What Legacy Will You Leave Behind?

~ Chiddicks Family Tree

Legacy Isn’t Just What We Inherit – It’s What We Leave Behind

There’s something profoundly moving about family heirlooms. They are more than objects passed from one generation to the next; they carry memories, tell stories, and preserve the lives of those who came before us. Whether it’s an old watch, a treasured family recipe, a faded photograph or a handwritten letter, these precious keepsakes become windows into our past. They remind us where we came from, who our ancestors were, and the lives they lived.

Over the years I’ve shared many wonderful family heirlooms with you, each with its own remarkable story. Some of my favourites include:

Each one has reinforced just how important it is to preserve not only the object itself, but the story that gives it meaning. But recently, I’ve found myself looking at heirlooms from a completely different perspective.

Instead of asking, “What treasures have we inherited?” I found myself asking a far more personal question…

What will I leave behind?

That question came after my recent blog about the tiny First World War aeroplane made from a spent bullet casing by Antony Marr’s great-uncle, John William Lord, known to the family as “Uncle Jack”.

For Uncle Jack, creating that little plane wasn’t simply about turning a piece of wartime metal into something decorative. It became something far more significant. More than a century later, it still tells his story and reminds future generations of the life he lived.

After I shared that story, Antony left a comment that stopped me in my tracks.

He asked:

“What item are you going to leave behind for your descendants? Not something that you’ve inherited, but something personal of our own. What will our own legacy be?”

What a wonderful question.

And, if I’m honest, one I’d never really stopped to consider.

Antony already knows what his answer is.

Having served for many years with the Metropolitan Police, the heirloom he intends to pass on is the police truncheon he carried throughout his service. It’s a deeply personal object that represents an important chapter of his life and will one day remind future generations that their ancestor served as a police officer.

That simple question made me pause. If someone was looking back on my life many years from now, what object would tell my story?

Or perhaps an even bigger question is this…

Will it be an object at all?

The Gifts That Can’t Be Held

While physical heirlooms are wonderful, perhaps the greatest legacy we leave behind cannot be placed on a shelf or stored in a box.

It’s the values we pass on.

The kindness we show.

The encouragement we give.

The traditions we create.

The love we share.

Our children, grandchildren, friends and colleagues may not remember every detail of our lives, but they will remember how we made them feel. They will remember the lessons we taught, the example we set and the way we treated others.

Those become heirlooms too.

Think about the people who shaped your own life. Perhaps it was your grandmother’s quiet kindness. Your father’s unwavering integrity. A teacher who believed in you. Or a friend who stood beside you when life became difficult. These are the gifts that live on long after possessions have faded or disappeared. They become part of the next generation.

What Will They Remember About Us?

As I’ve reflected on Antony’s question, I’ve realised that I hope my legacy will be more than the possessions I leave behind. Of course, I’d love there to be a few treasured keepsakes that tell my story.

But more than that, I hope I’ll be remembered for the love I gave, the kindness I showed, my curiosity about family history, and my determination to preserve the stories of those who came before us.

If future generations know anything about me, I hope they see someone who cared deeply about ensuring that family memories weren’t lost.

Because stories matter.

People matter.

Family matters.

A Legacy Is Built Every Day

Perhaps that’s the greatest lesson of all. Legacy isn’t something we create at the end of our lives. It’s something we’re building every single day.

Every act of kindness.

Every story we preserve.

Every person we encourage.

Every lesson we pass on.

Every memory we help create.

These become the invisible heirlooms we leave for those who follow us. So, as we treasure the wonderful heirlooms we’ve inherited, perhaps we should also ask ourselves one simple question.

What legacy am I creating today?

Because one day, someone may look back and wonder about us. What object will remind them of our lives?

More importantly…

What stories will they tell?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you could leave just one meaningful heirloom behind, whether it’s an object, a tradition or simply the values you’ve lived by, what would you choose, and why?

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Published by Chiddicks Family Tree

I began researching my family tree around 15 years ago to initially find out more about my Father who died when I was three years old and I haven’t stopped searching yet. I also have a keen interest in Military History in particular WW1.

12 thoughts on “What Legacy Will You Leave Behind?”

  1. What an interesting and thought provoking question. I do not have any meaningful objects, such as the truncheon. I have an extensive eclectic library, but that on its own, is not a particularly meaningful heirloom. I have travelled extensively, but the only tangible item are my blogs – which on their own are not meaningful. I shall have to ponder the question further.

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      1. I am the elder of our tribe of four generations. I wonder, will what I leave behind mean something different to each generation. Your question has me pondering on life – so thank you.

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  2. You leave behind the sunny memories of what you’ve done together with your family, not just special occasions and vacations but everyday activities like building LEGOS with children. These memories linger long afterward. For the genealogy community, your legacy is asking thought-provoking questions and documenting people who you believe should be remembered in a special way.

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  3. Paul, brilliant post. Like you, the stories I have uncovered are perhaps what I view as my most important legacies. From the months it took to transcribe and illustrate my great grandmother’s diary to the reconstructed biographies of ancestors I never knew.

    One of the more challenging ones has been of a 9th great grandfather of somewhat famous origins. Last night we finished watching a series on Thomas Jefferson and one has to grapple with the good parts if his life and the horror of his participation in enslaving people including the mother of his children.

    In my 9th great grandfather’s case, David Dickson is a famous Scottish Covenanter whose books from the 1600’s are still in print. Not a single history, published encyclopedia article etc mentions the not so savory truth about Rev. Dickson. The town where he ministered over twenty years remembers and it is well recorded in Sir Walter Scotts’ book about Witchcraft in Scotland. In Presbyterian theological circles he is well know.

    My ancestor attempted to get 4 innocent people to repent their sins of witchcraft in order to avoid eternal damnation. I assume he was well intentioned but just like Jefferson their own conscience did not show them in a favorable light. The historian Robert Meecham speaking in the Jefferson documentary series asks in what ways will history judge us that we cannot see clearly now?

    So to answer your question I hope my struggles to expose the past and grapple with its inconsistencies and its horrors are I hope in some little way what I hope to leave behind. Yo show the complexities of the time and the culture they lived in even when aspects of their lives are antithetical to my thinking in the culture I occupy now. Somehow it feels like the grappling and reflecting is more important now, than ever.

    Thanks for asking.

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    1. Thank you for such a thoughtful response. I was struck by your observation that the grappling itself may be the legacy. It’s easy to celebrate the admirable parts of those who came before us or to condemn them outright, but the harder and perhaps more valuable work is holding both truths together with honesty.
      Your examples of Thomas Jefferson and David Dickson illustrate that so well. They remind us that history is rarely simple, and that every generation has blind spots it struggles to see. Robert Meacham’s question is one I’ve been reflecting on too: How will future generations judge us for things we don’t yet recognise? It’s a humbling thought.
      I also admire the care you’ve taken in preserving your family’s stories, from your great-grandmother’s diary to reconstructing the lives of ancestors across centuries. That commitment to truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, is a legacy in itself. As you say, reflecting on the complexities of the past may be more important now than ever, because it helps us approach both history and each other with greater humility and compassion.
      Thank you for sharing your journey so openly. You’ve given me, and I’m sure other readers, a great deal to think about.

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      1. Thank you. I think I feel a blog post coming on about the struggling with the past and not burying the uncomfortable parts.

        Sir Walter Scott’s book is Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft. And the story is set in Irvine. Not an essy read.

        And I have yet to tackle my enslaver ancestors…

        Regards.

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  4. You raise interesting questions and points here, Paul. It also brings to mind for me the legacies of my ancestors that came down to me, of course. Not all of them are good and I have had to overcome. I don’t have children and just a niece in the next generation. She quite a bit younger (19 to my 64). We’ve just been getting well acquainted in the past couple years. I hope that my adventures in life, positive and negative can help her find her way through difficult times in her own life. I’m thrilled that she is a book reader. It makes me feel extra good about all that I have been doing to preserve and document stories about my ancestors, including my first book about their experiences in the California gold rush.

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  5. Hi Paul
    Thank you so much for sharing this, it simply blew me away.
    Never thought about your question before but I will keep this email and I intend writing a letter to leave my son with what you highlighted, kindness, values, integrity and so much more.
    Keep up the good work Paul

    Kind regards

    Christine
    Sent from my iPhone

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