Recording Family History: 7 Methods & Their Best Apps
Have you ever heard anyone say they regret recording their family history? Me neither. For many of us family-oriented folk, recording family history is something we aspire to do, but repeatedly push to “someday.”
Sadly, unlike well-documented world history, family history has an expiration date if it’s not captured. According to genealogists, nearly 80% of family stories are lost within just three generations. Time and time again, I talk with friends who regret not recording their family’s history—the tragedy being that the people who knew the stories were no longer around to share them.
When my parents both faced serious health concerns, this truth finally hit home. That wake-up call changed everything for our family, and set me on a path to help families record their family history. In this guide, I’ll share what I’ve learned about recording family history, including the 7 best methods for preserving family history and the best apps for each.
Jump to section:
- The Importance of Recording Family History
- Genealogy vs Storytelling Apps
- Questions to Guide Your App Choice
- 7 Methods for Recording Family History
- Our Overall Recommendation—Simirity App
- Tips for Starting to Record Your Family History
- Summary Of Ways to Record Family History
- FAQs About Recording Family History Apps
The Importance of Recording Family History
I’ve always been curious about our family’s past, but most of our ancestors left little for us to discover—just names and dates on faded documents. Recording family history should be so much more rewarding—it’s like uncovering the backstory to your own life, offering meaningful insights into who you are and where you come from.
Recording family history doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional effort, but the rewards are immeasurable. My distant relative Samuel Pepys is a perfect example—he kept a detailed diary about life in London in the 1660s, which became perhaps the most valuable firsthand account of that era. By simply recording his daily experiences, he created both a national treasure and gave our family extraordinary insights into our heritage.
You too can create this same kind of legacy! By recording family stories today, you’re building something that will last generations while strengthening present-day bonds as you connect over your shared past.
Genealogy vs Storytelling Apps
When diving into family history apps, you’ll quickly discover they fall into two main categories, each serving different purposes in preserving your family legacy.
- Genealogy apps focus primarily on answering “who,” “when,” and “where” questions about your ancestors. This is where family trees are created and factual information about your ancestors’ lives is uncovered.
- Family history storytelling apps are focused more on the stories behind your family’s journey.
Many families, my own included, find value in using both types of apps—genealogy gives you the framework, while storytelling brings your family tree to life.
Here are some recommended genealogy services that help you uncover the details of your ancestors.
For the rest of this article, we’ll explore the family history storytelling apps that help preserve the rich stories behind the names and dates in your family tree.
Questions to Guide Your App Choice
Simirity is a family business and like you, we wanted to record our own family history. To help us find great apps, we first identified the must-have features that are important for successful family storytelling.
To do this for yourself, answer the following questions as they will help you identify the app that’s best for your family:
- Will this be a shared family project or a solo venture?
- Are you documenting ongoing family history or completing a one-time project?
- Do you need story prompts and ideas, or do you have specific stories in mind?
- Is multimedia support (photos, videos, audio) important, or is text sufficient?
- How much do you value privacy and an ad-free experience?
- Would you enjoy daily reminders of your family’s historical moments?
- Do you need flexible sharing options or controlled access to certain stories?
- How important is long-term accessibility for future generations?
Keep your answers in mind as we explore different ways of recording family history.
Capture your family’s history with Simirity—before it’s too late.
7 Methods for Recording Family History
1. Story Recorders
We believe the single best way to record the stories from your family’s past is in digital story recorder platforms. These dedicated services offer numerous advantages over traditional methods.
Some excellent options include our own Simirity, as well as Lifestories and Hereafter.
Pros
- You can enjoy richer storytelling as you can combine all different types of media, such as videos, photos, voice recordings and more.
- Your entire family can participate—recording ancestors’ stories while capturing today’s memories.
- As dedicated family story platforms, they offer inspiration for great stories.
- Everyone can access stories from any device, and it’s easy to search for specific stories.
- Stories become conversation starters, bringing family together around your shared family history.
- Digital stories are more easily woven into daily life, with digital reminders about stories from the past.
- They are ready to give future family access to your stories.
Cons
- Some worry about digital data loss over time.
- Lacks the physical, tangible quality of traditional books.
2. Books
Books are timeless and can be physically passed down between generations.
Options range from handwritten journals to beautiful scrapbooks with photos and mementos. Digital services like Apple books and Shutterfly let you create professional-quality printed books. Storyworth provides weekly prompts for a year, then binds responses into a keepsake book.
Pros
- Provides a tangible, physical connection to your history.
- Creates a treasured heirloom that feels more permanent.
- Allows creative design elements that reflect your personality.
Cons
- Cannot be updated once printed.
- Lacks dynamic elements like video and voice.
- Often created by one family member, limiting collaboration.
- The number of books determines how many people can access your family’s history—some people will miss out.
- May be overlooked by younger, digitally-oriented generations.
- Finding specific content requires manual searching.
3. Diaries
On and off, I’ve enjoyed preserving my own living history with a digital diary. Diaries offer a personal approach to recording family history, capturing your thoughts and memories in a structured, chronological format.
Digital diary apps like DayBook make recording family history straightforward, with options for adding media and location data.
Pros
- Strong timeline features organise stories chronologically.
- Many support multimedia elements beyond just text.
Cons
- Single-user design limits family connection.
- Calendar-based structure makes it difficult to organise by family member.
- Historical stories with uncertain dates can be tricky to place.
- More focused on personal writing than creating a shared family legacy.
4. Video & Voice
Video and audio recordings capture the authentic voices, expressions and personalities of family members in ways text simply cannot. When I asked friends how they preserve family stories, many mentioned recording interviews with relatives.
There are even services that can help you record audio stories, such as StoryCorps and Storii.
Pros
- Captures authentic emotions, voices, and personalities.
- Creates meaningful family bonding during the recording process.
- Preserves mannerisms and expressions that written formats cannot.
Cons
- Limited to those family members you can interview, so its hard record older family stories.
- Difficult to organise with other family history elements, such as photos and written accounts.
- Often forgotten on hard drives or rarely visited websites.
5. Shared Documents & Cloud Storage
For a straightforward approach to recording family history, consider creating a shared digital repository that everyone can access.
Popular services like Google Drive and Dropbox weren’t designed specifically for family history, but they offer practical ways to collect and organise your family’s stories, photos, and videos in one accessible location.
Pros
- Free or low-cost solution with generous storage capacity.
- Simple collaboration tools allow multiple family members to contribute.
- Easy to expand access as your family grows.
- Available on all devices with internet access.
Cons
- Lacks the personal feel of dedicated family history platforms.
- No guidance to help you create engaging family history content.
- Instead of media-rich stories, you will have folders containing all the relevent files—not the ideal way to immerse yourself in family history.
- May present a learning curve for less tech-savvy relatives.
6. Memory Recorders
Memory recorder apps function as your “digital brain,” helping you capture and organise life experiences in a structured way.
Popular options like Evernote, Memories and Memorykpr allow you to collect family memories using text, audio, photos, and videos in one searchable system.
Pros
- Creates rich, multimedia memory collections.
- Powerful search and tagging features make finding specific memories simple.
- Accessible anywhere through mobile apps and web interfaces.
Cons
- Designed primarily for individual use rather than family collaboration.
- Not optimised to help you create stories about your family’s history.
- Limited features for sharing stories between generations.
- Typically lack clear inheritance options for preserving access long-term.
7. Genealogy Sites
Genealogy platforms like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch offer more than just research tools—they also provide ways to record family history alongside historical records.
These services allow you to add biographical information, stories, and some media to your family tree, connecting narratives to dates and documents.
Pros
- Integrates your stories with historical records and family relationships.
- Makes family history discoverable to distant relatives and future generations.
- Provides a structured framework that helps organise information.
Cons
- Limited to primarily text and photos with file size restrictions.
- Being on a public website means keeping stories factual—more personal family memories won’t fit here.
- It’s designed for sharing stories about past generations, not preserving special moments with your living family members.
Simirity connects generations through the power of storytelling
Our Overall Recommendation—Simirity App
Having experienced first-hand the pros and cons of different services, we realised that none perfectly matched our family’s needs. That’s why we created Simirity—to offer families like ours an alternative way to record their family history.
Simirity is your family’s digital scrapbook of memories.
Beyond photos, videos and voice notes, Simirity app uses real-life stories from your family’s past and present to enrich family relationships while storing cherished memories for tomorrow.
Your stories blossom into rewarding conversations that take your family beyond everyday small talk—creating moments of genuine connection that you’ll treasure forever.
Would you appreciate the following when you’re recording your family’s history?
- Family collaboration that engages everyone from grandparents to grandchildren in a shared experience.
- Ongoing documentation that preserves both your ancestral past and your family’s living history as it unfolds.
- Creative inspiration through hundreds of story prompts when you’re not sure what parts of your family history to preserve.
- Multimedia storytelling that brings memories to life with photos, videos, voice recordings, and interactive maps.
- Complete privacy in an ad-free environment designed specifically for families, not advertisers.
- Reliving the past with anniversary reminders that resurface stories years later (like “50 years ago today, your parents were doing this”).
- Flexible sharing that lets you control exactly who sees which stories—your whole family, specific groups, or just yourself.
- Future accessibility ensuring your children and grandchildren will have easy access to your family’s legacy
If these benefits resonate with you, why not try Simirity with a free account?
Tips for Starting to Record Your Family History
Recording family history doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are some practical tips to help you begin your journey:
- Start with recent memories that are fresh in your mind before tackling older family history.
- Embrace imperfection—capturing incomplete stories is infinitely better than waiting for the “perfect” moment.
- Turn family gatherings into opportunities by casually recording conversations or conducting informal interviews.
- Use specific questions instead of general prompts—”What was your first job?” works better than “Tell me about your life”. For inspiration, check out 350+ specific questions you can ask your parents.
Your family’s past, present & future—woven together in Simirity
Summary Of Ways to Record Family History
Recording family history boils down to finding the right balance between accessibility, preservation and family engagement. From dedicated story platforms like Simirity to traditional books, digital diaries, video interviews, cloud storage, memory apps, and genealogy sites—each approach offers unique benefits.
What matters most isn’t which tool you choose, but that you capture both the factual details and emotional essence of your family’s unique story. This combination is what transforms simple records into meaningful family history that resonates for generations.
FAQs About Recording Family History Apps
Do I need technical skills to use these family history apps?
Most modern family history apps are user-friendly by design. If you’re comfortable using social media or sending emails, you’ll find these apps straightforward. Some apps provide advanced features for those interested, but these are optional.
Are there any completely free options for recording family history?
Yes, several good free options are available, although they do come with limitations. FamilySearch offers impressive free features worth checking out.
At Simirity, we wanted all families to be able to record their family history, so we offer a fully functional free account where families of unlimited size can connect and share stories. However, a subscription is needed to upload more media files or gain more complete access.
Most services work similarly to Simirity, offering basic free tiers with restricted storage or capabilities. Google Photos offers unlimited storage of slightly compressed photos and videos, making it a practical choice for visual archives. One trade-off to keep in mind with free apps is that there may be privacy concerns or advertisements. Paying for a subscription is one way to ensure you are not ‘paying’ for a service with your family’s data.
How do I digitise old photos, documents, and recordings for use in these apps?
You don’t need expensive equipment to start digitising your family’s content. For photos and documents, your smartphone camera can work surprisingly well—just ensure you have good lighting and a flat, uncluttered background. If you want higher quality, you might consider getting an inexpensive scanner or a scanning app.
For audio cassettes or VHS tapes, you may need to find a local service that can help. Once your items are digitised, getting them into Simirity or any other family history app can be done in a few clicks.
Your memories, their legacy—Simirity keeps family history alive
