The Power Of Family Memoirs: Why It's Important?

Telling family stories to the next generation is important because we are not only sharing experiences but also culture and tradition. Sharing of these stories has always mostly been done purely through word of mouth, but in recent years, the way of immortalizing such stories has been done slightly differently. A new way people have been doing so is by creating family memoirs in the form of photo books.

If that sounds like unfamiliar territory to you, read on to find out more about family memoir photo books.

The Relationship Between Family and Memories

Sharing our experiences with our children makes these memories become keepsakes. That is the most important thing we can leave behind for future generations.

Additionally, our past plays a role in shaping who we are today. Understanding who you are and where your lineage came from can help you connect more deeply with both yourself and your family. Shared memories we experience with our families and the memories passed down by those who experienced them before us become a core bonding point amongst family members.

Why Create Family Memoir Photo Books?

Learning about one’s family history traditionally purely by word of mouth usually required the listener to thumb through old photos kept here and there around the house. The memory may also vary with each recount, according to the speaker’s memory at the time.

The beauty of having a family memoir photo book is:

• It is a collective space for all the family’s key highlights, moments, and celebrations. All relevant photos are consolidated in one place so listeners and speakers can conveniently reference the photo of the event/person as they narrate family stories.
• It can be accessed anytime. You will not need to get the speaker to keep repeating their stories all over again. Should you want to revisit the stories, you can flip through the photobook to get the information you seek.
• Key details of events are written down in black and white. Photo books can consist of text to accompany the photos, such as one-liner details, quotes, or dates. We can avoid the problem of differing details or versions of the memories with each recount.

What To Include in The Photo Books?

With so many life stories, it can be hard to choose what types to convert into a family memoir album. Here are some key elements you can consider curating into a photo book.

• Key Events and Experiences of Older Family Members
• Family History and Ancestry
• Lifetime Occasions- including but not limited to weddings, baptisms, graduations, baby showers, and pregnancies

Regardless of which topic you are doing your family photo book on, consolidate all the photographs, clippings, letters and drawings, etc. you want to include. Next, scan them all. You should spend some time digitally editing and polishing the photographs, especially those that are blurry. Photo book pages use high-quality photograph paper, so any flaws with the picture quality are quite obvious. You don’t want your images to end up pixelated in the final product. After these are done, you should also consolidate personal stories of your family or some quotes from them to include in the album.