Memoirs

[BeeGuy]

Many of us lose a lot of our family history when the older generation passes on.

Memoirs are not written, memories fade, stories are lost.

If you could put a $ figure on a compilation of memoirs from your father, or grandfather, mother or grandmother, what would they be worth to you.

I would say $1000.

What say you?

[Gust]

A close friends uncle started cp air and started at cp rail where his father (her grandfther) was an train engineer. She has her grand dads pen and inkwell memoirs of life on the rails and it morphs into her uncles,, she wants to donate it to either a train or aircraft museum,, not sure how to value something like that.

Memoirs of common folk have more significance that say a celebrity as it tends to represent a truer, sincere perspective.

While restoring an old house, I found a journal kept by a gardner noting every days weather and ither natural things for a span of 45 years.

To me that would have plenty of value, to anther it may be good firestarter.

The u of c has a book buyer, handmade and the like, maybe you could get an appraisal from them.

[KWO]

I can't put a value on it. I just joined Ancestry.com. The first thing that I learning is how important the tiniest details can be.

Then there is what I guess is the "oral history" of it all. Walking around the family farm with my grand mother several years ago, I learned a great deal about how the farm and the family evolved. Walking around it more recently with my dad and aunt, I realize how much was not passed down to even them. Now I working hard, without getting too obnoxious, to to get every detail I can. I wish Gran was still around.

If you have the chance to "interview" relatives now, don't waste a moment. BeeGuy is right on point - with the passing of every family member, you may lose a significant part of your family history.

[Matt L.]

There is no price in my mind Beeguy. Although are you looking at insurance?

[BeeGuy]

No,

I'm discussing with several elderly relatives a method for easily extracting their life history/story.
I have mentioned this to a few people who were also very interested in the prospect of having memoirs compiled from their elderly relatives.

Just trying to outline a deliverable product and $$.

[albertadeer]

Maybe 1000$ per minute spent making those memories. I know i would pay endless amounts for just a few seconds with past loved ones.

[Matt L.]

Ah I see. Without knowing what kind of product, I can't really give any hep with a price.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

Ah I see. Without knowing what kind of product, I can't really give any hep with a price.

Imagine a hardcover bound book,

gold embossed

portrait of the individual, or portait(s)

compiled within is the life story, and personal anecdotes running 150pages

[Matt L.]

Ok, and you'd basically be transcribing a recording/s or something similar?

[IR_mike]

Good post bee....

Put your family memoirs down.

Gramps on dads side fed the whole family, sometimes cramming in 10 years worth of tags into one.

Gramps on moms side related how a .22 coey was the go to rifle shared between a few familys.

They took what they could get.

But times and attitudes have changed for the better due to economics.

[Dacotensis]

My family composed "South of the North Sakatchewan". It was a huge undertaking for the generation before me.
I will ask and see what kind of "value" it would have.
I know it took years of getting together for interviews and meetings. I was only about 10 when dad and the family started putting it together.


Over Christmas my old G ma started talking and I told my sister to hit record on her phone.
That resource is available to almost all of us now.
If you have the opportunity to get your elders talking, hit record.
It's priceless!
Ok then be that way, $100,000 (most of my ancestors had gold fever, could be something to those stories)

[B_Type13X2]

My Grandpa and Uncles memoirs would be invaluable to me. These were the two men that I went to when I didn't know what the right thing to do was. They always related things back to something that happened in their lives told me what they did, how they did it, and what if anything they regretted about their choice. If I had to place a dollar value on what I'd pay for their transcribed Memoirs I'd say 1500-2000$'s if it is done really well.

[silverdoctor]

Good thread, there's no price tag. we are losing walking history every day.

My great grandmother Hawkins was 105 when she died, born in 1890 and died in 1995 - she seen every major technological advance that humans have ever made. Smarter than I was the day she died.

My great uncle Fred was pushing 100 when he passed, served in both world wars and then some. Incredible life, incredible stories.

The list goes on and on, there's alot of longevity in my family, lots lived to ripe old ages.

I wish - Oh how I wish I could go back and record the stories I was told. It pains me to know that all that history is lost.

[KegRiver]

$69.45

That is what we pay for our family organizations Genealogy and history book.

As I recall the local history book which goes into greater depth of my families history and most specifically, my dad's history, cost us $49.00

I have not looked but no doubt there is some sort of record of family members in the Canadian history archives. I do know that there is a considerable amount written in Canadian history about one close family member. After all he is recorded as one of the fathers of confederation.

Our family was recording family history long before the movie Roots hit the theatres.

So what is it worth to me? It's priceless. A labour of love.
A thread that binds us all together. And the thread is very strong these days.

How does one put a price on family unity?

[fletcher]

I recently read a very interesting memoir by bern will brown, a priest in nwt in the mid 20th century. He is a talented and entertaining writer with an interesting life. Most people should be forgot they are part motive force and part inertia of civiliation and absolutely neccessary of course but as far as my family goes out with the old and in with the new

[greylynx]

My parents remember those "good old days" and say there was nothing ever good about them. And they do not talk much about them.

I do however have a ton of pictures and negatives going way way back.

Does anyone have a suggestion of what kind or make of scanner I should purchase to preserve these photo's electronically?

Thanks for the post Beeguy.

[Zip]

Originally Posted by fletcher

I recently read a very interesting memoir by bern will brown, a priest in nwt in the mid 20th century. He is a talented and entertaining writer with an interesting life. Most people should be forgot they are part motive force and part inertia of civiliation and absolutely neccessary of course but as far as my family goes out with the old and in with the new

Bern Will Brown was a very talented painter as well,i have one of his prints hanging on my wall...it is the print of Colville Lake Nwt with an Eskimo paddling a kayak and a huge ice berg as a background...numbered 124 of 295..dated Aug 9th 1987 and signed by him.
Sorry for the little de-rail here,but i just had to add that his talent for painting was something else..my wife received it as a going away present from her work when we left Inuvik...he was a very respected man in the North.

[Tundra Monkey]

Originally Posted by fletcher

I recently read a very interesting memoir by bern will brown, a priest in nwt in the mid 20th century. He is a talented and entertaining writer with an interesting life. Most people should be forgot they are part motive force and part inertia of civiliation and absolutely neccessary of course but as far as my family goes out with the old and in with the new

He still lives in Colville Lake

[AdverseCity]

It's slightly different but I found my fathers flight log books after he passed away last year, they detail every flight he made through his entire military career. I can look back and see he was home for my 1st birthday or for Christmas 1984 he was in Cypress. Something I'd never thought of but they're in a fireproof safe now.

It sounds like a good idea but one of those things better done by a family member, someone else might miss the importance of certain areas. At the very least it should be someone who knew the person during life, they'd be able to give it the correct tone and feel to the words.

[thumper]

Cost would depend on who you're interviewing. A million buck$ wouldn't cover listening to my mother-in-law answer a question like "Where were you born" .

That woman could talk the ear off a concrete elephant!

[Redfrog]

I would say do it as a labour of love. I'm sure you could use the Karma.

It's not all about money.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

I would say do it as a labour of love. I'm sure you could use the Karma.

It's not all about money.

Thanks for your well thought out contribution on the subject.

Of course, what I am preparing for my grandparents is indeed a labour of love.

However, if I am doing this in a professional capacity for other people, time is money.


KG, the point is not to draw out a family tree. You are right, that is worth $50.

The point is to compile the life experiences and personal anecdotes of an individual. First hand stories, told by the individual who lived them.

There is only one place to get that. You can't down load it off the Internet.

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Thanks for your well thought out contribution on the subject.

Of course, what I am preparing for my grandparents is indeed a labour of love.

However, if I am doing this in a professional capacity for other people, time is money.


KG, the point is not to draw out a family tree. You are right, that is worth $50.

The point is to compile the life experiences and personal anecdotes of an individual. First hand stories, told by the individual who lived them.

There is only one place to get that. You can't down load it off the Internet.

You are more than welcome. Not charging your grand parents is nice.

I understand someone doing it in a professional capacity would certainly charge for it as that would be his income. I didn't realize this was your profession. I thought you dinked around with bugs or something.

Hey wait a minute. If you are a professional then you have a fee schedule.

I'm thinking you're a amateur and a rank amateur at that. you haven't done any of these before have you?

Is this a joke???