your Home for the Last Time
This story makes me happy, sad and nostalgic all at the same time. It also makes me think of both my grandmas.
One lived by herself, until cancer forced her to move to live with our family. She passed away in 1984. My other grandmother is 89 years old, this year (2012). She still lives by herself, although it is getting harder for her.
This type of story invigorates me! This sort of work is so very important.
After my mother-in-law passed away, we discovered that her voice was “accidently” captured on her answering machine. She must have picked up the phone late, when she received a call from a friend, and it just kept taping/recording. We basically have a 15 minute conversation that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
This is one of the only recordings that we have of her voice. It brought back tremendously great memories and it simply made my wife cry. At the point of discovery, she hadn’t heard her mom’s voice for several years.
24 Things That Your Children Will Want to Know About Your Life Someday, but Won't Think to Ask
As your children go through all the stages of their lives, they will have a natural, deep yearning to know and compare their life situation to that of your life, while in the same approximate stage of life.
Sea captains and city fathers, long ago buried in South Mississippi cemeteries, will come back to tell their stories for Halloween.
Brought to life by their descendants and actors from Biloxi local theater and area high schools will be eight Biloxians whose lives depended on the Gulf.
Everyone is in someone elses photos without even knowing it, and this is the place to find these unexpected connections. It is a free service. You never know who you might find. Great concept and kind of fun looking at all the old pictures from yesteryear. You can also post your own photos, of course.
Memorygrabber was absolutely excellent for anything that you could want to know or remember. The only thing that I can think of that it did not have was
At StoryCorps, Frank spoke about how his lifelong fascination with the stars turned into a project of cosmic proportions.
It’s the brainchild of Frank Kovac, a former paper mill storeroom clerk, who built this roadside attraction in his backyard. Entirely homemade, the project took nearly a decade to complete.
Life Story Workbook now in British English version
As of August 2011, Memorygrabber is available in a British English version. This version reflects British spellings and wording/expressions. Apartment = flat, diaper = nappy, realize = realise, etc.
You'll be given the option to download either version, on the download page.
There are nearly an unlimited number of things to write about in your journal, but here are four that I particularly like. What could I have done better
StoryVault.com Review - Oral History Recording Project for the World
StoryVault.com is a place to upload personal family histories so that the next generation can search for their roots and learn from real life experiences.
Since a very young age, I have always been ‘Daddy’s Girl’. Through the many adventures and mishaps between the two of us, there are plenty of stories to
Carol Covin, also known as Granny Guru, has built a really nice site that highlights, among other things, the wisdom of mothers and grandmothers and the importance of writing autobiographies. I think you'll enjoy a visit to her site.
Singer Trace Adkins Loses Irreplaceable Pics in Fire
Thankfully popular country music singer Trace Adkin's children were able to get out, but Trace and his wife lost many irreplaceable items in a house fire.
Gone are many of their family pictures, including those from their wedding. We have to safeguard those things.
Do what you can to digitize all of your old photos, then get them backed up, so you won't lose the only copies that you have.
Here's what my family did after the passing of our grandfather last August. It's not an original idea by no means but I think it is worth mentioning to help others who may have "missed" some chances already.
It always puts a smile on my face when I hear a young child (age 9 in this particular case) tell stories about when they were young...too young for the child to remember the event firsthand, actually.
This tells me that parents are actively telling and sharing individual and family stories with their children.
This inspires me to talk more with my kids. Kids love these sorts of stories. Take the time to tell your kids about when they were younger, about when you were younger and about their grandparents. Your life will be much richer for it.
Q: I am trying to get our family tree together so I can get my indian card. Do you have any suggestions on how to track down my family and a good way to
I'm a big fan of StoryCorps. This is a short audio of two daughters interviewing their father, who is suffering from the onset of Alzheimer. It is so very important that we all have conversations like this, before it is too late. To hear that audio clip, click on the "Click for more info", link below.
This is a bit of old news, but one that I wanted to mention here. The last roll of Slide film (Kodachrome) was shot and processed.
I used to use Kodachrome all the time, back in the 1980s. I'm sure probably did as well. Sad to see it go, BUT I'd never go back to it. I love digital too much.
Do You Have British Roots? Apply for a New British TV Show
Dragonfly TV in the UK is currently making a new TV series that will be called "Guess the Relative".
They are seeking Americans and Canadians that have distant British ties or roots.
The show will be about family history and distant relatives. In the show British contestants will spend a week with three Americans/Canadians, one of which will be distantly related to the British contestant.
At the end of the week, the British contestant will attempt to figure out which of the three that they are related to.
If selected for the show, it will give you a chance to travel to Great Britain, live in the English countryside, and potentially meet distant relatives, that you never knew existed.
To apply:
http://www.guesstherelative.tv
Apr 13, 2011
Digital Photo Storage: Will Your Digital Treasures Ever Be Seen By Your Grandkids?
When it comes to your family’s digital photo storage, what are the odds that yours will ever survive and actually be seen by your grandchildren? My
Getting more of my old photos scanned - 587 negatives and 151 35mm slides
I was up late last night getting another batch of my old photo negatives, slides and even a few actual portraits. In total I bundled up 568 negatives, 151 35mm slides, 16 old family portraits and 90 pictures from 3 old rolls of Advantix film. Do you remember Adantix?
These will be sent and tracked by UPS and scanned by Scan Cafe. I've used this service before with great, great results. I feel less stressed already, having those pictures set to be scanned into digital format
Keeping a diary or journal has never been easier or more convenient! The Journal automatically brings up a new
entry for you every day, and provides a calendar for easy review.
