The growing enthusiasm for genealogy shows that people want to know about those in their family who preceded them. Your children and grandchildren will want to know what you saw, what you did and how it felt as you experienced history. Even better, you may have some photographs to illustrate your stories!

History was once considered a record of the triumphs, failures and foibles of the great and the powerful. But in the last generation or two we have realized that people like us are as much a part of history as our leaders.

Think about your life. Do you remember what it was like on D-Day? Where were you when John Kennedy or Martin Luther King was assassinated? Did you serve in Vietnam or participate in an anti-war protest?

Did you join the the feminist movement in the 70's, or did you think they were all wrong? Did you line up for gas during the oil crisis? Did you love Ronald Reagan when he proclaimed that it was morning in America or hate him? How did you feel when you got your first computer?

It’s all history and you lived it. Future generations are sure to be fascinated.

A memoir is a way to look at your lifetime from your point of view. The historian attempts to present the facts of what happened. But only you can present the things you felt as you experienced history first hand. You can provide the emotional content and pass on the lessons that historical events great and small taught you.

A memoir creating a family or personal history is your opportunity to give the future generations in your family an insight into who you are and what you have done. Set the scene, give plenty of vivid description of the people, places and things you encountered, and reflect on what you believe it all meant. They will understand that it’s your story, but it’s also their story.