Your Story Here Video Biography

What I've learned.

How to: Family History Interviews

Friday November 23rd - the day after Thanksgiving - is the National Day of Listening, a chance to sit down with a loved one, turn on an audio recorder or app on your phone or even better a video camera or your phone's video and ask that person about his or her life. Looking for some ideas of where to start - here's some tips to get you started...

hubpages.com Family history often starts with an interview on audio or video. Preserving the stories of your older family members grants them a kind of immortality, ensuring they remain a presence long after their passing. They will enjoy the attention and the process. And you will gather important information a...

One Vast and Free Online Film and Image Archive

In our line of work - helping folks make video biographies of loved ones - we are always looking for good source material to help tell personal history stories. One of our favorite places to find interesting things is our very own Library of Congress which has now digitized a vast amount of our Nation's treasures. Its "National Screening Room" which allows you to view and download items from its vast collection of films. What will you find? Well that very much depends on your tastes and interests. But so far there are around 300 titles and more are being added every month...

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com 1929 Poster from LOC's free online collection In our line of work - helping folks make video biographies of loved ones - we are always l...

National Home Front Project – Collecting Memories of WWII

This is an effort to capture and preserve the stories of people born before 1940 who were on the home front during WWII. You can even listen to short extracts from some audio interviews!

nationalhomefrontproject.org Histories of World War II too often omit the experiences of “home front heroes”: the men, women, and children who bought bonds, built planes, endured sacrifices, and kept families together while loved ones served on the front lines. In contrast to the many oral histories of veterans, very few of...

Why Should You Consider a Video Biography?

There are so many reasons why you should do a video biography. In my latest blog there are some great reasons for anyone who might be feeling a bit reluctant. So, please record and tell your story, and the story of your family. Let it become that very treasure that you can imagine might have been given to you by your parents or grandparents. There are so many people who love you that are just waiting for you to do so!

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com OK, I am talking right now to the main subject of a proposed family history. Not the son, not the daughter and not the grandkids or ...

More Tasty and Simple Traditional Family Recipes from ShafronChef

Like many families, many of our family traditions - and stories - involve food. So when our kids went to college we started gathering some of their favorite recipes so they could cook them. We decided to put the recipes in one place and so https://www.shafronchef.com/ was born. Many of our recipes have stories which we incorporated and we also included some recipes from the extended family. It has been a great way to connect the generations and family from all around. I would definitely recommend a project like this for your family!

shafronchef.com Welcome to ShafronChef - the finest home cooking either side of the Pacific!

SDSU graduate finally gets diploma — at 105. He's the oldest alum, but somehow never got the sheepskin — San Diego Union Tribune

Some things are worth while waiting for. At 105, Bill Vogt just received his diploma after graduating from San Diego State University in 1935!

apple.news At age 105, Bill Vogt has learned a thing or two.

Keeping Memories Alive with Tribute Video: How One Family Honored a Lost Life

My friend Kristy lost her husband Rob unexpectedly five years ago. She asked friends and family to record their memories of Rob and asked us to edit the material into a special tribute video to help her three boys remember their wonderful father. Kirsty got the idea after reading Sheryl Sandberg's book "Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy" which Sandberg co-wrote after losing her husband. Sandberg had asked friends and family to record their stories and memories of her husband for her children. We were honored to work with Kristy to edit the video clips weaving them together with personal photos and some home video.

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com Life doesn’t always turn out like we plan or like we hope it will. Kristy and Rob had three boys together - all still in school. Rob was ...

The Merry Month of May And a Mother's Memories of War

Happy Mother's Day - especially to all the mothers like Michelle whose stories we have had the privilege of recording over the years!

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com The month of May is mostly a happy month – we are well on our way to summer and we mark Mothers' Day. May is also a sad month – Memorial D...

A Journalist Seeks Out Her Roots, But Finds Few Answers In The Soil

Terry Gross (one of my favorite NPR interviewers) speaks to Alex Wagner about her efforts to find out about her ancestors and the pitfalls of DNA ancestry tests which she writes about in a her new book "Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging." Wagner says, her book is about a quest for belonging: "I wanted a story to call my own. I wanted to know who my people were. And I, I think like a lot of Americans, I thought I could find those people in the past." Sounds like a fascinating read!

npr.org Alex Wagner says the birth of her son made her want to learn more about her heritage. "I wanted to tell my son a story that was true," she says. Wagner chronicles her journey in Futureface.

Dealing with Loss: Practical Tips from a New Book

In her book "Passed and Present", Allison Gilbert makes 85 suggestions (“Forget Me Nots”) for keeping the memories of our loved ones alive. In this blog I pass along seven of her terrific ideas.

memorial-videos.com It is the inevitability of loss that unites us all. And yet it is loss that can also separate us – not just from our lost loved one but from our family and friends. Sometimes the isolation arises...

7 Things to Consider Choosing a Video Biographer

It's the start of a new year and maybe you are thinking of creating a video biography project for your family. But how do you choose a video biographer? Here are some tips - 7 things to consider!

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com Thinking about recording a family story? You can do it yourself or you can hire a professional. We encourage everyone to record the...

Does Your Estate Plan Have a Gaping Hole?

A great article reminding us to leave a meaningful legacy. The author writes: "Don’t let your possessions become the only representations of your life. Whether you decide to take on a big project, like ... producing an autobiographical documentary ... these representations of your thoughts, heritage and life journey are extremely valuable. They become the foundation upon which your family members build their lives."

kiplinger.com Forget your wealth and possessions: Your beliefs, values and wisdom could be the most treasured assets you pass down to the ones you love. To get the ball rolling on a plan for that transfer, you could start by simply writing a letter.

Why You Should Write a Memoir—Even if Nobody Will Read It

More research on the benefit of capturing and recording life stories - whether in video or written memoirs!

wsj.com Among the psychological benefits: It helps people make sense of their lives.

Unique Gift Idea: Colorize an old B&W Photo!

Looking for a unique gift idea? Colorizing an old black and white photo can make it come alive. The addition of color can give it a whole new lease of life! Almost any old photo can be restored and colorized!

photofixrestore.com

Were These GoT Actors Born to Play Their Roles? Ancestry Research Revealed - Ancestry Blog

Ancestry.com has done some digging to discover the ancestors of our favorite Game of Thrones actors!

blogs.ancestry.com

A Seat Near Hi**er, and Other Olympic Tales From the Baron, 105

Imagine living to 105! Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein of Liechtenstein attributes his longevity to honey and Ovaltine. His life's passion has been promoting the Olympics for his country of Liechtenstein. He remembers attending the 1936 Olympics in Berlin!

nytimes.com “Where is your recorder?” Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein said. “Be sure it is on.” Because he had a lot to tell about the Olympic movement.

UC San Diego Celebrates Oldest Living Alumnus Walter Munk as He Turns 100

UC San Diego is celebrating its oldest living alumnus Walter Munk as he turns 100. Munk has been called the “Einstein of the oceans” and is known for inventing the science of wave forecasting. Happy 100th birthday to Walter!

ucsdnews.ucsd.edu If you’ve ever checked a surf report to know how big the waves will be for a surfing session, you have Walter Munk to thank. And those calendars that predict high and low tides? They wouldn’t be possible without the research from a UC San Diego legendary oceanographer.

From Poland to Lithuania: A Writer’s Search for Her Jewish Past

Vacations as family history? This writer visits Poland and Lithuania in search of her Jewish ancestors. Have you had a vacation to places that are part of your family history?

nytimes.com From the Jewish districts of historic cities to small, out-of-the-way towns once known as shtetls, the author finds remnants of the past at every turn.

DIY Family History Questions

Here's a great DIY idea for a family history project - get the kids and grandkids to come up with the questions they want to know the answers to about mom or dad's life...

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com Some people rely on us 100% to record and preserve their family history. But if you are the energetic, self-starting Eads, you make the w...

The Vietnam War - Ken Burns

There is a new documentary by Ken Burns on the Vietnam War that starts this Sunday, September 17. It is a 10 part, 18 hour documentary project incorporating not only historical footage and 80 interviews but music from the period and narration by Peter Coyote. Definitely worthwhile checking out!

kenburns.com THE VIETNAM WAR is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film seriesdirected by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will air on PBS inSeptember 2017.In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epicstory of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. THEVIETNAM WAR features tes...

With a Simple DNA Test, Family Histories Are Rewritten

Another story about surprises in a DNA test rewriting family history!

nytimes.com Widespread DNA testing has shed light on the ancestry of millions of Americans. But these services have limitations, and the results can be uncertain.

The benefits of telling a life story

What are the benefits of telling - and recording - a life story? Here are my 7 top reasons!

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com A call from a journalist last week got me thinking about the benefits of telling a life story. Over the years, I have found there are ma...

AncestryDNA™ US | DNA Tests for Ethnicity & Genealogy DNA Test

If you have been thinking of having a DNA test now might be a good time as Ancestry has a special offer - just $69 until August 15.

ancestry.com AncestryDNA™ is the newest DNA test which helps you find genetic relatives and expand your genealogy research. Order your DNA test kit today.

The Importance of Oral Histories in Genealogy and Family History: give grandma a call

It is encouraging to see genealogists recognizing the importance of capturing family stories from the people who actually know the history. So, yes, please give grandma or grandpa a call.

genealogics.wordpress.com One of the most enjoyable and important aspects of family history is collecting stories from family members. For many, these stories are what initially interested us in family history. Genealogies…

She thought she was Irish — until a DNA test opened a 100-year-old mystery

Have you had your DNA tested? This is a fascinating story of a woman whose DNA test led to a very unexpected outcome in her family history.

washingtonpost.com How Alice Collins Plebuch’s foray into “recreational genomics” upended a family tree.

Recording Family History: The 5 Biggest Mistakes

Here are the five worst things you can do if you are thinking about recording family history...

yourstoryhere.blogspot.com A bit of fun this month - I am going to talk about the five worst things you can do if you are thinking about recording family history. An...