Memories: Family History That Impacts Your Family and Posterity

By Brent Meredith

Family History Department

Many people hear the words “family history” and only think about building a family tree and seeing how many ancestors they can find. As Church members, this is important to us because it allows our ancestors to receive the precious blessings of temple ordinances, which frees them to continue on their personal covenant path to exaltation.

But stop and think for a moment: “While it truly blessed my ancestor, how did performing that ordinance for them impact me, my children, or my posterity?” Depending on who that ancestor was, your individual answers will vary greatly. If all you did was find a name in your tree that was ready for ordinances, you may know nothing about them. You might even wonder “Who is this person?”

If it was a member of your immediate family or a close grandparent, an auntie or uncle, someone you personally knew and loved, that ordinance could have great impact and meaning. They may have helped you have confidence to move forward on an important decision, comforted you when you were sick or offered encouragement and counsel when facing challenges. Perhaps you remember them because they made your favorite food when you visited, or maybe they always shared funny stories and made you laugh and be happy in spite of difficult circumstances. What is the difference in how you felt?

The difference is that you have memories for one and not the other.

Now consider if you had looked on FamilySearch for the ancestor you didn’t know and saw some pictures of him. Perhaps he looked very much like your grandfather. Perhaps there was a story that talked of how during one rainy season, there was a big flood in his village. His home washed away, one of his children died in the flood, and his fields were ruined. He didn’t have anything left to support his family, so after praying, he migrated with his family to the city, where he struggled but eventually found work to support and feed his family.

Photos create visual memories. Stories help establish emotional connections and memories between you and your ancestor. These connections may help you recognize or learn things from their experiences that can help you in your own family. For example, you may have hope that the problems you are facing are temporary and with hard work can be overcome. Perhaps a humorous story will be retold so your children will know about them. We can learn from both good or bad experiences, and the things we learn can make our lives better.

Memories are an important part of family history. The FamilySearch Memories app can help you capture and save them for your own family and posterity. After opening the app, just touch the + circle, and it will open a menu where you can select to add photographs, write or record stories and memories, and save special documents for any of your living family or relatives.

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Capturing memories can involve the whole family. Perhaps the next time you visit one of your older relatives, you can get a group picture, ask about and record special memories they had of times they struggled, how they worked through their struggles, and things they did that brought great joy and happiness.
For ancestors who have passed on, gather your family together or meet individually to write or record and upload anything you remember or things you were told about them.
Capture and record special memories and stories. Take photos or collect and upload photos and any special documents such as graduation or marriage certificates that have been preserved for each of your family members that you can find. Include photos of special occasions such as a marriage, birth of a child, a graduation, or just a special celebration with your family. Don’t overlook memorial notices which usually contain a wealth of family information and family relationships.
Now consider your personal contributions. Think about things that have impacted your life for good, the challenges you have overcome, or the support or blessings you have given to others. In addition to yourself, record special memories you have for each of your children, how proud you were of accomplishments. If available, include special photos associated with those events.

When you record these special memories within FamilySearch, they can become a source of inspiration, encouragement, and joy for your posterity for generations to come. Think what you wish you knew about your ancestors. Don’t wait until precious memories are lost or forgotten.