Begin with what the family already has

Gather photographs, letters, cards, favorite recipes, career records, newspaper clippings and anything else that helps tell the person’s story.

Ask for memories, not biographies

Friends and relatives may feel intimidated by a request to “write something.” Ask for one memory instead: a funny story, a lesson they learned, a favorite saying or a moment they will always remember.

Preserve the ordinary details too

The details families miss most are often the ordinary ones: how someone laughed, what they cooked, what music they played, where they sat at dinner or what they always said when someone left the house.

Connect memories to photographs and people

A photograph becomes more meaningful when it is connected to the people shown and the story behind the moment. A memorial archive can preserve those relationships instead of leaving the material as a disconnected gallery.

Let the archive grow over time

Families do not remember everything immediately. New photographs and stories often surface months or years later. A living archive gives those memories somewhere to go.

Explore more ways to preserve family history or see how Family Histories works.