3 ways to honor the legacy of a family member on Memorial Day

The holiday’s meaning often gets lost amidst long weekends and cookouts, but we’ve got easy ways to remember loved ones who died in service.

family history, remember lost loved onesDawn M. RoodeMay 23, 2025how to honor a veteran on memorial day, recording military vets oral history, stories from military heroesComment

Life Story Links: May 20, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of May 20, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMay 20, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

Putting the pieces together (aka memoir ‘making’)

By holding as your goal the idea of ‘writing your memoir,’ you are focused too soon on the end goal. Instead, think about writing towards your memoir.

memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeMay 12, 2025how to gain clarity on my memoir's theme, how to find the point of my memoir writing, how to write a memoir when I don't know where to startComment

Life Story Links: May 6, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of May 6, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMay 6, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

“I’m scared.”

Are you nervous about undertaking a life story project? Working with a personal historian or memoir coach can help alleviate many of the most common fears.

memoir & writing, why tell your stories?Dawn M. RoodeApril 28, 2025common fears about writing my life story, how to get over fears about writing my memoir, what are common fears about writing about my lifeComment

Life Story Links: April 22, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of April 22, 2025, includes great recent reads on memoir, family history, life story writing, and legacy preservation.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeApril 22, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

Become a family history detective (the fun way!)

There’s way more to family history than clicking on digital hints and scouring online genealogy sites. Here, three ideas for tracking family history clues IRL.

family historyDawn M. RoodeApril 14, 2025uncovering family history like a detective, ways to uncover family history besides online genealogy sites, family history trips and heritage travelComment

Life Story Links: April 8, 2025

With three weeks’ worth of news, the curated roundup for April 8, 2025, is overflowing with great reads on memoir, family history, and life story preservation.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeApril 8, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment