Why Your Family Story Matters
Hello, I’m a volunteer at the Tampa Bay Technology Center, where I teach podcasting. Today, I want to talk about something deeply personal: preserving your family history before it’s too late.
I come from a five-person family: my father, mother, sister, brother, and me. I had grandparents I never met because they died before I was born. I knew most of my aunts and uncles, though all have now passed away. There was an Uncle Daryl I never met at all.
It’s remarkable how much I don’t know about my family—but also how much I do remember. Throughout the years, older family members shared stories with me. Some still resonate deeply today. Many others? I’ve simply forgotten them. These are important stories I should be passing down to my five children, but I only have fragments.
The Blessing of Family Stories
Some of you were lucky enough to have a grandmother or grandfather who sat with you and shared family history. If you experienced that, you are truly blessed. Many of us weren’t so fortunate.
My family of five is now down to just me. My parents have passed. My older sister is gone. Last February, my brother died. He and I used to have long, wonderful conversations about our family, but those talks stayed between us—never recorded, never preserved.
I remember my late Uncle George sitting in my Tarpon Springs office in the 1980s, telling me countless family stories. Did I write any of it down? Did I record it? No. It exists only in my memory, and when I’m gone, it will be lost forever.
The Solution: Create a Legacy Podcast
Here’s what I’m proposing: Sit down with yourself, or better yet, with the oldest family member you’re close to, and record a legacy podcast. This is a one-time, single-episode podcast dedicated to preserving your family history.
How to Create Your Legacy Podcast
You already have everything you need. We all carry smartphones capable of recording high-quality audio. Simply sit down with Aunt Martha—the family member who knows everything—and record an interview. Ask about:
- Family origins and immigration stories
- Grandparents and great-grandparents
- Historical events the family lived through
- Family traditions and their meanings
- Stories that should never be forgotten
Where to Preserve It: Archive.org
I recommend posting your legacy podcast on Archive.org (also known as the Internet Archive), a non-profit digital library founded in 1996. Their mission is to preserve and provide universal access to all human knowledge—free forever.
Think of it as the Library of Congress for the Internet, but it’s much more than that.
What Archive.org Offers:
- The Wayback Machine: View archived versions of old websites that no longer exist
- Out-of-print books: Access thousands of books no longer available commercially
- Podcast hosting: Free, permanent hosting for your audio content
I personally use Archive.org regularly. When I wanted to revisit Penn Jones’s books about the Kennedy assassination (Forgive My Grief series), I found them all there—readable online or downloadable for free. Penn Jones was the editor of the Midlothian Texas Times and was in Dallas covering President Kennedy’s visit in November 1963. He became obsessed with documenting the assassination, and his small weekly newspaper published more about it than any major publication at the time.
Why Archive.org for Family History?
Many people host podcasts on Archive.org because:
- It’s free forever (no hosting fees)
- It’s permanent (your content won’t disappear when a company goes out of business)
- It’s accessible (anyone can find it with a simple search)
Imagine this: “The Peterson Family of Battle Creek, Michigan: Our History”—uploaded once, available forever to all future generations.
A Gift to Future Generations
Think about your children. Your grandchildren. Your great-grandchildren you may never meet. Wouldn’t you want them to have access to their family history right there on the internet, preserved at Archive.org?
I remember my first wife’s grandmother—a woman I absolutely adored. She knew everything about the family and would sit with us, sharing story after story. I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to record all of this?” I didn’t do it. That knowledge is now lost.
Don’t make the same mistake I did.
Take Action Today
The technology is in your pocket. The platform is free and permanent. The stories are still alive in someone’s memory—for now.
Create your legacy podcast. Preserve your family history. Give your descendants the gift of knowing where they came from.
It’s something to think about. I hope you’ll do more than think—I hope you’ll act.