How to preserve family stories

Updated 18 October 2026 · 2 min read

Family stories disappear quietly, one relative at a time. Keeping them takes less than most people think: a few conversations, a phone, and a place to put it all where the family can find it.

1. Start with who you could lose first

Begin with the oldest relatives and anyone who is unwell. A great-aunt may be the last person who remembers why the family moved, or what a grandmother was like as a girl.

2. Gather what already exists

• Photo albums: photograph the back of each photo too, where names are written.
• Letters, diaries, recipe cards, certificates.
• Voice messages and videos on family phones.
• Family chats: the way people wrote to each other is part of who they were.

3. Ask for stories, and record them

Sit with one person at a time. Show them a photo and ask, "Who is this? What was happening that day?" Photos unlock memories better than any question. Record their voice with permission. Write down names, places and rough dates as you go. If you need prompts, use our 100 questions to ask your parents.

4. Ask more than one person

Every sibling remembers a different mother. Ask brothers, sisters and cousins to add their own memories of the same people. Disagreements are fine; they are part of the story.

5. Connect the stories to a family tree

A simple tree, with parents, grandparents, partners and children, gives every story a place. The next generation will understand "your great-grandmother's sister" far better when they can see it.

6. Make it last

• Keep copies in at least two places.
• Prefer formats that will still open in twenty years: JPG, PDF, MP3, plain text.
• Make sure more than one family member can get to everything.
• Decide who looks after it if you can't.

7. Make it something the family uses

Stories kept in a box get forgotten. Stories that the family can read, hear and ask about stay alive in conversation. Share one at a birthday. Read a grandmother's recipe aloud while you cook it.

How OtherMy helps

In OtherMy each person can have a copy, built by the family together: answers to questions, memories with photos, voice recordings and real chats. The family tree puts parents, grandparents, partners and children on one map, with each person's copy a tap away. Up to five family members can add to a copy. Later anyone in the family can ask a grandparent's copy about their life and hear the answer the way they would tell it. Guardians you choose look after your own copy if something happens to you, and everything can be downloaded at any time.

Read next: how to save a parent's voice.