Preserving Your Family Legacy

A few years ago, I did a legacy video with my Mom, Dad and Aunt.  It was truly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and my family. Unfortunately, I waited too long and my Uncle, whom I was very close with, passed away. That’s the point!  I waited too long and now I don’t have him on video. Sure, I have photos and my memories but a legacy video truly takes things to another level. 

I was able to get several hours of uncut/unedited video of my parents and my Aunt. This footage is priceless! While I am extremely fortunate to still have both of my parents and my Aunt, this video is something that me and my family will be able to look back on when they are no longer here.  I have their facial expressions, voices, their laughter and their stories on video and I can see them and hear them forever. 

We captured stories about how they met, in their words, each with a slightly different version. Stories about other family members (the good, the bad and the ugly). Memories of things that happened, that I thought I knew and which I apparently didn’t know, were cleared up. One question led to another and 4 hours later we had reminisced about those close and far, here and gone. All of them great memories and we had a great time doing it.

I chose to work with a legacy video professional instead of trying to do this on my own with my phone and I’m glad I did. It started with a question which turned into a conversation and prompted my parents and Aunt to start talking. It just flowed from there. They started recalling events and sharing stories and memories about their lives and it went on for hours. I feel like I now have the crème-de-la-crème of my family’s history and it’s all in one place.

May I suggest that if you still have loved ones alive and well and want to get their stories on tape or video to preserve for future generations, do it now as “Tomorrow is promised to no one”! 

If you decide you want to do something like this, and want to do this on your own, I’ve included some talking points to get you started and keep it going. Just be prepared for the answers that you may have never known or imagined. You may know or think you know bits and pieces of a family story, so start there and be open to being corrected. Here’s your chance to get “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”.

QUESTIONS TO ASK:

Ancestors and Relatives: 

·     How did their parents or grandparents on either side meet?

·     Where did their families live when they were born? Did other family members live with them?

·     How did they come to live where they did?

·     What did their parents do for a living?

·     How many children did they have?

·     Did they have any fun nicknames?

·     What were each of them known for?

·     Did they have any interesting skills or talents?

·     What stories do they have about extended family members?

Holidays:

·     Who was at their holiday table?

·     Which relatives did the cooking?

·     What foods did you always have?

·     What was the rest of the family doing while the meal was being prepared?

·     Was it a formal or informal experience? Did everyone get dressed up?

·     Was there a grown-up table and a kid’s table?

Childhood and School:

·     Where did they go to school?

·     Were they good at school

·     How did they get to school?

·     Did they each lunch at school or go home at lunchtime?

·     Did they wear uniforms?

·     Did they have extracurricular activities?

·     Did they have to work after school?

·     Did they finish school? How far did they go in school?

·     If they went to college, ask them to tell you all about their college experiences. Ask about where they lived and with whom,

·     What classes they took and why.

·     Who were their best friends? What did they do together?

·     Were they good kids? Did they get in trouble?

·     Did they take vacations? Where? What’s their most memorable family vacation?

·     What was the financial situation like? Were they rich? Poor?

·     Did they get an allowance? How much? What did they spend it on?

·     Did you have to do chores?

·     Did they have their own bedroom or share it? What was that experience like?

·     What big historical events do they recall living through?

Romances:

·     Were they allowed to date? Did their parents set any particular rules about dating?

·     Who was their first crush? First date? First kiss?

·     Who broke their heart?

·     To whom did they propose or from whom did they receive proposals?

·     Do they have any romantic regrets? Who was the one who got away?

·     How did they know they’d found the right person (if they did)?

·     What advice do they have based on their experiences?

Careers and Adulthood:

·     What did they envision wanting to be when they grew up? Did they end up doing that?

·     What was their first real job? Do they remember what they got paid?

·     Were they ever in the military? Were they drafted?

·     What were their dreams? Which did they achieve? What do they still want to do?

·     What did they imagine the world would be like when they were older?

A Legacy Video will help you preserve your family history. If not now, when?