The Family History Fun Factor: How to Gather and Preserve Family Folklore

As a genealogist, what would you give to spend one day with one of your ancestors? To witness everyday details of his or her life, whether it involved a favorite recipe, cooking methods, gardening, transportation or how children spent their day?

Genealogy and stories related to major life events are often found in journals and other sources, but what about activities such as holiday celebrations or games children played on balmy summer evenings? Wouldn't you like to go one step beyond vague stories about walking four miles to school through two feet of snow or canning peaches on a woodstove?

On a more recent level, what are your favorite memories about growing up? Did you carry on the same holiday traditions as an adult? Where and when did they originate? Generations ago? Or more recently?

Which begs the question, what will your progeny know about your daily life? Where do you even begin to record, much less organize, such things?

What do you even call it?

It's not genealogy, not family history--so what is it?

All these delightful details about everyday life are what comprise family folklore!

And if you want to learn how to preserve these precious family memories, The Family History Fun Factor teaches you exactly how. You'll learn which genres are included, see examples, even find a checklist and resource list.

If you've procrastinated writing your personal history (and who hasn't?) this is the perfect place to start! No research is required, it's all inside your head. Just recall those everyday activities that make life worth living. Wait until the next holiday, if you like, then record what you do in the Family Folklore Idea Collection Sheet in the appendix.

Easy, peasy.

Subsequent generations will thank you for it.