Oxford County Archives Publishes a Family History & Memory Book

We have some exciting news: our new "Family History & Memory Book" is available to buy!

By Megan Lockhart

At the Oxford County Archives, we are spreading awareness about the importance of recording your family history with a new book to help genealogists and family history enthusiasts get started at home. During this past summer, our staff worked on creating a “Family History and Memory Book” which is now printed and available for sale. The book is a fun and meaningful way to record your personal or family history and contains typical genealogical and autobiographical questions about birth, education, marriage, occupations, death, and residence locations. It also includes more personal questions like, “What is your favourite childhood memory?”, “Share some stories about your pets.”, “Which cultural traditions does your family observe?”, “What do you remember about your first vehicle?” and more, with over 40 questions total. The interactive book includes a family tree diagram, a recipe section, and blank pages for scrapbooking mementos. We wanted the book to not only be a starting kit for genealogists, but also an opportunity for our patrons to record memories that are meaningful to them. Unless memories are recorded in some way, either written down, typed out, or recorded as an oral history, they can often be lost to time.

In collaboration with staff at the Woodingford Lodge sites in Ingersoll, Tillsonburg, and Woodstock, copies of the “Family History and Memory Book” have also been donated by the Oxford County Archives and distributed to interested residents at the long-term care homes. These books can be filled in by interested residents who would like their family’s history and stories preserved in their own words. It is also a great opportunity for residents to spend time with family and friends filling out the pages, which will hopefully lead to many meaningful experiences.

Copies of the new book are available to the general public for $15, with an option to have the completed book scanned and preserved as a digital record. The book would also make a great gift for a loved one. We hope it inspires all you history lovers out there to preserve your family's history for future generations!

For more information or to purchase a copy of the “Family History and Memory Book”, contact the Oxford County Archives at archives@oxfordcounty.ca or by telephone at 519-539-9800, ext. 3070.