Part of the fun of researching your family history can be adding those titbits of information you hold that you will not find in the archives. Perhaps a story told you as a child, by a grandparent, long since gone.
Whilst using online databases, newspaper archives, and other records, can help trace your family tree, it is often the anecdotal family information that can help bring the story alive.
Recording Anecdotes
Sometimes the information you gather along the way can become overwhelming. There may come a time when you want to sit down and write the story of your ancestors. Consider who you are writing it for. Yourself? Your children? The wider family? Bear this in mind when you start jotting down your ideas, as it may influence how you write and what you include.
It may be that you find it hard to pen to paper. Instead, consider recording yourself retelling the story. Most mobile phones will have a voice note function. Or you can download an app to use. For a PC, for instance, there is SPEECHNOTES.
From here you can decide if it’s the right tone and content you want to have in your family history. You’ll often find that these stories, help bring the family history to life, so including them adds that personal touch and will keep the reader engaged.
All too often, family stories are lost, simply because they are not written down. It is often the case that these snippets of history vanish if they are not transcribed; a story, told by an aged grandparent that can become forgotten as it is not kept in the archives.
The Reverse Side Of The Photo?
The anecdotal family information may not just be stories. It may be that you have found a photograph, alluding to a piece of family history that you are yet to uncover. Often photos may contain snippets of information, location and date scrawled on the back for instance. This can be a starting point to uncovering your ancestors’ pasts.
Including images can also help illustrate your family history, literally! It is likely that you could find these personal treasures online, however if not, if you have them in your possession, use them!
Diaries And Oral Histories
The fashion for keeping a diary, once the norm, can be the perfect tool to help you include those personal touches to your ancestral story. Perhaps you have your ancestors’ diaries, drawing out information from them can be the cherry on the cake for the narrative of your family’s past.
Another way in which you might consider to record thee anecdotal family histories is through the Oral History Society: an organisation that aims to promote the preservation of recorded memories.
A Helping Hand From Family Wise
Wherever you are at in your family history, whether you are a research newbie or an experienced genealogist, we can try and help you find those elusive missing pieces. Here at Family Wise, we are experts in unravelling the forgotten family histories.
We have a wealth of resources available to our tea, to help you find the past, and then you can add all the anecdotal information that will help bring it alive. Want to find out more? Just ask.
