The Stories We Do Not Find in the Records
I work at StoryKeeper, where we help families save the memories, voices, and small details that do not usually make it into a family tree.
BY OLLY WAKEMAN, STORYKEEPER | SEPTEMBER 4, 2026
(A sample StoryKeeper book. Image courtesy of StoryKeeper, from storykeeper.com.)
Most family historians know the feeling: one record answers a question and immediately raises three more. A census gives us a name, but not the nickname everyone used. An address tells us where a family lived, but not who was happy there, who wanted to leave, or what the kitchen smelled like. The records are essential. They are also, by their nature, quiet.
I work at StoryKeeper because I think oral history belongs alongside genealogy. It is not a substitute for a well-sourced tree. It is the place to keep the things no certificate was designed to hold: someone's voice, the way they describe a brother, the reason a photograph mattered, or the story behind a move across the country.
At StoryKeeper, we give a parent, grandparent, or other relative a simple way to answer prompts by speaking, recording video, writing, or dictating. We turn those answers into editable story drafts, let families add photographs, and make a printed life story book. Chapters can also carry QR codes that take the reader back to the original audio or video.
For readers of Genea-Musings, I hope the value is clear: StoryKeeper is not research software. It is a way to make space for the conversations that research alone cannot create.
How I would begin
- Pick a small doorway. "Tell me your life story" can be a large request. "What do you remember about the house on Oak Street?" is easier to enter.
- Use records to make better questions. A ship manifest, an old address, or a studio portrait can be a gentle prompt. Ask what happened around the record, not only what is printed on it.
- Keep memory and evidence distinct. A remembered detail can be precious without being a proven fact. Keep the memory in the storyteller's own words, then pursue the record trail if you want to verify it.
Why We Keep the Recording
The written chapter is only part of the keepsake. A transcript is useful: it is searchable, readable, and easy to share. But a recording holds the pauses, warmth, laughter, and familiar turns of phrase that a transcript cannot carry.
That is why we link the printed chapter back to the original recording. A reader can turn a page, scan a QR code, and hear the person who told the story.
We also let families review and edit the written drafts, add full-colour photographs, and revisit or download recordings. Their stories and images stay in a private archive, and they can delete or re-record a story. These are important controls for material that can be personal, uneven, and sometimes sensitive.
That is why we link the printed chapter back to the original recording. A reader can turn a page, scan a QR code, and hear the person who told the story.
We also let families review and edit the written drafts, add full-colour photographs, and revisit or download recordings. Their stories and images stay in a private archive, and they can delete or re-record a story. These are important controls for material that can be personal, uneven, and sometimes sensitive.
(A sample interior spread. Image courtesy of StoryKeeper, from storykeeper.com)
A few practical details
Our US and UK product pages describe a full-colour hardcover of up to 500 pages, a free eBook, and a 60-day money-back guarantee. We also offer prompt tools, scheduled gifting, and both 12-month and no-time-limit options. The exact package varies by region, so please check your local storefront.
Store Price shown on Sept. 4, 2026 Official linkA final thought
United States US $99 storykeeper.com
United Kingdom £79 storykeeper.com/uk
Good family history leaves a trail for the next person to follow. Sometimes that trail is a citation, scan, or labelled photograph. Sometimes it is a voice saying, "Let me tell you what happened." There is room for both.
Disclosure: I work at StoryKeeper. Product facts and images are from StoryKeeper's official US and UK websites, accessed September 4, 2026.
Prices, products, and terms can change; verify the current offer at storykeeper.com.
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I was contacted by Olly Wakeman, who works for StoryKeeper.com, recently and I offered to publish a guest post about it.
I welcome Guest Posts on Genealogy and Family History topics.
Disclosure: I received no remuneration to publish this blog post or to use and describe this product
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