Your family's story is more than just names and dates—it's a collection of memories, stories, photos, and experiences that define who you are. FamilySearch provides powerful tools to preserve these precious memories for future generations. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to use FamilySearch's Memories features to create a digital family legacy that will endure.
Why Preserve Family Memories Digitally?
Physical photos fade, documents deteriorate, and memories fade with time. Digital preservation on FamilySearch offers:
- Permanent Storage: Your memories are preserved indefinitely in FamilySearch's secure servers
- Universal Access: Family members worldwide can access shared memories anytime
- Organization: Easily categorize and connect memories to family members in your tree
- Collaboration: Multiple family members can contribute to a shared memory collection
- Searchability: Tagged and described memories become searchable for future researchers
1. Preserving Family Photos
Photos are often the most cherished family memories. Here's how to preserve them on FamilySearch.
Step 1: Digitize Your Photos
Before uploading to FamilySearch, you need digital copies of your photos:
- Use a Scanner: For best quality, use a flatbed scanner at 300-600 DPI
- Smartphone Scanning Apps: Apps like Google PhotoScan provide good results
- Professional Services: For large collections, consider professional digitization services
- File Format: Save as JPEG or PNG for compatibility
Step 2: Add Descriptions & Tags
When uploading photos to FamilySearch, include:
- Who: Identify everyone in the photo
- When: Approximate date (year at minimum)
- Where: Location where photo was taken
- What: Occasion or event depicted
- Why: Why this photo is significant to your family
Pro Tip: Create a consistent naming convention for your digital photos before uploading (e.g., "Smith_Family_Reunion_1985_01.jpg"). This makes organization easier.
2. Recording Audio Memories
Audio recordings capture voices, stories, and emotions in a way photos cannot.
FamilySearch allows you to upload audio files up to 15 minutes long. Here's how to create meaningful audio memories:
Family Interview Guide
Interviewing family members is one of the best ways to capture audio memories. Prepare questions in advance:
Recording Tips
- Use a quiet room with minimal background noise
- Place recording device (smartphone or recorder) close to the speaker
- Test audio levels before starting the interview
- Record in MP3 or M4A format for FamilySearch compatibility
- Keep recordings under 15 minutes for easy uploading
3. Writing Family Stories
Written stories provide context and detail that complement photos and audio recordings.
FamilySearch's Stories feature allows you to write and attach narratives to individuals in your family tree. Here are types of stories to consider:
- Biographical Sketches: Life summaries of ancestors
- Anecdotes: Short, memorable stories about family members
- Historical Context: How world events affected your family
- Family Traditions: Descriptions of recurring family customs
- Migration Stories: How your family moved from place to place
Writing Tip: Include sensory details—what people saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt. This brings stories to life for future generations.
4. Preserving Family Documents
Important documents provide official records of your family's history.
Types of documents to preserve on FamilySearch:
- Vital Records: Birth, marriage, and death certificates
- Military Documents: Service records, discharge papers, draft cards
- Immigration Papers: Passenger lists, naturalization documents
- Letters & Correspondence: Personal letters that reveal family relationships
- Legal Documents: Wills, deeds, property records
- Newspaper Clippings: Articles about family members
Document Preservation Guidelines
- Scan documents at 300 DPI for readability
- Handle fragile documents carefully during scanning
- Create transcriptions for handwritten documents that are difficult to read
- Include source information about where the document originated
- Organize documents by family line or individual
How to Upload Memories to FamilySearch
Access the Memories Section
Log into your FamilySearch account and click "Memories" in the main navigation. From here, you can access Photos, Stories, Documents, and Audio.
Choose What to Upload
Click "Add Memory" and select the type of memory you want to upload (Photo, Story, Document, or Audio). Follow the prompts to select files from your computer.
Add Details & Tags
For each memory, add a title, description, date, and location. Most importantly, tag family members from your tree who are connected to the memory.
Organize with Albums
Create albums to group related memories. You might create albums by family line, event type, time period, or geographic location.
Organizing Your Family Memories
Organization makes your memory collection more accessible and meaningful:
Creating Memory Albums
FamilySearch allows you to create albums to organize memories. Consider these album categories:
- By Family Line: Separate albums for maternal and paternal lines
- By Generation: Group memories by time period or generation
- By Event Type: Weddings, holidays, reunions, military service
- By Location: Memories from specific towns, regions, or countries
- By Individual: Dedicated albums for specific ancestors
Using Tags Effectively
Tagging connects memories to individuals in your family tree. Best practices for tagging:
- Tag every recognizable person in photos
- Include full names (not just "Grandma" or "Uncle Bob")
- Tag multiple family members in group photos
- Use location tags for places significant to your family history
- Add date tags to establish chronological context
Collaborating with Family Members
FamilySearch makes it easy to collaborate on memory preservation:
Sharing & Collaboration Features
- Share Albums: Give family members view or edit access to specific albums
- Memory Notifications: FamilySearch notifies tagged individuals when new memories are added
- Commenting: Family members can add comments and additional information to memories
- Mobile App Collaboration: Use the FamilySearch Memories app to collaborate in real-time during family gatherings
Using the FamilySearch Mobile App for Memory Preservation
The FamilySearch mobile app (available for iOS and Android) offers powerful memory preservation features:
- Direct Photo Upload: Take photos with your phone and upload them directly to FamilySearch
- Audio Recording: Record interviews and stories directly within the app
- On-the-Go Tagging: Tag family members while reviewing photos together
- Document Scanning: Use your phone's camera to scan and upload documents
- Location Services: Automatically tag photos with location data
Mobile Tip: Use the mobile app during family gatherings to capture memories as they happen. You can even create shared albums that multiple family members can contribute to during the event.
Preservation Best Practices
Quality Standards
To ensure your memories are preserved in the best possible quality:
- Photos: Upload the highest resolution version available (minimum 300 DPI for printed photos)
- Audio: Use clear recordings without background noise (MP3 format recommended)
- Documents: Ensure text is legible in scanned documents
- Stories: Proofread written stories for clarity and accuracy
Backup Strategy
While FamilySearch provides secure storage, it's wise to maintain backups:
- Keep original physical items in archival-safe storage
- Maintain local digital copies on external hard drives
- Use cloud storage services as secondary backups
- Share copies with multiple family members
Privacy Considerations
Understanding privacy settings is important when preserving family memories:
Privacy Settings Guide
- Living Individuals: Memories of living people are private by default
- Deceased Individuals: Memories become part of the public shared tree
- Album Privacy: You can control who can view each album
- Tagging Privacy: Only people with access to an individual's information can see tags
- Sensitive Content: Consider family feelings before sharing potentially sensitive memories
Creating a Memory Preservation Plan
A systematic approach ensures no memories are overlooked:
- Inventory Existing Memories: Document what you already have (photos, documents, etc.)
- Prioritize: Start with oldest or most fragile items
- Set Goals: Aim to preserve a certain number of items per month
- Engage Family: Assign different memory types to different family members
- Schedule Interviews: Plan regular times to record stories from older relatives
- Review & Organize: Regularly review your digital collection for completeness
Special Projects & Memory Collections
Consider these themed memory preservation projects:
- Family Recipe Collection: Preserve recipes with stories about who created them
- Military Service Archive: Collect photos, documents, and stories about family military service
- Home History Project: Document family homes through photos and stories
- Immigration Journey: Trace your family's migration path with documents and stories
- Family Heirlooms Catalog: Photograph and document the history of family treasures
Project Tip: Start with a small, manageable project like preserving all photos from a specific decade or documenting one branch of your family. Success with a small project builds momentum for larger preservation efforts.
The Impact of Your Preservation Work
When you preserve family memories on FamilySearch, you're creating a legacy that will:
- Connect Generations: Help future family members understand their heritage
- Preserve Cultural Heritage: Document traditions that might otherwise be lost
- Honor Ancestors: Give voice to those who came before you
- Create Research Resources: Provide context for future genealogical research
- Build Family Identity: Strengthen family bonds through shared history
Preserving family memories is one of the most meaningful contributions you can make to your family's legacy. With FamilySearch's free tools and these strategies, you can ensure that the stories, faces, and voices of your family will be remembered for generations to come. Start today—every memory you preserve is a gift to the future.