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How to add historical context to your family stories
Discover the 6 best resources to add context to family history. Historical archives, newspapers, photos, and podcasts bring your ancestors’ stories to life.
At the heart of every family history are the voices and stories of the people themselves—their words, their memories, their lived experiences. But when certain details have been forgotten (or we just want to enrich the stories we already have), historical resources can provide texture and context that make our family narratives more vivid.
By exploring the world our loved ones lived in—the newspapers they read, the communities they belonged to, the cultural traditions surrounding them—we can add dimension without ever losing sight of the personal story at the center.
The following resources are a great starting point for fleshing out the historical context of your loved one’s life story. They’ll help you imagine the backdrop of their lives (What were people talking about around the dinner table? What was in the news? What were the fashions of the day?), fill in missing details (What was the weather like the day your mother was born? What was the status of the war when your grandfather was discharged?), and maybe even find a historical photo or two to accompany their family archive.
6 resources too add historical context to your family history
1 - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Encyclopedia & collections
👉 Even if you aren’t researching the Holocaust specifically, USHMM’s digital encyclopedia demonstrates the power of context. Detailed maps, photographs, and descriptions of daily life show how environment and history shape individual experiences. For any family historian, this is a model of how deeply place and time can inform a story. Dive deep into the museums collections for even more inspiration on how to weave a story around a single artifact.
This page from the USHMM website provides an overview of children’s diaries kept during the Holocaust. “Each diary reflects a fragment of its author’s life, but, taken together, the diaries provide readers with a varied and complex view of young people who lived and died during the Holocaust.”
Similarly, the museum’s vast collections offer rich examples that may inspire you to discover the stories behind your own family heirlooms. “Each artifact in our collection has a story to tell. The Artifacts Unpacked video series takes you behind the scenes to learn about the objects the Museum protects and how they keep alive the memory and experiences of victims and witnesses of the Holocaust.” See how a single ID tag reveals the story of a 12-year-old German Jewish refugee, for example.
2 - Library of Congress Digital Collections
👉 The Library of Congress offers a vast range of digitized newspapers, photographs, maps, oral histories, and recordings. These collections can help you see what was happening in your ancestor’s era—from local politics and social issues to everyday fashions and advertisements.
One little-known collection I love to share is the American English Dialect Recordings from the Center for Applied Linguistics Collection, where you can discover audio recordings of famous and not-so-famous folks: “There are Gullah speakers from coastal South Carolina, sharecroppers from Arkansas, Puerto Rican teenagers in New York City, Basque sheepherders from Colorado, Chesapeake Bay watermen, Vietnamese immigrants from Northern Virginia, and many others.” If you’ve never heard your America ancestor speak, maybe you can hear what they may have sounded like!
The digital collections from the Library of Congress are vast, including maps, newspapers, historic photographs, motion pictures, and personal papers, which you can explore to learn more about a time period or place that relates to your own ancestor.
There are more than 7,000 images in this Civil War photo collection alone, one of numerous Civil War collections available through LOC.
3 - Chronicling America (Historic Newspapers)
👉 This free resource makes U.S. newspapers from 1777–1963 searchable online. Imagine reading the same headlines your ancestors did, or discovering how national events were reported in their hometown. Newspapers also reveal what life looked like between the big moments—the weather, the sports results, even the classified ads. Chronicling America is developed and permanently maintained at the Library of Congress; I recommend checking out this valuable research guide before diving in.
If you’re searching for something specific that you can’t find in this free archive, consider one of these paid options:
Public libraries and university libraries often extend their subscriptions to patrons, so you may be able to access these digital resources for free at your local branch.
In addition to the search interface on the Chronicling America site, there are over 300 research guides created by librarians at the Library of Congress on topics widely covered in the American press of the time. Visit Topics in Chronicling America for the complete list.
4 - Europeana (for European Context)
👉 Europeana brings together digitized cultural heritage from libraries and museums across Europe: photographs, diaries, artworks, recordings, and more. For those tracing European roots, it offers a chance to explore the cultural world your ancestors inhabited, far beyond just dates and places.
Europeana aims to make Europe’s digital cultural heritage accessible with millions of items from providing institutions across Europe. Discover artworks, books, music, and videos on art, newspapers, archaeology, fashion, science, sport, and other topics.
This screenshot from the Europeana site shows a few galleries on offer in the Sports collection.
5 - Local Historical Societies & State Archives
Don’t overlook what’s right nearby. Many county or state historical societies maintain searchable online portals with digitized maps, city directories, and community histories. A quick Google search for “[your county/state] historical society archives” often yields surprising treasures that place ancestors firmly in their local context.
The Preservation Society of Charleston is a wonderful example of an organization aimed at preservation in a prominent U.S. city, while the Madison Historical Society in New Jersey is an example of one located in a smaller town.
You will find that many local historical societies have minimal—if any—digital collections available on their websites. However, they are often staffed by interested and dedicated volunteers who welcome questions and helping individuals with research requests.
6 - Social History Blogs & Podcasts
Sometimes the best way to understand “the world as it was” is through narrative. Podcasts such as the History Extra Podcast (BBC History) or Backstory (archived episodes) are excellent for learning about the everyday aspects of life in different eras. These stories of daily habits, customs, and struggles can help you flesh out the atmosphere of your own family history. Search episodes for specific times or places related to your ancestor, or scroll until something catches your attention. Just be warned: You may go down a (long, enjoyable, albeit unproductive ; ) rabbit hole!
While you can listen to the History Extra Podcast from the BBC on any podcast player, head to their website to search for previous episodes by topics, like those shown here. More topics include the history of food and drinks, for example, and LGBT+ history, while time periods include First and Second World Wars as well as the American Civil War.
While BackStory ended production in 2020, past episodes continue to be available on their official site and at New American History, where the search interface is rather user-friendly.
Why historical context matters
The facts of a life—birth dates, marriages, children—form the skeleton of a family history. The historical context gives those bones flesh, while personal narrative—the stories your loved one told you or wrote about in letters or diaries—breathes vital soul into it.
Ideally you will have all of the above to tap into as you preserve a family member’s history. But when stories are lacking, the historical context you uncover will go far in shaping their life into something memorable.
And knowing what newspaper they read, what cultural traditions they observed, or what was happening in their community adds color and dimension that makes your family’s story not only remembered, but felt.
Life Story Links: April 21, 2026
Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for April 21, 2026, includes tips for writing your own life stories, plus how the stories fit into the broader context of history.
“Memories of one’s past: the color of a mailbox, the sound of gravel under tires, the scent of lilacs, a dog behind a fence that made you afraid. A list, after all, is a confession. We do not write in typeface. We write in loops and hesitations. In ink smudges. In cursive, if we remember how. Each list is a thumbprint. Each paper a window.”
—Mira Ptacin, “The Accidental Poetry of Found Lists”
Vintage poster for Cole Bros. Circus, “America’s Favorite Show,” published by Erie Litho., & Ptg. Co., Erie, PA; courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Writing Our Lives
START HERE
“Each blank page offers the same quiet invitation: Begin anywhere. Whether you’re journaling your thoughts, recording a memory before it fades, or collecting fragments for a family story, a notebook isn’t just paper—it’s potential.” Last week I wrote about how to use a simple notebook for legacy writing.
THE THINGS SHE CARRIED
“Some of us don’t write just to document; we write to survive.” Lori Lackland on finding the right container for her abuse story and how she finally wrote her memoir.
ON WRITING THE PAST WHEN MEMORY FEELS INCOMPLETE
“There is a kind of permission that begins to open when we release the linear and concrete idea of memory, one that many writers resist at first, because it asks you to trust something more fluid than fact.”
ON WRITING ABOUT HER GRANDPARENTS
“Writing about family history teaches you the most important lesson you can learn as a writer: humility in the face of your material. What you are handling both does and does not belong to you.”
A LIFETIME JOURNALING
“Reading my grandmother’s journals is like having a conversation with her,” said Amanda Close, who has herself kept a journal for more than 40 years and has gone on to inspire countless others to take up the practice.
PRESERVING FAMILY STORIES
“You just can’t wait till after the funeral to realize that you didn’t take the time to listen to the stories,” says gerontologist Sam Cradduck, in conversation about the importance of documenting memories:
Our stories in the context of broader history
ON THE OCCASION OF GENOCIDE AWARENESS MONTH
“I was recently asked if I thought that those descended from the Holocaust have a responsibility to carry their family story. I was surprised by my own answer when I said no,” writes Rachael Cerrotti, whose work has beautifully chronicled her own family’s personal Holocaust history.
A TREASURE TROVE OF PERSONAL HISTORY
“Large sheets of paper folded away for decades detailed a chapter of his father, Captain Warren Ducote’s, life in ink”—an incredible archive of original WWII vignettes preserved in original illustrations and photos found in boxes.
CAN AI BE TRUSTED WITH HOLOCAUST MEMORY?
“As eyewitnesses disappear, AI can preserve their voices and images with startling realism—but the same tools can also fabricate convincing false histories, raising urgent questions about truth, testimony, and the future of Holocaust remembrance.”
SHE LIVED TO WRITE ABOUT IT
An “updated English translation of Vladka Meed’s 1948 Yiddish memoir, On Both Sides of the Wall, breathes new life into her experiences with the Jewish resistance against the Nazis.”
HIDDEN HERO
Siblings whose father survived the Holocaust learned about his heroism through a Life Magazine article—and now the documentary that chronicles his life and the lives he saved is available to stream on PBS. Watch the trailer here:
YANKTON’S YARDBIRDS
Two friends hatched a plan at Starbucks to interview World War II veterans—here’s what happened as they worked against the clock to capture those stories:
MAKING HISTORY PERSONAL
“I now have an ancestral investment in this thing called America and its revolution and independence.” See how these descendants of Texas’s first civilian government are honoring their families’ legacy:
...and a few more links
Gerontologist Sam Cradduck said older adults serve as “living, breathing history books of society.”
93-year-old Idaho man preserves life story through intricate wood carvings.
A new anthology from Hippocampus, Selected Memories, Vol. 2, is available for pre-order.
The latest memoir and creative nonfiction book reviews from Hippocampus.
The 1926 census of the modern-day Republic of Ireland will be released online on April 18, 2026.
Fun genealogy fact: Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep (aka Miranda Priestly) are sixth cousins.
Read an excerpt from Kate Bowler’s new memoir, Joyful, Anyway.
Caroline Bicks spent a year in writer Stephen King’s archives.
Short takes
“Every notebook is a possibility.”
Learn how keeping a notebook can nurture memoir and legacy writing—each blank page a new possibility for memory and meaning.
“Every notebook is a possibility,” I heard Patti Smith tell an interviewer recently. A paper person like me—she was browsing a stationery store during the interview, drawn in by every notebook, pen, and paper clip (!!!)—the musician and memoirist also spoke about the connection between brain and hand, pen and paper.
But that quote lingered with me: “Every notebook is a possibility.” Yes!!!
Each blank page offers the same quiet invitation: Begin anywhere. Whether you’re journaling your thoughts, recording a memory before it fades, or collecting fragments for a family story, a notebook isn’t just paper—it’s potential.
We often think of legacy as something monumental, but most family histories start small. A sentence scribbled in a margin. A recipe jotted down on a grease-splattered sheet. A note to remember who sat where at a long-ago table. Over time, those fragments add up—and they can become the foundation of a story that outlives us.
And you know what? Even if you don’t curate and elucidate on those fragments—even if you have zero plans to turn them into some grand legacy project—everything you put into that notebook holds value. To you, as an individual who strives to find meaning through writing, as a person who finds joy in preserving memories for memories’ sake. And to your descendants, who may one day flip through one of your notebooks as an artifact of a life only you could have lived.
A place for anything
A notebook is forgiving. It doesn’t demand structure or perfection. It welcomes half-formed ideas, unsteady handwriting, and thoughts that trail off mid-sentence. It’s the safest place for honesty (especially when you’re not sure yet what you’re trying to say).
When you begin with pen and paper, you tap into something tactile and timeless. You start to listen differently—to your thoughts, to your memories, to your instincts.
How to use a notebook for legacy writing
Capture what catches your attention. A scent, a phrase, a face that flickers through memory. Don’t worry about whether it “fits” in a story. You can always find its place later…or not.
Keep one notebook for story sparks. Think of it as your catch-all for family lore, overheard lines, or questions you want to ask an elder relative. It just may become your go-to for self-made writing prompts when you’re in need of a little inspiration.
Date your entries. Months or years from now, you’ll be glad to see when those memories first surfaced. It’s a timeline of your creative and emotional life. Paste in an occasional ticket or receipt with the date imprinted on it, too—it’ll add some wonderful texture even as it helps orient you in time.
Don’t censor. The private pages are for you. Messy, funny, sad, unpolished—it all belongs. (If you’re worried about what will happen to your journals when you’re gone, read this.)
Revisit, don’t revise. Every few months, flip back through old pages. You may find patterns you didn’t see before— small moments that begin to form the shape of a story. Or, maybe more alluringly, you may simply get lost in the past, immersing yourself in the nostalgia of your own life…enjoy.
A possibility, realized
Every time you open a notebook, you’re saying yes to remembering. Yes to meaning-making. Yes to the possibility that something you write might matter, to you now, or to someone else later.
The only rule is that there are no rules.
Life Story Links: April 7, 2026
Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for April 7, 2026, includes stories about writing life stories, giving shape to grief, and confronting the stuff of our memories.
“You cannot interview the dead.”
—John McPhee
Vintage postcard titled “A Wet Day in Wellington, Manners Street,” 1908, by Zak Joseph Zachariah; original public domain image from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Potpourri of memoir & life writing inspiration
CONFRONTING THE STUFF OF OUR MEMORIES
“Our memories are both hero and villain in our lives. They are malleable and fallible, but also demanding, arrogant and stuck in their ways. Memories haunt us and they can’t hide from us. And in this age of remembrance where every moment is destined to be documented, we are inescapable to ourselves.”
WRITING AS INTEGRATION TOOL
“Someone out there is waiting for your story to come and save them. I really believe that. Some people think we all have one soulmate—I don’t believe that, but I do believe we have mirrors to our story and that writing attracts them.” Lena Dunham on her new memoir.
WORDS FROM WRITERS
This week I’m sharing five quotes about memoir and life writing, all plucked from the pages of my commonplace books—hopefully they inspire you to write a little yourself!
GIVING SHAPE TO GRIEF
“The act of archiving turns into a process of care, a way of giving form to absence and making it visible” in photographer and visual artist Veronica Benedetti photography project, “Ofelia.”
MEMOIR SCANDALS
“As the memoir scandals show, questions of authenticity do not disappear just because they’re hard to detect and what is acceptable is debated.” Lincoln Michel on James Frey, Amy Griffin, Shy Girl, and LLM book reviews.
...and a few more links
Short takes
5 inspiring quotes about writing your life
Words from seasoned memoirists remind us that writing about our lives isn’t just an act of preservation—it’s an act of connection, reflection, and courage.
I’ve got more than one commonplace book filled with words from memoirists and other writers, and I thought I’d pluck a few quotes from those pages to share with you today—along with a few thoughts on why each quote resonates with me.
“To share our stories is not only a worthwhile endeavor for the storyteller, but for those who hear our stories and feel less alone because of it.” —Joyce Maynard
Writing about your life is not just for you—it’s for those who come after you. When we share our personal experiences, we offer future generations a bridge to understanding, a source of comfort, and a way to see that they are not alone in their struggles and triumphs.
Our stories contain lessons, wisdom, and emotions that others will recognize in themselves. By documenting our lives, we give others permission to embrace their own stories with courage and honesty. Your story is, indeed, a gift to your descendants.
“Recognizing that there are many truths in every situation, and that each one is emotionally complex and virtuous in the eyes of the person whose truth it is, I see memoir as a way to tell my truth, trusting it can rest alongside other truths without either claiming preeminence or offering apology.” —Carole E. Anderson, “What Is It About Memoir?”
One of the biggest fears people have when writing memoir is, “What if others remember things differently?” But memoir isn’t about an objective, single truth—it’s about your truth.
Your perspective is valid, and you have the right to tell your story. That said, it’s also important to approach personal history with respect for others who played a role in it. You don’t have to apologize for your truth, but you can acknowledge that others may see events differently.
Consider: Two siblings may remember the same childhood moment in entirely different ways. Both memories are real; both are true. Memoir allows those truths to coexist.
“Opening ourselves is where story begins. We write with open hands, and not with fists.” —Beth Kephart
Great storytelling requires vulnerability. When writing about our lives, it can be tempting to hold back, to protect ourselves from judgment or discomfort. But the most powerful stories invite the reader into real emotions, real struggles, and real discoveries.
If you only write about the polished, curated version of your life, the story won’t feel real. But if you allow yourself to be vulnerable, to tap into raw emotions, to reveal yourself in honest new ways, well, you create something that’s possibly universal, and always deeply meaningful.
“You will never regret writing a story down. You only regret the stories you don’t tell.” —Laura Stroud
Many people put off writing their stories, thinking “I’ll do it later”—but later is never guaranteed. The only regret most people have is not capturing their memories before they fade.
There’s no perfect time to start writing about your life. You don’t need to wait until you feel “ready” or until your story feels complete. The act of writing itself is what makes your story matter. Even if you never share your writing widely, your words will exist.—your memories, your reflections, your experiences preserved, rather than lost.
“At its best, writing memoir can lead to a clarity you’ve hungered for without even knowing it.” —Abigail Thomas
Memoir isn’t just about documenting the past—it’s about making sense of it. Writing helps us connect the dots, see patterns in our lives, and discover meaning in experiences we once took for granted.
Often, we don’t realize how much we’ve needed clarity until we start writing. The process of revisiting memories, reflecting on them, and putting them into words can help us understand ourselves in a new way—and even shape how we move forward.
These quotes remind us that writing our lives isn’t just an act of preservation—it’s an act of connection, reflection, and courage. Your story doesn’t have to be perfect, complete, or grand. It just has to be yours.
So, pick up the pen. Open a blank document. Speak your story aloud and record it. However you begin, just begin. As Laura Stroud teaches, you will never regret telling your story—you will only regret not telling it.
35 questions to prompt memories of your lost loved one
After losing someone you love, it can be hard to know where to begin. These 35 gentle, thoughtful questions help spark memories, stories, and meaningful conversations with family.
Gather your family around the living room with a box of old pictures and a laptop full of digital photos of the person who has died, arm yourself with this list of questions, and let the reminiscing process begin.
When gathering memories for stories to include in a legacy or tribute memory book, it can be helpful to have some prompts. The 35 questions that follow should provide fodder for writing, conversing, and sharing memories about your lost loved one.
Gather your family around the living room with a box of old pictures and a laptop full of digital photos of the person who has died, arm yourself with this list of questions, and let the reminiscing process begin.
Oh, and don’t feel self-conscious about using this list as a tool— at the most emotional times in our lives, such as losing someone we care about, any little thing that can help us along the path of grieving is a good thing.
Conversation starters that will provide stories for a tribute book
INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DECEASED:
How would you describe the deceased?
What is your favorite memory of the deceased?
What did you call them—any nicknames or terms of endearment?
Did he or she have a pet name for you?
Is there a particular lesson learned from the deceased?
How long did you know the deceased?
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DECEASED'S CHARACTER:
What do you think the deceased valued most in life?
What words would you use to describe his or her character?
How would you describe the deceased’s personality?
QUESTIONS THAT ELICIT MEMORIES ABOUT YOUR LOST LOVED ONE:
How did you meet?
What is a particular time you recall the deceased was especially joyful?
A time he or she was embarrassed?
What is your earliest memory of this person?
What was the deceased’s laugh like?
Was he or she chronically late or early?
Do you have any funny stories about times you spent together?
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR STORYTELLING:
Do you remember any favorite stories about childhood that the deceased loved to tell?
Do your remember stories he or she would tell about:
military
college
getting married
becoming a parent
going to prom
learning how to drive
Did the deceased ever discuss big decisions they made that impacted his or her life?
Were there any major changes to the deceased’s life that affected them in big ways?
If you knew they could drop by and visit tomorrow, what would your ideal day spent together look like?
SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT OR SILLY QUESTIONS THAT MAY SURPRISE WITH WHERE THEY LEAD CONVERSATIONALLY:
What was the deceased’s favorite color?
Favorite flower?
What type of music did the deceased listen to?
Was there a piece of clothing or something else the deceased wore that you found characteristic of them?
Did he or she have a signature saying?
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE DECEASED IMPACTED YOUR LIFE:
How did the deceased impact your life?
How will you honor the deceased’s memory?
What do you wish you had said to them before they died?
How to get family started reminiscing about your lost loved one
Here are a few initial steps to using question prompts to help you record memories of a lost loved one:
Record your memories.
Use a mini audio recorder or the voice recorder app on your phone to capture the conversations about your loved one. Make sure everyone is seated close enough to be captured by the microphone.
Place a copy of the question sheet nearby so anyone can glance at it when they want.
Let conversation flow naturally.
Use the questions to prompt storytelling, but don’t rely on them like a school assignment. Rather, go with the natural course of conversation, allowing the group’s memories of your loved one to flow and meander as they will—it’s the memories themselves, not the answers to any questions, that you want to capture.
Keep in mind: This is just the beginning.
Realize that you will never get through all of these questions at once, and you are not meant to. Some of them may have no relevance to your experiences with the deceased, and one question may prompt an entire evening of reminiscence— that’s good.
BONUS TIP
It’s okay to be funny.
If your loved one was a vibrant and funny person in life, it stands to reason that tributes about them after their death should be infused with humor. It’s okay to step outside your grief and remember them with a smile, even a laugh. Happy memories provide comfort and help us heal, and will be a balm to the soul when you pull out this tribute book to visit with your lost loved one someday in the future.
Free download
Get a free, printable version of this guide, “After a Death: 35 Questions to Ask to Prompt Memories of a Lost Loved One.”
More free resources
Visit my Resources Toolkit to for more free downloads, including lists of questions to spark Thanksgiving and Christmas story sharing; a guide on how to use family photos as prompts for writing life stories; plus more tips for writing about your life in short vignettes.
Interested in turning your memories into an heirloom tribute book? That's what we do.
Modern Heirloom Books founder Dawn Roode looks through the tribute book she made in honor of her mother after her passing in 2009.
If you have recently lost a loved one, first: our condolences. Our founder, Dawn Roode, was inspired to start Modern Heirloom Books when creating a tribute book for her own mother was healing, and rewarding...we understand the feelings of loss. We truly believe that stories have the power to heal, and that remembering those we have lost helps keep their spirits alive in our hearts.
If you are considering memorializing your loved one's legacy in a book, give us a call. Dawn would love to discuss ways to honor their memory and preserve the stories of their life—for you, and for the next generation.
Contact us now at 917.922.7415 to see how we can work together to create a most meaningful heirloom.
This is a recreation of a popular post that was originally written and shared in 2018. That post was somehow lost during a transition to a new web server, so has been recreated and updated on March 26, 2026.
Life Story Links: March 24, 2026
Dawn Roode's curated roundup of recent articles about family history, personal history interviews, life story and memoir writing, and legacy preservation.
“Memories are made of peculiar stuff, elusive and yet compelling, powerful and fleet. You cannot trust your reminiscences, and yet there is no reality except the one we remember.”
—Klaus Mann
Vintage illustration of a little girl and her dog, published by J & P. Coats, Best Six Cord, 200 yds, 50 (1870–1900); original public domain image from Digital Commonwealth.
The origins of story
SAY MORE WITH LESS
“Blank pages and open-ended prompts like What’s your story? can be terrifying. Six words is both a prompt to break through the terror of the blank page and a tool to wrestle big ideas down to their essence.” Larry Smith on “Six Words Through the Ages.”
HOW TO SHAPE YOUR LEGACY
“Have you ever thought that your most valuable assets are intangible? Your legacy is more than the financial security you leave behind—it’s your life’s story.”
PIECES OF A BROADER STORY
“That’s the real power of local history. A photograph sparks a memory. A memory becomes a story. And a story helps a community remember who it is.” Plus, a little bit about the Frozen in Glass initiative in northeast Missouri that the first article is commenting on.
‘BERYL’S LAST YEAR’
“She took me back to Liverpool, the city of her birth, and we got lost trying to track down the ghosts of the past. She let me film her at her most vulnerable.” Filmmaker Charlie Russell on keeping his grandmother’s story alive for a new generation.
THE SEED: A SINGLE THROUGH LINE
“Once I started hearing back from readers about how something I’d written made them feel seen or helped them in some way, I was hooked. Memoir became my ministry."
Lives in print
ONE WRITER PORTRAYING ANOTHER
“I was encountering her as an important and influential American artist, one who generously granted me interviews and who had saved over a hundred boxes of her papers and correspondence, a biographer’s dream.” Judy Blume’s biographer interviews…himself.
JUDY BLUME: A LIFE AND THE PROBLEM OF BIOGRAPHY
“If a writer’s novels present the parts of her that she is willing to show, a biographer’s job is to recover what has been swept out of sight: those vivid, occasionally unsettling details that isolate and define her, and that risk placing her beyond the pale.”
LYRICIST TURNS MEMOIRIST
“The process started with 2 Chainz collecting stories from his life, sharing them with his co-writer, Derrick Harriell, and finding the common themes of trauma or celebration.”
Narrative in the age of AI
CONSENT, IDENTITY, AND MEMORY
“A recent patent granted to Meta Platforms proposes AI systems capable of keeping the accounts of deceased users active on social media, generating posts and responses that mimic their tone, humor and online behavior”—raising new ethical and emotional questions.
THE REAL DEAL, RIGHT NOW
“Two camps are forming among credentialed genealogists, and the split was visible in every conversation I had over three days.” A professional genealogist reflects on the use—and undeniable growth—of AI within the family history industry after attending RootsTech 2026.
Short takes
How will you be remembered?
Have you ever thought that your most valuable assets are intangible? Your legacy is more than the financial security you leave behind—it’s your life’s story.
What we leave behind can shape generations. Yet, too often, legacy is reduced to numbers on a balance sheet—monetary inheritances, real estate, investment accounts. While financial security matters, the most enduring legacies are often not the ones measured in currency but in character, wisdom, and love.
Has it ever occurred to you that your most valuable assets are intangible? Your family stories, the lessons you’ve learned, and the values you cherish—these will stand the test of time. Money can be spent, properties sold, but the stories and principles you pass down can continue shaping hearts and minds long after you’re gone.
The power of a story-driven legacy
Stories give meaning to life’s struggles.
Every family has its challenges, but within those challenges are lessons of resilience, perseverance, and hope. By sharing your experiences—your failures, triumphs, and the moments that changed you—you offer future generations a guidebook for navigating life’s uncertainties.
Values are best taught through stories.
It’s one thing to say “be honest” or “always work hard.” It’s another to share the story of a grandparent who upheld their integrity despite hardships or a personal moment when choosing the right path wasn’t the easy one. Stories turn abstract values into living, breathing lessons.
Family stories serve as a bridge between generations.
When children and grandchildren hear about their ancestors—their struggles, dreams, and sacrifices—they feel a deeper connection to their roots. They are reminded that they come from a lineage of strength and love. According to research from Emory University, adolescents who know more family stories “have higher self-esteem, higher sense of mastery in the world, lower anxiety, and a higher sense of meaning and purpose,” writes Robyn Fivush, Ph.D., director of the Family Narratives Lab at Emory University.
Stories endure.
Unlike material possessions, stories don’t depreciate. They can be retold, recorded, and passed down indefinitely, growing richer with each telling. Whether through written letters, recorded conversations, or shared traditions, your family history ensures your presence is felt long after you’re gone.
Your legacy is more than a will—it’s a testament to a life well lived. The stories you share, the love you give, and the wisdom you impart are the true markers of a meaningful life.
So ask yourself: How will you be remembered? What will you do to ensure you leave a legacy that is a blessing to your descendants?
How to begin shaping your legacy, now
Commit to writing about your memories every week for a year.
Find a lawyer who can help you create a holistic estate plan that accounts for both your financial assets and your values.
Work with a personal historian to preserve your most meaningful stories in book form.
