The 7 Volumes Every Family Library Should Have
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
In my previous article, Build a Library of Life Stories—Not Just One Book, I suggested that most lives are too rich and complex to be captured in a single volume.
The idea resonated with many readers because it removes one of the biggest obstacles to preserving family history:
The belief that you must write your entire life story before you begin.
You don't.
Instead, you can build a library—one volume, one story collection, one memory at a time.
But where should you start?
After helping families preserve their stories for decades, I've discovered that most family libraries naturally organize themselves into seven volumes. Together, they tell the story of a life far more completely than any single autobiography ever could.
Volume 1: Childhood and Growing Up
This is where your story begins.
Future generations are fascinated by childhood because it reveals where the family came from and how values were formed.
Include stories about:
Your parents and grandparents
The home where you grew up
School experiences
Neighborhood adventures
Childhood friends
Family traditions
Important lessons learned
These stories help descendants understand not only what happened, but who shaped you.
Volume 2: Love, Marriage, and Family
Every family wants to know how the family began.
Tell the stories of:
How you met your spouse
Dating and courtship
Wedding memories
Early years of marriage
Raising children
Family vacations
Family traditions
These stories become treasured heirlooms because they explain how generations became connected.
Volume 3: Work, Service, and Purpose
Many people spend decades building careers, serving communities, or pursuing meaningful work.
Don't just record job titles.
Tell the stories.
Describe:
Your first job
Career changes
Business successes and failures
Military service
Church service
Volunteer work
Lessons learned through work
Future generations often discover remarkable strength and resilience in these stories.
Volume 4: Faith and Values
Perhaps no volume is more important.
Long after material possessions are forgotten, descendants want to know what you believed.
Record:
Spiritual experiences
Testimonies
Life-changing moments
Principles that guided your decisions
Lessons learned through hardship
Advice for future generations
This volume often becomes one of the most frequently revisited by family members.
Volume 5: Adventures and Experiences
Some stories deserve a volume of their own.
Travel adventures.Military assignments.Mission experiences.Road trips.Outdoor adventures.Life-changing journeys.
These stories add color and excitement to your family's history and often reveal character in ways ordinary life cannot.
Volume 6: People Who Matter
Every life is shaped by other people.
Create volumes devoted to:
Parents
Grandparents
Siblings
Mentors
Friends
Community leaders
Too often these stories disappear because everyone assumes someone else will preserve them.
Don't let that happen.
Volume 7: Wisdom for Future Generations
This volume may become the most valuable of all.
What have you learned?
What mistakes taught you the most?
What advice would you give your grandchildren?
What do you hope they remember?
Imagine your great-grandchildren opening a volume written entirely to them.
That is a gift few people ever receive.
Building Your Family Library
Many people look at these seven volumes and think:
"That's a lot of work."
But remember:
You are not building the entire library today.
You are simply creating one volume at a time.
One story.
One memory.
One lesson.
One photograph.
One conversation.
The remarkable thing about a library is that it grows naturally.
Years from now, what began as a single story may become a volume.
A volume may become a collection.
And a collection may become a family treasure that lasts for generations.
At Family Heritage Publishers, I've seen families transformed when they begin preserving their stories intentionally. The most meaningful legacies are rarely built all at once.
They are built one story at a time.
One volume at a time.
One generation at a time.
Because your life is not just one book.
It's an entire library waiting to be preserved.
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