Begat Chat

I found a great list of items to be included in our personal and family histories at the LDS website. They come from one of their lesson manuals, Lesson 19: Family and Personal Histories,” The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 152.

The following items could be included in a Personal History:

1. Name in full

2. Birth: day, month, and year; house, hospital, or other location where born; town, county, and state or country; family circumstances at time of birth

3. Father: complete name; date and place of birth; his father’s name; his mother’s maiden name

4. Mother: maiden name; date and place of birth; her father’s name; her mother’s maiden name

5. Brothers and sisters: names; dates and places of birth; names of spouses and children; other information

6. Blessing: when named and blessed—day, month, and year; where blessed—ward or branch, stake or district, town, county, and state or country; by whom blessed

7. Baptism: where—ward or branch, stake or district, town, county, and state or country; when—day, month, and year; by whom

8. Confirmation: when—day, month, and year; where—ward or branch, stake or district, town, county, and state or country; by whom

9. Patriarchal blessing: date, place, and name of patriarch

10. Schooling: when and where first schooling took place, schools attended, teachers remembered best, certificates or diplomas received, outstanding experiences

11. Marriage: to whom; day, month, and year; place of ceremony—town, county, and state or country; circumstances of courtship and ceremony

12. Childhood memories: adventures, accidents, thoughts, amusing incidents, friends, and so on

13. Faith-promoting experiences: personal; in other family members’ lives that affected you; circumstances surrounding your conversion to the gospel

14. Health: record, including sickness and accidents

15. Home life: duties in the home, home activities, relationship with brothers and sisters, places lived, family trips and vacations, pets

16. Hobbies and talents: musical, artistic, and creative abilities; lessons and workshops taken; things you like to do

17. Goals and future plans: things to accomplish in vocation, home life, or Church service

18. Other incidents: include Church experiences

19. Include appropriate pictures, if available, to enhance your story

The Family History should include much of the same information as a personal history. Here are a few other ideas:

1. National origin.

2. Places and dates of residence.

3. Occupations.

4. The first family member to be converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and names of missionaries who taught him or her the gospel.

Information to be included in a Personal Journal:

1. Goals, hopes, and aspirations

2. Work experiences

3. Problems and how they were resolved

4. Joys and sorrows with family members

5. Relationships with others

6. Deepest thoughts

7. Faith-promoting experiences

8. Significant family events

9. Triumph over adversity

10. Special learning experiences

11. Personal testimony

12. Counsel for future generations who will read the journal