What are your favorite family stories?

They are stories about the pet dog named “Montana,” Grandma’s homemade raspberry jam and the annual spring drive to the mountains to pick flowers. They are the narratives that add personality to your personal and family histories.

The need for family stories

As author Jack Maquire says, "We can draw on {our personal stories} privately for solace, centering, grounding, and decision making."

Family stories are important because they:

• build a sense of family heritage, personal identity and self esteem


• create family identity and purpose


• increase family communication


• help maintain strong families


• enable us to feel connected to our extended family

Be the Storyteller in your Family

To help identify your "story," take a moment to write down just two things that you would like others to know about you after you have passed away.

(Catch the vision of storytelling from author and storyteller, Joe McHugh.)

Are you ready to capture your family story?

Begin by establishing what you want to accomplish. Create a theme or focus on a particular person. Don't try to capture someone's entire personal history at once though - it's too overwhelming. Instead, focus on small portions at a time such as annual traditions, holidays or a particular event. Develop a list of basic questions and then use your family reunion to interview, research and document.

For a completely unique experience and perspective, let (or help) a child conduct the interview. I recently took my 6-year-old son with me to visit with my husband's Great Grandmother. He asked questions I didn't think of and was able to elicit information I couldn't draw out!

When interviewing family members, consider recording the conversation so that you can focus on being a good listener during the visit.

To prepare specific questions and conversation topics in advance, look for books on "personal storytelling" or "life history" at your local library. These kinds of books are full of questions, conversation prompts and journaling guides specifically written for drawing out memories.

Some very basic personal history questions might include…

• Where did you go to school?


• What foods did you hate?


• How often did you see your cousins?

A story can change with each oral telling, so don’t forget to

Write them down

There are many online resources, classes and books that can teach you the skills necessary for documenting your personal and family histories. You could also consider hiring a professional.


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