So then, your first job as family historian is to decide just how far you want to go with your writing project. What you had for breakfast this morning is history. My grandfather started every day with a slab of fresh bread slathered with home-made butter and dripping with molasses kept in a barrel in the summer kitchen. He lived to nearly 90, so much for the cholesterol theories. In between your breakfast and the breakfast of your most distant ancestor are thousands of fascinating stories, facts and tidbits.
History is a celebration of passing time.
When writing your family history, imagine that your great-grandchild will pick it up 100 years from now when all or most evidence of today, yesterday and the generations before that you remember or have access to learning about are a blurry memory. And, don t forget your children. Get them to talk about themselves by stimulating memories. Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread or molasses cookies to get someone talking. Inquire if the companies for which your ancestors work have had histories written about them.