Video Histories Are A Neat Way To Go
Preserving your family's past can take on many forms. Whether you choose to create a simple flow chart of ancestors or you go for a more inclusive scrapbook, a video presentation can add a new level to the end product and make it more fun for new generations to explore their past.
A family history video can take on a lot of different forms and be as detailed or as simplistic as you desire. Whether it's created on VHS or DVD is a personal choice or a matter of equipment, but both can quickly become valued family heirlooms that can be easily shared.
Here are some ideas for putting a family history to film:
* Create a "script" and simply give a narrative. Footage can include old photographs, and even shots of documents you've uncovered. Present documentation in a separate protected binder or book.
* Start out with a visual of a family tree; record "living history" by capturing pictures of family members and save the documents for a binder.
* Shoot it like a documentary. Start out with the oral family traditions by filming interviews with family members about their recollections of past ancestors. Include all the funny stories and tales. Then back it up with the solid research you've found. You can even take pictures of the pictures you've come across and include the documents, copies of course, as a separate backup addendum.
* Film the places dear to your ancestors and narrate their stories while you show the pictures of their lives. Whether it's visiting an old place of employment for your great grand father or the family farm, this can help make the people of your past come to life.
The possibilities for including video in the compilation of a detailed family history are almost endless. The only boundaries you will find are your own imagination and your ability to track down your family's past.
Just remember as you go along not to exclude living family members as their stories, too, will someday become valuable parts of your family history. And, of course, don't forget yourself!
