If you’re writing a family history, life story, memoir, or any kind of legacy writing, you might wonder, Will anyone want to read this? I have asked that question too.
But I also know the answer is a resounding yes. How can I be so sure? Because I would love to read anything written by my ancestors. I wish technology had made it possible for them to record their thoughts and insights into their daily lives.
Whenever I find any glimpse into their lives, I am so grateful. Recently, I was delighted to find a newspaper article from March 1924. This article was a gift in so many ways, and I’m so glad the story was preserved.
The news story described a wedding in which many of my family members participated. My grandmother, 25 at the time, played the opening and closing wedding marches on the piano and sang two solos. That alone was amazing to me. I knew she played piano (in silent movie theaters, in a band, and in church), but I never knew she sang. The article shared the names of the pieces she sang and played in the wedding.
As if that weren’t enough of a treasure, the article had more discoveries waiting for me. One of the bridesmaids and the host of the bridal shower was my great aunt Orilla. I never met Orilla, but through Ancestry research, I’ve learned we have a lot in common, including overseas travel for missions.
It amazed me to see that Orilla, who I never met, attended a wedding with my grandmother. They interacted with each other. Knew each other well. That might seem obvious, considering that two months after this wedding, my grandmother would marry Orilla’s brother. But it brought a new kind of awareness for me. When I was a child, my grandmother never told me about that side of the family. Would my grandmother have imagined I would turn out to be so much like Orilla?
The article went on to say that my soon-to-be grandfather and his parents were there—parents of whom I have portrait photos but nothing more. And his nephew, four years old, rode his toy car at the bridal shower, pulling a box of gifts. I could picture this little boy, probably grinning from ear to ear, making his entrance at the bridal shower. Until now, that little boy had just been a name in my Ancestry family tree.
The best was yet to come. I was surprised to read in the article that the eight-year-old usher and ring bearer was my great uncle Ruehl. He was very involved in our family life during my growing-up years. So I remember him as a witty, friendly, older man who was always very kind to me. To picture him as a little ring bearer and usher gave me a glimpse into his childhood.
The entire news story changed the people I knew from old to young. And the people I never met changed from names on a family tree into real people living their life together.
I loved finding and reading that news story. I was so grateful for that gift of getting a glimpse into their lives. To see how they knew each other and interacted together. What a blessing.
When you write a family history, life story, memoir, or any kind of legacy writing, that’s exactly the kind of blessing you’re creating for future family members. They will love reading what you share. They will feel a great sense of belonging and family history. And they will feel like they know you a little better, even if they’ve never met you.
Janet Eriksson 