WRITE YOUR OWN HISTORY

ONE HOUR LIFE HISTORY


Writing a life history about yourself or an ancestor! Sounds like a monumental task, but it can be done in an hour. It’s easy, it’s even fun. Here is one way to begin:

Set aside an hour - use a timer to ease your mind - and find a comfortable place to write. Use a notebook, legal pad and a ballpoint pen, a typewriter, or a computer. Or if writing is difficult for you, talk into a tape recorder and have someone else transcribe it.

Begin with your name. Simply write: “My name is....” Tell how you got your name, what it means, your nickname, other names you were given etc., If you were named for Aunt Matilda or Grandpa George, write that down.

Now write everything you know about where you were born; the name of the hospital or the address of the house or the location of the farm. Another time try to get a picture of that place for your history. Add details about the weather, the time of day, and the day of the week. List your weight and length at birth. Any other interesting details your parents may have told you.

List the names, birthplaces, and birth dates of your parents, brothers and sisters. Name

the schools attended, including college. You may be tempted to begin a long story, but resist the temptation. Straying from the assignment will run into overtime and make you reluctant to return to your history.

List the organizations you joined as a child & teenager. Primary, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts. Did you play an instrument, participate in sports, arts, dance, etc.

List important Church dates, Baptism, location and other ordinances, and your Church callings.

List the date, location, and other significant details of your marriage. Then list your children and their birth dates. Mention important changes in your family - a child’s marriage, deaths, divorces, moves and jobs. Remember keep to the bare bones of your life. You only have one hour to stick to the facts.

Describe how you have spent your adult life - at work, at home, and so forth.

YOU’RE DONE! Make a clean copy of your work. Use page protectors and insert it into a three ring binder. The binder will make it easy to add material later on. Keep this history with your journal. Add pictures in this history. Continue to write in your journal. Your one-hour history will be a fair representation of your life. You never have to worry about writing your life history again if you don’t want to.

Of course you may want to think about it again. You can add more to your life history in one-hour increments. Try one of the following options: When you finish a project, make a clean copy and put it into your three-ring binder. This format for writing histories on your ancestors will work well, you will be able to see in an hour what information you have and what you need to research your family etc. for. Have a folder or large envelope for each ancestor you are researching and put each bit of information you find into that envelope, you will know where to find it. Now, see the next page.

NOTE: This portion was taken from the Ensign, June 1994 by Carol Huber.

SECOND SECTION OF LIFE HISTORY

Write a story about an event in your childhood, (or your ancestors). The story doesn’t have to be earth shaking in significance, sometimes the most daily events of our lives are tender and far reaching, it just has to mean something to you. Begin like this: “I remember when I was seven...” You will be amazed at what you remember!

Elaborate on any of the topics in the first history, seeing its faces and places described in the text can help it come alive. You can purchase archival-quality pages to hold photographs; or copies of your photographs can be made on a copy machine or a computer scanner, add to your binder. (How long these will last is not known, only time will tell).

Write down your testimony, spiritual experiences, your conversation etc. This is important for every Latter-day Saint. Schedule a special time, perhaps on fast Sunday, or Family Home Evening. Seek the Spirit of the Spirit of the Lord. Also include a copy of patriarchal blessing, this is your personal scripture.

How about a romance chapter? Write the story of your courtship, engagement, wedding or honeymoon. Add in how wartime etc. effected your decisions.

Write some memories of your children. Reminisce on their babyhood and the cute things they said and did.

Write about yourself as you see yourself. How do you feel and what do you think? Describe yourself, not just physically, but with other interesting details; that you cry over sentimental movies, love baseball, and hate beets. Write about your best Christmas, summer vacation, or annual family outing; write about any holiday or vacation.

Make lists. For example, what are your favorite foods? Favorite colors? Etc.

Write about items in your home that have a special meaning to you. If you son cut his teeth on the back of a chair, write about it. Mention any furniture etc., handed down to you from a loved one. Write life history rich in detail.

Remember the important sources for finding information, and jogging your memory. Letters, cards, news articles, historical collections at the CUP Museum, Family History Library, other places. Ask your relatives about things, have a get together and talk about your lives and record it. Do not destroy family letters! Even the date on an envelope will help you in research. Include these letters etc. in your history by putting them in protective sleeves. Make sure that you note whose handwriting each is. Be sure and use your own handwriting somewhere in your history, your children, etc. will love to see how you wrote cursive.

Next catalogue your pictures. Start by putting the box of pictures by your chair, with a soft lead pencil, but the names, dates, places and what was going on was well as you can remember. You never know when you may forget wheat you know! Many pictures are relegated to the garbage because no one knows who it is.

Gradually you will have life histories rich in detail. For now, have fun in just one hour at a time. Every history has value, yours and our ancestors. They make wonderful gifts for Christmas, etc. Give a grandchild a story and picture of their progenitors.

WORKSHEET

This is a work sheet to do a life sketch history. Each section below should be on a different page. Give the page a title or file the pages under separate tabs, so you can easily find the appropriate pages as you work on your history.



1. Me-My Name. Begin with your name. Simply write: “My name is....” Tell how you got your name, what it means, your nickname, other names you were given etc., if you were named for Aunt Matilda or Grandpa George, write that down.

2. Birth. Now write everything you know about where you were born; the name of the hospital or the address of the house or the location of the farm. Another time try to get a picture of that place for your history. Add details about the weather, the time of day, and the day of the week. List your weight and length at birth. Any other interesting details your parents may have told you.

3. Family. List the names, birthplaces, and birth dates of your parents, brothers and sisters.

4. School. Name the schools attended, including college. You may be tempted to begin a long story, but resist the temptation. Straying from the assignment will run into overtime and make you reluctant to return to your history.

5. Activities. List the organizations you joined as a child & teenager. Primary, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts.

6. Hobbies. Did you play an instrument, participate in sports, arts, dance,

7. Church. List important Church dates, Baptism, location and other ordinances, and your Church callings.

8. Marriage. List the date, location, and other significant details of your marriage.

9. Children. Then list your children and their birth dates.

10. Events. Mention important changes in your family - a child’s marriage, deaths, divorces, moves and jobs. Remember keep to the bare bones of your life. You only have one hour to stick to the facts.

11. Life in General. Describe how you have spent your adult life - at work, at home, and so forth.



SECOND SECTION OF LIFE HISTORY

1. Childhood Stories. Write a story about an event in your childhood, (or your ancestors). The story doesn’t have to be earth shaking in significance, sometimes the most daily events of our lives are tender and far reaching, it just has to mean something to you. Begin like this: “I remember when I was seven...” You will be amazed at what you remember!

2. Section Elaboration. Elaborate on any of the topics in the first history, seeing its faces and places described in the text can help it come alive.

3. Spiritual Notes. Write down your testimony, spiritual experiences, your conversation etc.

4. Marriage Memories. How about a romance chapter? Write the story of your courtship, engagement, wedding or honeymoon. Add in how wartime etc. effected your decisions.

(Put in Marriage Section)

5. Children Memories. Write some memories of your children. Reminisce on their babyhood and the cute things they said and did.

6. Who I am. Write about yourself as you see yourself. How do you feel and what do you think? Describe yourself, not just physically, but with other interesting details; that you cry over sentimental movies, love baseball, and hate beets. Write about your best Christmas, summer vacation, or annual family outing; write about any holiday or vacation.

7. Lists. Make lists. For example, what are your favorite foods? Favorite colors? Etc.

8. Keepsakes. Write about items in your home that have a special meaning to you. If you son cut his teeth on the back of a chair, write about it. Mention any furniture etc., handed down to you from a loved one. Write life history rich in detail.

9. General - Write about anything you like. If it doesn’t fit elsewhere, put it here with a title.