The Five Stories Every Family Should Tell

Happy Family History Month! Crista Cowen, Corporate Genealogologist at Ancestry, kicks off October as National Family History Month in the United States by introducing five family stories that can transform a family's sense of connection and resilience. Crista explains that viewers do not need a complete 10-generation family tree; they only need to focus on finding these five specific narratives. This virtual event is particularly relevant as families head into the "burr months" and holiday seasons—such as Thanksgiving and December holidays—when they often gather together. Crista aims to share why these five stories are important, along with practical ways to both discover and share them with family members.

The virtual event outlines the five crucial stories, beginning with The Love Story, emphasizing that knowing how one's parents met is the number one question on the "Do You Know Scale," which is a key predictor of resilience and self-esteem in children, based on an Emory University study. Next is The Resilience Story, encouraging researchers to look for narratives about how their ancestors survived hard things like migration, crop failure, or unjust imprisonment, noting that these stories build confidence in the present generation. The third story, The Values Story, focuses on identifying what ancestors stood for through their career choices, religious affiliations, and community involvement, which helps current generations consciously choose their own values. Story four, The Origin Story, explores forced or consensual migration paths and helps build identity and belonging, an exploration that can be enhanced by tools like AncestryDNA. Finally, the fifth story is The Identity Story, which involves crafting and sharing our own personal stories within the family narrative, such as birth stories, to build family culture. Throughout the presentation, Crista demonstrates various methods for preserving these stories in your Ancestry tree, utilizing private notes, public comments, fact descriptions, and uploading media such as documents or audio files. The ultimate goal is to make National Family History Month a time for finding, sharing, and celebrating these narratives.

Chapters:

- Celebrating National Family History Month

- Introduction to the Five Stories Every Family Should Tell

- Story 1: The Love Story

- Story 2: The Resilience Story

- Story 3: The Values Story

- Story 4: The Origin Story

- Story 5: The Identity Story

- Preserving and Sharing Your Family Stories on Ancestry

Start uncovering the five essential stories in your family today and share your discoveries with the Ancestry community during National Family History Month!