The stories behind what we pass on.
An estate plan can say who receives the ring. It doesn’t always explain why it mattered.
The Family Record preserves the stories behind personal belongings, while giving family members an opportunity to share their own memories and attachments.
Not everything precious is valuable.
When families think about what will be passed on, they often begin with the obvious things: jewelry, furniture, collections, and antiques.
But sometimes it’s the ordinary things that matter most. The ceramic bird that has always sat on the windowsill. A favorite mixing bowl. A travel bag carried through decades of adventures.
These things can mean something quite different to each person who remembers them. Before deciding what happens to them, it’s worth hearing the stories.
A chance to share what matters.
We begin with the person whose belongings and stories are being recorded.
Through relaxed conversations, we explore the objects they’ve kept, how they came into their life, and why they still matter. There may be stories they’ve told many times, and others their family has never heard.
We listen, photograph the objects, and begin documenting those memories in their own voice.
Sometimes the family remembers something different.
With the storyteller’s permission, selected family members can be invited to answer a few questions privately.
A family member might mention an object that was never considered important enough to include. Or two people might remember the same thing in very different ways.
These reflections offer the storyteller another perspective. They do not create a claim to any belongings or determine who should receive them.
- Is there an object that reminds you of someone you love?
- Is there something you’ve always wondered about?
- Is there a belonging whose story you’d especially like to preserve?
One family. Many memories.
The finished book brings together photographs of meaningful belongings and the stories the storyteller chooses to preserve.
Selected audio memories may also be included, so future generations can hear those stories in the voice that first told them.
The storyteller reviews the work before printing and decides who may receive copies.
A companion to the plan, not a replacement.
The Family Record can be commissioned while someone is making or updating an estate plan. It gives them an opportunity to reflect on their personal belongings, hear from family members if they wish, and preserve stories that might otherwise go untold.
With the client’s permission, relevant information may be shared with their attorney for consideration.
Provenance & You does not prepare legal documents, recommend how belongings should be distributed, or resolve family disagreements. Those decisions remain with the client and their legal advisor.
Five steps, at your pace.
A personal consultation
We discuss the storyteller, the family members who may be involved, and what they would like to preserve.
The conversations
We begin exploring the objects and the memories they bring back, with time for stories to unfold naturally.
Family contributions
If requested, selected relatives are invited to share their own memories and questions through a private reflection.
Photography and writing
The chosen objects are photographed, their histories recorded, and the stories shaped into a book.
Review and delivery
The storyteller reviews the pages, decides what may be shared, and approves the finished work before printing.
The Family Record
The size of the collection, the number of stories, and printed copies are confirmed before the work begins.
$1,500
- Guided conversations with the storyteller
- Photography and documentation of selected belongings
- An optional private family reflection
- Written stories and shorter object histories
- A thoughtfully designed, linen-bound book
- Selected audio memories, where included in the agreed scope
Some stories are meant for everyone. Others are not.
The storyteller decides what belongs in the shared book.
Family contributions are handled according to the permissions explained before anyone participates. Private information is not automatically included in the finished work or shared with other relatives.