Creating a family memoir
Creating a family memoir takes time, but don’t let that intimidate you. One step in the family mem
oir is to preserve the oldest photographs. Those old black-and-white photographs, or the daguerrotype tins that preceded photographs in the late 1800s, become part of the musculature of the family memoir.
While the photographs are important, the stories themselves must be told in detail if you want to create a priceless family memory book. The memoirs we create for individuals are in essence family memoirs because in telling the story of the oldest living generation, we capture the history of the entire family. The skeleton of the family memoir is the interviews, and no book can hope to hold up to the richness and fullness of your family’s stories unless hours of personal interviews have taken place first.
At this point if you don’t have the time or money to hire a personal biographer, you can take the first step to simply dig out the oldest photographs, place each one in a plastic sleeve to prevent further scratching, and keep them in a dry place with low humidity and moderate room temperatures. Keep all videos and photographs out of the attic and basement.