How to Write Your Personal History

I want to be sure my children and grandchildren know that my grandmother sketched this picture. She signed and dated it 1906! When we were children, the picture hung in our house. For some reason, I remember calling it Gre-Gre!

What item in your home is unidentified as a family treasure?

Make a note about that item today! Leave a record, a story of all these family treasures in your house! When your children are in their 50's and 60's and become grandparents themselves, they will suddenly have a keen interest in all family history items. Don't leave all those questions unanswered.

Give your children and grandchildren a beautiful geneology --but please add the personal stories! The stories are the joy of your personal history! Wouldn't you like to know now how your grandmother felt when she voted for the first time?

Do make notes about furniture that is in your home that has been passed from generation to generation.

On one particular small table, I purchased a small personalized bronze plaque. Engraved on the plaque is all the important information about the piece. From now on, the history of that little table won't get lost for sure! It is screwed in to the bottom of that little table! As long as that little table survives, the story will survive with it!

Remember - you can record your life story. Grab a tape recorder and walk through your house and tell about all the hand-me-down furniture. You children will treasure that information.

Where did you live when you were in grade school?
Who was your first grade teacher?
Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
Did you have a pet?
What was your childhood address?
Where did you go to school?
Who was your fourth grade teacher?
Can you name all of your teachers and describe them?
How did your family celebrate holidays?
What are your favorite books? your favorite quotes?
What did your family eat for dinner?
Where did your family eat dinner?
If you did not have television, what did you do?
How old were you when your family purchased a television?
Who was your best friend in grade school? Are you still in contact?
What was your favorite game?
Did you go swimming? Where?
Did you participate in sports? Which ones?
Who was your best friend in high school? Are you still in contact?
Did you have a bicycle? How old were you when you learned to ride it?
What was your first car?

You probably think your adult children know all of these things about you. Ask them. I would imagine that they do not, and I think that is going to be a surprise to you. Come back to this site and let me know in the comments section. We all think because our children have lived with us their whole lives, that they know all about us. Let me assure you -- they do not.

You can also learn how to create life history videos. Just click here. Or create a spiritual ethical will. Leave something of yourself for your children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends, students.

PHOTO: Our Aunt Lillie - oh, the questions I would like to ask her! What a wonderful lady! (Do my now adult children know about my Aunt Lillie? I wonder.)

What do you think are the 3 most important things in life?
What are your favorite books and television shows?
What do you think the world will look like in 2100?
Who is/was your favorite relative?
Who was your best friend in high school?
How old were you when you learned to drive? to cook?
What has been your best decision in life so far?
What has been your worst decision in life so far?
What is the nicest thing someone has done for you?
What was the most serious loss of your life? How did you handle that?
List 10 things that make you laugh.
What is your favorite joke?

Grab a notebook (a spiral bound composition book works well). Set aside one hour to answer the simple questions above. If you do nothing else on your personal story but this, your children will have that little treasure -- and that much is better than no notes at all.

Once you start remembering, you will find many things to write about. Determine to write something in your book once a week, or once a month.

Will you write something once a year at least? Look at the Christmas Journal below. If you only journaled Christmases as you experience them, that would be a wonderful treasure for your children.

Whatever you decide to do, do something! Your children and grandchildren will be so glad you did!

Summer 2009 - My husband and I answered 10 of these questions and I typed them. We presented them to our adult son as a gift. I am sure he filed them somewhere, probably a bit puzzled about why we did that. But 30 years from now, those silly little notes will bring him great pleasure -- and we know that!