Helping you preserve memories and pass on legacies.
Faith Journey Memoirs. All rights reserved.
What is a personal history?
Typically, a personal history is the story of a life, or stories from a life, recorded in written, audio or audio/visual format. It may be a
Biography: a written account of another person’s life
Memoir or autobiography: a history of that person’s life as written or told by that person
Tribute: a form of personal history popular for birthdays, anniversaries and other milestone events that is intended to show gratitude, respect or admiration to another person.
Ethical Will or Legacy Letter: an expression of one’s values, wishes, regrets, observations about life, lessons learned, etc. (See more detailed explanation under “What is an Ethical Will?”)
What is a personal historian?
A personal historian is a person who helps individuals, families, organizations and communities preserve their valuable histories, memories and life stories.
Why hire a personal historian?
Writing your own life story can be an overwhelming task. A skilled personal historian, who is trained to listen and ask good questions, can help you to remember key events and can help you organize and tie together the various stories into an entertaining, informative, easy-to-read narrative.
How is personal history different than genealogy?
Generally, genealogists gather information about family births, deaths, and marriages and map out family trees from this data. Personal historians collect stories and anecdotes that add life to those names on the family tree.
If you came across a book - written by your grandparents or great- grandparents about their ordinary lives - what would it be worth to you? Chances are it would be one of the most priceless possessions you owned!
Why would anyone be interested in an ordinary person’s story?
What is an Ethical Will?
Ethical wills, or legacy letters are not legally binding documents; they are messages from the heart where you may express your love and gratitude, your personal and spiritual values and beliefs, the life lessons you’ve learned, the things you regret or are proud of and your hopes and blessings for the future. This may also be an opportunity to forgive and to ask forgiveness.
What if there are things I don’t want to talk about?
Although it is therapeutic to talk and write about the difficult times or situations in your life, you will never be pressured to reveal information that you consider private. When you hire a personal historian or take a memoir writing class, you control the content of your story.
How long does it take to complete a project?
A typical life history book takes over 200 hours to complete, from the time the interviews begin until the books are delivered. The number of hours that are required will vary, depending on how much material there is and how many options you decide to include.
How much does a personal history cost?
The cost of the book will be based on the number of interview hours and the quantity of pictures/memorabilia that are included. These variables may be adjusted to fit your budget.
Often a personal history is commissioned as a gift – for a holiday, special birthday, anniversary or milestone event. Family members may choose to share the cost, making the project affordable for everyone.
Can I write my memoir myself?
Of course you can. There are many classes and books to help you write your memoir, but most people lack the motivation to do it on their own. A personal historian can provide the “coaching” and accountability that is needed to accomplish the task.
A personal historian is able to offer suggestions about how to structure and organize a memoir if you don’t know where to start. If you have already written your memoir, a personal historian can assist you with the editing, designing and publishing process.
