A family archive

Stories for
Generations

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The lives, letters and memories of our family, kept for the ones who come after us.

A private place to gather the stories of the people we love, while they are still here to tell them, and to keep them safe once they are gone.

Our storyOur family
Our mission

Every family has stories that are only ever told out loud.

They are told at the kitchen table, on a long drive, at a holiday dinner. When the person who carries them is gone, the stories go with them.

Stories for Generations is a private home for those stories. Families gather them here, in one place, from everyone who remembers: the questions answered, the photos in the shoebox, the letters in the attic, the memories of children, grandchildren and old friends. Then they are put together into a life story the whole family can read, share and keep.

It is for the loved ones we have lost. It is also for those still with us, so that friends and family will have their memories when the day comes that they have gone on to the other side.

How this began

One question a week.

Every week, we kids sent our father an email with one question about his life. What was it like growing up? Tell us about your first date. How did you feel about church? About sports? About life in general? It was really just a way to get him talking.

By the end we had hundreds and hundreds of stories we would never have known about him.

Chris Jepson

Those answers became one of the most valuable things our family owns. Questions he had never been asked brought back people, places and moments no one else alive remembered. This site exists so that every family can do the same, before the chance is gone.

1question a week
52stories a year
100sof memories saved
A family guide

How to save your family’s memories before they are gone

You do not need to be a writer, and you do not need a plan for a book. You only need to start. Here is what works.

1

Start this week, not someday

The most common regret is waiting too long. Memories fade, health changes, and the people who could fill in the gaps grow fewer every year. One question today is worth more than a perfect plan later.

2

Ask one small question at a time

“Tell me your life story” is too big to answer. “What did your kitchen smell like growing up?” is easy, and it opens the door to everything else. Send one question a week by email, text or a phone call.

3

Record their voice

Use your phone’s voice recorder during a visit or a call. The words matter, and so does the sound of their laugh and the way they say a name. Recordings can be typed up later.

4

Bring out the photos and ask who, where and when

Old photos unlock stories. Scan or photograph them with your phone, then ask about each one and write the names and dates down before no one is left who knows.

5

Save the paper

Letters, military records, report cards, recipes in their handwriting, newspaper clippings. Photograph or scan them and keep the originals somewhere safe.

6

Invite the whole family

Brothers, sisters, cousins, grandchildren and old friends each remember something different. Ask everyone to share what they remember, in their own words.

7

Keep it all in one place

Stories scattered across phones, inboxes and attics get lost. Gather everything in the family drive so nothing is forgotten and anyone in the family can find it.

8

Turn it into their story

When the pieces are gathered, they are organized and written into a life story, chapter by chapter, with photos, to be read and shared for generations.

If you are lucky enough to still have them, ask your question this week.

Where to begin

Questions to get them talking

Pick one. Ask it this week. Next week, ask another.

Growing up

  • Where did you grow up, and what was your house like?
  • What did you do for fun as a kid?
  • Who was your best friend?

Young years

  • Tell us about your first date.
  • What sports did you play or follow?
  • What was your first job, and what did it pay?

Love and family

  • How did you meet the love of your life?
  • What was the day your first child was born like?
  • What family traditions mattered most?

Faith and life

  • How did you feel about church?
  • What was the hardest thing you ever went through?
  • What do you wish you had known at twenty?
How the site works

One page for every person we love

01A pageEach loved one gets their own page and permanent web address.
02The familyInvited family sign in with their email and a one-time code.
03The driveEveryone adds stories, photos, letters and memories.
04The storyIt all comes together into a life story to keep forever.
Our family

Their stories

Maj. William W. Dean1920–1954 · U.S. Marine Corps aviator, “the Flyer’s Flier.” Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Public memorial
FJ
Fred JepsonStories, photos and memories from the family.
Family sign-in
JJ
Judy JepsonStories, photos and memories from the family.
Family sign-in
CJ
Chris JepsonStories, photos and memories from the family.
Family sign-in

Family member? Open any page marked “Family sign-in” and enter your email address. You will receive a one-time code to get in. Not on the family list yet? Ask Chris to add you.

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The best time to ask was years ago. The next best time is today.

Ask one question this week. Write down the answer. Share it with the family.