October is Family History Month: Every Family Has a Story

Every family has a story, and every family has a history worth preserving.

The Grimes family gathered on the front porch of Greenleaves in Pine Apple, 1912. More than a century later, this family photograph preserves both the people and the place as part of Wilcox County's history.

The photograph above captures the Grimes family gathered on the front porch of Greenleaves in Pine Apple in 1912. More than a century later, it is a wonderful reminder of just how much history can be preserved in a single family photograph.

October is Family History Month, making it the perfect time to look through old photographs, open a family Bible, visit a cemetery, ask an older relative questions, or finally write down one of those stories passed down from generation to generation.

For the Wilcox Historical Society, family history and local history are closely intertwined. The history of Wilcox County is, after all, the story of the people who have called this place home.

Start With What You Know

Starting your family history doesn't require an expensive subscription or a trip to an archive. Start with yourself and work backward.

Write down your parents' and grandparents' names. Add birthplaces, dates, marriages, occupations, churches, schools, and communities. Then record what may never appear in an official document: nicknames, family traditions, favorite stories, recipes, memories, and the places that were important to your family.

One remembered detail often leads to another.

A Photograph Is More Than a Picture

The 1912 photograph of the Grimes family at Greenleaves preserves much more than faces. It captures a particular family, gathered at a particular place, at a particular moment in time. The house, clothing, surroundings, and relationships represented in the photograph all become part of the historical record.

But a photograph can lose much of its meaning when the people who knew its story are no longer here to identify it.

Take time this month to look through your own family photographs. Record the names of the people pictured when you can, along with the approximate date, location and how they are related. If you don't know, ask someone who might.

Future generations will be grateful you did.

Family History Lives in Places, Too

Family history isn't found only in photographs and documents. It lives in houses, churches, cemeteries, schools, farms, businesses, and communities.

Across Wilcox County, historic buildings help tell the stories of generations who lived, worked, worshiped, and gathered within them. Preserving these places helps us understand not only how people lived, but how their lives shaped the communities we know today.

Greenleaves is one of those places. The historic Pine Apple home will welcome visitors during the Wilcox Historical Society Tour of Homes, March 19–20, 2027, when the Tour returns to Pine Apple.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see historic places that have witnessed generations of Wilcox County life and hear family stories connected to them.

Make October the Month You Begin

Throughout Family History Month, the Wilcox Historical Society will share simple ideas for discovering and preserving your family's history.

Start small.

Identify one photograph. Call one relative. Write down one story. Visit one family cemetery. Properly save one old letter or document.

The important thing is to begin.

Every house has a history. Every family has a story. Together, they tell the story of Wilcox County.