Preserving Your Family History
Why write your story?
It started with a little box with a name inside, linked with dozens of other name-filled boxes. I was working on my family tree–connecting the dots I knew, finding missing links via the sometimes wonderful World Wide Web–when it struck me. All these ancestral relations of mine I knew nothing about. Document investigations revealed oceans crossed in steerage compartments to carve out farms in a free land, to build railroads and shovel coal, to cobble shoes in large cities, but the documents sketched only a thin outline of their lives.
What did they think, what did they feel, what did they dream? Why did they leave, how did they survive, where exactly was their homeland? So many questions, all lost to assumption and imagination. And I didn't want to lose any more. In 2010, I sat down with my last remaining grandparent for a series of interviews, which led to writing a manuscript, adding numerous photographs, letters and other mementos, and publishing it into a soft-bound book that became a treasure to my grandmother and the rest of our family. The experience was so fulfilling that I have set out to help others preserve their stories.
My family tree is leafed with those who had rich, full lives–just like we are living. But they were all whittled down to a name in a box because their stories were never captured. I am dedicated to helping you save all that you remember, all that you have accomplished, all that you wish to share. Oftentimes we wait for special events or life passages to prompt us to begin such an undertaking, but I am here to encourage you–record your stories now and leave a legacy for your family. It is a journey filled with unexpected joy and one you will never forget.
If preserving your stories is important to you, keep in mind
‘The palest ink is better than the best memory’
Chinese Proverb
About Lisa
Born in 1962, I grew up in North Hollywood, California, and the small community of Llano in the Antelope Valley. College took me away to the Santa Barbara area, where I have lived and worked since 1980.
I began offering my services as a Biographer/Family Historian/Ghostwriter in 2010. I have always loved writing and listening, and to now do both with a purpose that has such an emotional impact on lives is an honor and a privilege. Your story is waiting to be shared–let’s start writing it today!