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Our founder Neil has been talking to Family Tree Magazine recently and we wanted to share some of their chat.
If you are a keen genealogist, you will know how excited you are to find a new name to add to your family tree ... but if only those names could talk! At FROM YOU TO ME we know that our Journals of a Lifetime can stop these from just being a 'name' on a family tree and grow the person into the 'legend' that they really are. Their conversation explains more ...
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: Neil, it is great to meet you and the business you have created. Can you tell me a little more about your company?
NEIL: Thanks for the chance to link FROM YOU TO ME to Family Tree Magazine as your readers are the
ones who are most passionate about building their own family history. My own family tree goes back to the 15th Century, but it was my father, Cliff, who taught me that the most powerful part of any tree isn't the dates, it's the stories behind the names. He was a great story-teller, in fact he told some of them far too regularly. As a family, we’d jokingly roll our eyes at hearing them for the fifth time, but when he became ill, we suddenly realised those stories were a treasure we were about to lose.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: How then did you capture his stories and what made you turn that into a business?
NEIL: At the time we created a book, printed at home, that asked him the questions we wanted to know. I
remember giving it to him one Christmas and he and I had tears in our eyes. He enjoyed the process of
completing the questions for me and added drawings and photos too … but when he gave it back, I was
overwhelmed. I learnt so much about him and regretted I had not done it earlier in our lives.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: So what did you do with this great idea?
NEIL: We approached publishers with the idea to see if they would help us launch it, but the responses were all similar saying, great idea, but not one for us. My partner Helen and I decided to do it ourselves. We had a lot of commercial experience but had not worked in publishing so we learnt a lot through this process including the fact that 2000 books take up a whole spare bedroom! The long story short is that these first two versions for Mums and Dads sold well and gave us the confidence to launch a business publishing 4 versions.
We took a leap of faith and showcased them at a national trade show. To our amazement, we won the Gift Association’s Gift of the Year Award in 2007. We haven't looked back since.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: Why do you think the idea has been so popular?
NEIL: Our Journals of a Lifetime help build a close connection between people. You ask questions you would not normally think of asking. You have conversations that are often passed over. This is a powerful way of getting to know the real someone. For genealogists, it is because we have all had that moment … looking at a photo of a great, great grandmother and wishing she could speak. I think it is that these stories are far more valuable than a name on a family tree.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: Yes, I understand that. We don’t want our own parents or grandparents to become just another record for the next generation. I suppose we know exactly what Queen Victoria thought of Prince Albert because of her journals.
NEIL: Exactly … and your grandfather’s story of surviving the Blitz or his first day at the factory is your family’s own 'Royal History.' It’s the Hollywood movie of your bloodline, and it deserves to be scripted.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: So where should people start Neil?
NEIL: It is best to pick a few evocative questions and maybe pick out some family photos to start the memories and the conversation. Don’t make it an interrogation but do enjoy where the conversation may take you. Digital recordings are great but there is something profoundly permanent and intimate about handwriting in a journal. Our Journals of a Lifetime have been adapted over the years to provide around 60 meaningful questions that cover many aspects of a person’s life. This structure works well to make it a fun experience.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: What feedback do you receive from people who have done this?
NEIL: Two main things come to mind. The first is that people really enjoy being asked about their life. It is lovely when people take a real interest. The most common feedback is that these completed journals are the first thing they’d grab in a house fire. You can replace furniture, but you can't replace a grandmother's handwriting. Those memories and stories really are priceless.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE: Thank you for sharing some of your own story Neil ... so have you completed your journal for your own daughter?
NEIL: Great question to finish! It is work in progress as life continues and new stories are created every day. Having recently had my DNA results, I have discovered many interesting connections and even discovered a family kilt … but you don’t really need a coat of arms to have a legacy. You just need a pen, a willing relative and the curiosity to ask, “What was it really like?” And my conclusion is now that I don't want my own great, grandchildren to think I was this boring back in the 80s!
If you want to start capturing your own family stories, see the full collections of Journals of a Lifetime here, they are available for all the family or to be personalised to make them truly unique.
As we jokingly say "Help a future researcher out. Tell them where you actually hid the silver!"
