Your Living Family Tree

Wouldnt you love to know all about your family history? Who were your ancestors? Your family tree can tell you their names, where they lived and how they made their living, but wouldnt you like to know more? Did you inherit any of their looks or personality traits? What were the experiences and events that shaped their lives?

We cant ask those who have already gone, but what if future generations of your family could discover the answers to these questions, and more, by listening to their ancestors telling their own stories? You can record conversations with your living relatives about their own unique life experiences and about your family history. When the fascinating patchwork of stories is stitched together, a living branch, with living ancestors, appears on your family tree.

In Your Living Family Tree, author Mary-Jill Bellhouse offers an easy step-by-step guide to get you started recording your family history. This guide is full of practical techniques and tips on how to prepare for an interview, how to conduct the interview and what to do with the completed recordings. She includes questions designed to elicit candid and relaxed responses from your interviewee grouped into logical chronological sections:

Early family years and relatives

Childhood family home

Family life growing up

Primary and high school years

Further education

Adult life and career

Love and marriage

First home after marriage

Starting a family

The war years

Religion, travel, and other interests

Looking back and taking stock

Everyone has a unique story to tell and your relatives have valuable information to share. Preserve their precious memories now and create a living branch on your family tree for future generations to treasure.