Three reasons why you should write your family history

Namings, 21sts, weddings and funerals - these are generally the times when you get together with your extended family. It's great to catch up and swop stories on family members past and present. So, here are three reasons to capture those memories whilst you can:

1. You preserve your family history for future generations, especially the children, who'll get to read about the exploits of their ancestors and develop a feeling of security from the knowledge they gain about their roots.
2. It can be a super reason to get hold of and preserve rare family documents that may otherwise be damaged or lost forever.
3. It's a great way to re-connect with relatives that you may have lost touch with - it can bring families back together!

There you have it - three great reasons why you should write your family history!

If you fancy having a go at writing yours, here are five links to get you started:

Online Learning Circle Writing Your Memoirs and Family History Course

www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages/register-offices for details of births, marriages, deaths, adoptions and civil partnerships - England and Wales

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk for census returns, wills and military records - England and Wales

In Scotland and Northern Ireland the indexes are held by The General Register Office at: www.gro-scotland.gov.uk and www.groni.gov.uk respectively.