While Writing My Own
The unexpected legacy of a genealogist
You can listen to the song I created especially to express my feelings about this. Click the image or click HERE. I hope you like it… I know I did.
As genealogists, we spend countless hours searching for the people who came before us. We celebrate every census record we uncover, every photograph we identify, and every story we rescue from being forgotten. We work to ensure that our ancestors’ lives are remembered.
But recently I realized something.
While I’ve been preserving other people’s stories…
I’ve been writing my own.
For years, I’ve interviewed relatives, digitized photographs, organized collections, solved DNA mysteries, written biographies, recorded videos, created courses, and encouraged others to preserve their family history. I always thought my work was about them.
And it is.
But it is also about me.
Every Research Session Becomes Part of Your Story
Every time you sit down to research an ancestor, you’re creating another chapter in your own life.
The late nights spent searching for that elusive birth record.
The excitement of finally identifying the mystery person in an old photograph.
The tears when you discover a heartbreaking family story.
The joy of reconnecting cousins who never knew each other existed.
Those moments don’t just become part of your ancestor’s history.
They become part of yours.
Your Legacy Isn’t Just Your Family Tree
Many people think their legacy is the family tree they leave behind.
I don’t.
Your legacy is the time you invested.
It’s the questions you asked your parents before it was too late.
It’s the photographs you labeled.
It’s the stories you wrote down.
It’s the videos you recorded explaining who these people were.
It’s every person you’ve inspired to preserve their own history.
The tree is important.
The stories are priceless.
One Day…
One day someone may open one of your genealogy binders.
Or browse through your digital photo collection.
Or discover the journal you carefully filled with memories.
They won’t just learn about your great-grandmother.
They’ll learn something about you.
They’ll see your handwriting.
Your notes in the margins.
The questions you were trying to answer.
The excitement in your research.
The care you took to preserve your family’s history.
Without realizing it, you’ve left behind your own story.
Why I Keep Going
Sometimes I ask myself why I continue to make YouTube videos, write blog posts, create courses, and help others organize their family history.
But then the answer comes, and it’s simple.
Because every family deserves to have its stories remembered.
Every photograph deserves a name.
Every ancestor deserves to be more than a date on a chart.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
Years from now, someone will find something I created and realize that one person cared enough to preserve the past.
If that happens, every hour I’ve spent will have been worth it.
What Story Are You Writing?
As genealogists, we often focus so much on preserving yesterday that we forget we’re living today’s history.
The stories you’re creating now will become someone else’s family history.
So write the journal.
Label the photographs.
Record the videos.
Tell your children and grandchildren about your life.
Preserve your own memories with the same passion you preserve your ancestors’.
Because one day someone may be searching for you.
And I hope they’ll find more than a name.
What story are you writing today?
While you’re busy preserving the lives of those who came before you, don’t forget that you’re writing your own story too. I have a course called The Story of You the Story that you can learn more about HERE.
