Routes to Roots: Easy Video Family Histories
More and more families are realizing the benefits of video family histories. By combining those old photos and some simple interview techniques, you can make family keepsakes for future generations.They stare at me glumly from under the brims of their straw skimmers, as if to say, "We trusted Cousin Willie's Kodak to keep our memory green, but you don't even know our names;" and as I page through Grandma's withered photo book, I must admit my ancestors are right.
Which is frustrating because I blew my only chance to find out who they were. Some years ago I sat with my mother as she turned through this ancient album while delivering funny and libelous comments (like the one about "Auntie Sparkle," who won her nickname because she killed a jug a day of hundred-proof "nerve tonic" from a teetotal teaspoon instead of a shot glass).
I'd struggled to write notes as Mom put names to those monochrome faces, but I can't find them anymore, and now she too stands silently with Auntie Sparkle and Cousin Willie in that great snapshot album up above.
If I had known, I would've grabbed a camcorder and preserved my mother's priceless guided tour. To help you avoid my mistake, here's a lightning-fast survey of video family histories, plus a closer look at just one of the many possible projects of this…
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