FAQ
The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but I believe there are distinct differences. Genealogy is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a “line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor” and that is the most common understanding of the word.
Family history is a broader term and can be viewed as encompassing family stories, memories, traditions, values, and life lessons, and can be tied to such things as letters and other documents, recipes, photographs, heirlooms, home furnishings, textiles, and more. As an amateur genealogist, I get ridiculously excited about discovering new facts about an ancestor, like where they’re buried, but as a family historian I go nuts over the surprise findings, such as letters that tell me what an ancestor was thinking and feeling, or a story about what an ancestor did to survive the Great Depression.
I like to refer to genealogy and the family tree as the bones or skeleton of the family, and family history as the soft tissue, the flesh that fills out the skeleton. Together they make up the full body, or the full story of a family.
Families that know and value their own history are stronger, more cohesive, and healthier families. A November 13, 2019 article written by Rachael Rifkin and found on Good Housekeeping.com shared this:
"Because our families are among the most important social groups we belong to and identify with, stories about our family tell us who we are in the world, and who we should be," says Robyn Fivush, Ph.D., one of the researchers behind the National Council on Public History study, The Power of Family History in Adolescent Identity and Well-Being. "Stories about our parents and grandparents provide models of both good and bad times, as well as models of overcoming challenges and sticking together.”
There are many benefits associated with sharing and preserving family history but certainly a stronger family is reason enough all on its own, wouldn’t you agree?
You should only write out your life story if you want to and if you enjoy writing. If you want to but you don’t enjoy writing, you can always work with a family member who’s a good writer, or you can hire someone to write it for you, although in that case you should be prepared to spend a tidy sum.
If you don’t want to write your life story, there are still many, many wonderful things you can do to preserve your own story that don’t involve a lot of writing. One idea is to write down just the bare bones of your life on a single sheet of paper, starting with parents’ names and the date and place of your birth. Include such things as marriage(s) and children, education, places lived and worked, religious affiliation, and volunteer work and hobbies. Another idea is to capture in just a sentence or two the things you’ve learned in life and what values you hold most dear or, better yet, leave a voice recording of yourself talking about these things.
You can start with either one but it’s helpful if you know some of the basics of your family tree, like vital information about your parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. Facts like dates and places of birth, marriage, death, and burial are crucial to preserving the bare bones of your ancestry.
Other information that’s easiest to get while these people are still alive can include stories of what their childhood was like, why their family immigrated to America, and what family life was like during the era in which they grew up. There is a lot of information that is never revealed by dates and other facts alone, so be sure to talk to the elders in your family while you can. And if YOU are one of the elders, why not take an hour or two and jot down a few notes or even talk into the voice recorder on your phone? Your children and grandchildren will appreciate it more than you might realize.
My RESOURCES page has a whole section of resources on how to conduct an oral history, all the way from a simple step-by-step process up to how the pros do it. You can find those resources right here.
I get asked this question so frequently I wrote a book about it! In short my answer is start with what you know and write it down before you forget it. Also, be sure to share it with family members so that any errors can be caught and corrected. Equally important, more than one person is then the guardian of this priceless information, and others can get excited about it and get involved in the process.
For more ideas on how to preserve the most important information about your family, be sure to check out my book, Lasting Legacy: Quick & Simple Ways to Preserve Family History.