autobiography of any relative
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My wife and I had a great opportunity to travel to Europe a couple of weeks ago. I met many riverboat cruise passengers who were telling me that they decided to write their autobiography to past along family history to their kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. One lady commented to me that in years past, the family bible was used by her family members to record the family tree but lacked giving details of their family members. She remarked it would have been better to know how their great grandparents came to America in the early 1800s, than just their names, birthdates, marriage date, and death dates.Most of my family did not write down their family histories, like many others, so it has been very difficult for me to find out their family history. I have learned some very interesting facts about my relatives just by using Google and ancestry searches, but also talking with other relatives. But these facts are merely bits and pieces of, what I can only imagine, was a fascinating life story of each of them. It would have been wonderful to have had the opportunity to ask questions and record all the details of all of my relatives.We have all attended gatherings where family members have reminisced about “the old country” or the “good old days” here in the U.S., but how many of us have taken the time to record these stories? Today’s readily available technology makes it easy for loved ones to share their stories via video or audio recorders to help them in making an autobiography.
I have a friend that interviewed and recorded her grandparents as they recalled memory after memory of their childhoods and married life together. She then transcribed the conversations, and preserved them in a self-published book that she illustrated with old pictures. That year she gave copies of the book to everyone in the family as a Christmas gift. I’m certain that these books will become a treasured family memento for future generations to cherish. For those who are technologically challenged or who need a way to get their loved one to open up about their past, there are a number of fantastic, journal-style books full of thought-provoking questions and space for recording answers.