MONTEZUMA - When it comes to preserving your family history, William and Paula Schmitt believe a good old fashioned chat is the best way.

Recording the conversation will help to capture not only individual family memories, but also the emotion and the voice of the person sharing them.

“Sometimes it is easier for people to talk about their different memories rather than to sit down and write them out,” William said during a program titled “Preserving Family Stories,” held at the Historical Mentz Church in Montezuma, Sunday afternoon.

Once you have the recording, William said it's easier to organize what you want to write and what stories go along with various family photos.

“Talk about and put stories with the photos that you have while the recorder is on,” he said. “Share the memories that you have and the things that you did.”

William advised to share everyday things that make your family unique and what day-to-day activities were like. Future generations will have a better understanding of their history and what events made them unique.

“Try to get different points of view because the different family members may have a different recollection of various memories,” he said

Important family events are often remembered and passed down but William said it's the everyday growing up within the family that often gets lost.

William said he learned a lot about his own family that he otherwise would never had known by talking to his grandfather and father.

Guests offered unique ways they had preserved family memories.

One tip was to have children record their memories of growing up and family holidays.

“Talking about memories with a few different family members at once is a good way to bring memories out that otherwise may have been forgotten,” William said.

It may not be possible to include memories from people that have already died, but William said you can still get a good picture of what life may have been like for them.

“If you know when the person lived and where they lived you can find information of what life was like in that time,” he said. “In this way you can image what life may have been like.”

William said researching family history will take time but by making it a family project, it can become a cherished keepsake.

Even if the family has bad memories, William said future generations may be interested to know their history, good and bad.

“All families have their bad memories,” he said. “But that is part of what makes a family, good and bad.”

William said if you take time to record individual memories and stories, before you know it, you'll have a book full of history.