About Family Memories
Every Family Has a Story. Every Story Deserves to Be Remembered.
Family Memories began with a simple realization.
As I looked around my home, I saw pictures of my children growing up, but very few photographs of the people who came before us. My sons knew what I looked like as a young father, but they had never really seen their grandparents as children, or the faces of the great-grandparents they would never have the chance to meet.
That realization started a journey.
I began scanning old photographs, organizing family albums, and preserving the memories that had spent decades tucked away in boxes and drawers. Then life reminded me why it mattered even more. After my mother courageously battled cancer, we learned it had returned. It reminded me that our time together is precious, and that every conversation, every photograph, every recipe, and every story is something worth preserving.
Family Memories was created so those moments don't disappear.
This isn't meant to replace sitting around the table with family. It's meant to help us remember those moments long after they've passed. A single photograph can bring back an entire afternoon. Hearing the voice of someone you've lost can transport you back to a time you thought was gone forever.
I hope families use this website to preserve more than pictures.
I hope they preserve voices.
Stories.
Recipes.
Military service.
Wedding days.
Family reunions.
Birthday parties.
The handwritten notes inside old greeting cards.
The obituary that tells a life story.
The little details that future generations would never know unless someone took the time to save them.
Growing up in Louisiana, family has always meant gathering together. Today, our families are spread across different cities and states, and sometimes even different countries. Family Memories is a place where everyone can come together again, whether they're sitting in the same living room or hundreds of miles apart.
Imagine opening an old family album at a reunion. Imagine seeing a photograph on a projector while everyone shares names, stories, and memories. Imagine hearing your grandfather answer questions about his childhood decades after he's gone. Those are the moments I hope this website helps preserve.
Family Memories isn't just about looking backward.
It's about leaving something meaningful for the generations still to come.
Because one day our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will wonder who we were.
My hope is that they'll never have to wonder.
John Adrian Mallett
P.S.
"No matter what, we have to keep pushing. Even if it rains for three weeks straight, I'm still waiting for the sun to break on out."
About the View Photos page
View Photos is a place to browse through family memories, from everyday moments to special occasions and generations past. Explore the albums, share your memories in the comments, download photos you want to keep, and share them with family and friends. Every picture has a story—and sometimes one photo is all it takes to bring those memories back.
About the Family Voices page
Family Voices is a place to preserve the voices of the people we love. Listen to recorded stories, conversations, laughter, advice, and memories shared in their own words. Photographs help us remember how someone looked, but hearing their voice can bring a memory back in a completely different way—for generations to come.
About the Family Stories page
Family Stories is a place to preserve the stories that have been told and retold through generations. Share the story behind a photograph, a favorite memory about someone you love, a funny family moment, or even the old tales and legends we grew up hearing. From real family experiences to Louisiana folklore passed down by our grandparents, these are the stories that help tell us where we came from—and keep them from being forgotten.
About the Family Recipes page
Family Recipes is where food, family, and memories come together. Preserve Grandma’s handwritten recipes, scan old family cookbooks, share new favorites, or pass down that special dish everyone asks for at family gatherings. Add photos, cooking tips, and even the stories behind the recipes—because sometimes the best family memories were made around the kitchen table.
About the Family Tree page
Family Tree connects the generations that came before us with the family we know today. Explore family trees, genealogy records, and preserved family history to discover names, relationships, and the branches that connect us. It’s a way to see not only who came before us, but how we all belong to the same story.
About the 21 Questions page
21 Questions is a simple way to preserve someone’s life story in their own words. Choose from meaningful questions about childhood, family, work, favorite memories, life lessons, and more, then record the answers using your phone or another recorder. Years from now, future generations won’t just know the stories—they’ll be able to hear the voice of the person who lived them.
About the Remember Someone page
The Remember Someone page is to be like a memorial wall/a remembrance book.
Each relative or friend's card will have info, a photo, a recording, a video or a document containing information about the person and possibly a story about the person.
For example:
Photo of the person
Their Name
Birth Year – Death Year
A short line such as “Forever remembered by family and friends.”
View Their Story →
When someone clicks View Their Story, that's where we put everything about that person: photos, memories, their memorial/funeral program PDF, audio recordings if you have them, military history, obituary, and eventually comments or stories submitted by relatives. Someone's memorial, Someone to be remembered.