For the past few months, I have been trying to discover that useful commodity ‘spare time’ and use it to create a small website to be the repository of all the family stories that run round my head. This is rather different from the family history accounts that appear on this website. These are mostly uninspiring narratives, designed to record all the facts that I have found for that branch of the family. The new website is for stories rather than accounts and in future, these will vary from long biographies to short paragraphs about particular anecdotes from the past. There is also a section for my own memories, taken from my auto-biography. In particular, I wanted a vehicle for the stories of the family treasures that I am privileged to have in my temporary care. Without the associated narratives, these heirlooms become mere ‘things’; I feel the need to explain their significance and let others know why they are precious. Artefacts also provoke memories; memories of their owners, memories of occasions when they were in use and associated narratives.
All this may this seem self-indulgent and perhaps it is but I am the only person with most of this knowledge; it is my responsibility not to let it be lost. If I were able to see my descendants more often these would be the accounts that they would hear verbally from me but there may be more stories than there is time, so I decided that I would make a start. The website is tiny at the moment. I plan to add more stories on a regular basis but I didn’t want to begin with an overwhelming number. The intention is that my descendants will actually read this and I thought that they might be put off if I inflicted too much on them at once.
I am not expecting hundreds of hits on the site, or anyone outside the immediate family to read it much, although you’d be very welcome to do so. In fact, I may be optimistic thinking that my descendants will read it but at least now they have the option. What I hope may happen, is that others will take a quick look and be inspired to tell their own family stories. So, if you have five minutes, pop across for a brief glance at Granny’s Tales and then go out and do likewise.
The History Interpreter - Janet Few 
Janet; I received a notice from another site that you established a site to record your family heirlooms for future generations. I congratulate you. I am just in the process of getting ready to print a little book about the maker of a spinning wheel that my grandmother owned from the 18th century. I researched the maker and his own life story with a nine generation family tree for his family. I think it is an important obligation for us. Some day the spinning wheel will leave my house for one of my grandchildren’s houses.
[…] Few, who is a professional genealogist and writer in England, has created a website, called Granny’s Tales and Treasures, to share her stories about her heirlooms and family. […]
[…] Family Stories, Family Treasures and Some Memories: A Task for the Family Archivist by Janet Few on the History Interpreter […]
I also want to share and leave behind family stories! It has been hard for me to find like minded family historians–I mostly find genealogists interested only in the bare facts, and creating a huge tree or interested in how to do genealogy–that is–the methodology. I have been overwhelmed with how to start–website? Blog? Physical book(s)? Right now I have a book in the works, and have started a blog. I do want to create a website as well, but as I said–overwhelming. You are an inspiration!
Thank you. I think tackling a small portion of the enormous task at a time is the way to go. If you look at the whole picture at once it seems overwhelming.
I haven’t looked at your website yet (busy preparing my first offering for one of my Family History Society’s magazines) but do so agree about recording the history of the ‘treasures’ we have inherited. I have quite a few and have made a start on jotting down where, and from whom, they came. We can’t expect others to remember the details if we only mention them ‘in passing’.
I think what you are doing is a great idea.