Before It's Too Late

Listen to someone you care about, ask questions...

Often people develop a real interest in family history only when the older generation begins to disappear. 

If you're fairly young, it's natural to assume that your parents—perhaps even your grandparents—will always be part of your life.  Yet, time marches on.

What sparks your curiosity?  

Has your grandfather talked to you about his adventures?  Wouldn't you like to be able to recall the flavor—and the details—of his stories many years from now?  

You know your mother has had a lifelong dedication to developing her career, yet do you or your children know what led her to her work and how she overcame the obstacles that confronted her?

How did your uncle make a new life for himself as a refugee?
Why did your father never get around to finishing the boat he was building?  And what do your oldest relatives remember of their parents and grandparents?

Now, before it's too late, we encourage you to make notes of what you would like to ask the special people in your life.  Tape record a series of conversations with them and have them show you their scrapbooks and photo albums.  You'll always be glad you took time to honor the lives of people who mean so much to you.

Listening to the stories of Dorothy Moulter, a wilderness nurse.
(Boundary Waters Canoe Area, 1977)

...and create a permanent record of those stories.

Heirloom books for four families

Well-constructed books with acid-free pages can last for centuries.  There is a lot of work involved in making a book, however. That's where we come in.

The Storehouse Collection of Memories can provide help with any part of the process. 

We can record the life story of someone you love and create a book filled with details of his or her life, stories about his or her experiences, reflections on what he or she has learned, and photos of special people and places.  

We can work from personal interviews, from pre-recorded tapes, from journals and letters, and from other collected writings.  

And we can put it all together in a bound book that will be treasured for generations to come! A life story book is a wonderful way to give a person you love—and yourself—the “gift of a lifetime.”