I am often troubled in my genealogical searches by the vast amount of information about past generations that is lost to us forever. Sometimes I literally almost grieve and mourn for it. Reading this flyer I had a sudden thought. What better way is there to remember a loved one that has passed on than to record information about them for future generations to see? Record your observations about these loved ones in family histories and your research notes, or write a short story or booklet about this person's life. Many archives, local libraries, and genealogical societies will gladly accept donations of such information if you compile it into a useful format. Imagine the delight of a family member years from now to find information detailing what a family members personality was like, anecdotes, and information about life events. This is a wonderful way to ensure that the memory and legacy of our loved ones will live on through time.
And what about the ancestors that have already gone on? The same principle applies. When we research, record, and study our ancestors lives we memorialize them. Some do not write their family histories because they feel that they cannot write, but I argue that the issue is not the eloquence of the pen, but the need to preserve information before anymore is lost. What greater honor can we give our forbearers? I had never really thought about genealogy in this light before, but in a sense that is what it is, a memorialization.
Perhaps you could make a time capsule of your loved one who has recently passed on. Include photographs of the person. Photograph objects the person used, collections they kept, cars they had, pictures of them doing favorite activities. Create a sense of who this person was. Maybe you would like to make a video of the person's life using pictures and narrate it. They method isn't as important as the fact that you are recording information for the future. Just imagine how much more fascinating our family searches would be if we could find a videotape of great, great, great grandpa and grandmas' wedding?
As the Christmas Season rapidly approaches many of our hearts turn to our loved ones, make a commitment to honor and memorialize your family. It truly is the greatest gift for the greatest good.