Why Family Legacy is Important: How Cemeteries Keep Memories Alive
Many misunderstand the meaning of family legacy. Some consider it as a set of responsibilities to bear, while others may see it as inheritance, artifacts, or wealth only. A family legacy’s true value and meaning affects family members deeply, guiding them to a path of peace and prosperity.
Family legacy is important because it builds an individual’s identity, purpose, and character through the family’s culture and tradition. Cemeteries play a vital role in the process as they are physical proof of the family tree, markers of family history, and anchor points for impactful events for the family. A family estate or mausoleum in a cemetery can preserve centuries of family history for future generations to learn from.
In this blog, we’ll discuss family legacy’s meaning and importance. We’ll then discuss how cemeteries and grave sites play powerful roles in preserving the family legacy. We’ll conclude with how you can properly preserve your family history.
What Does Family Legacy Mean?
According to The Legacy Project: A Guideline Booklet for Leaving a Legacy, “A legacy is a gift from one generation to the next.” No other definition of family legacy describes the idea as perfectly. Family legacy encompasses the values, beliefs, traditions, and assets that are handed down through generations.
How Important is Family Legacy? Why??
Maya Angelou was a celebrated American modern poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. Her experience with autobiographies produced a straightforward but one of the most powerful family legacy quotes, “If you’re going to live, leave behind a legacy. Make an impact on the world that can never be erased.”
Creating a family legacy can seem like a monumental task. It may seem that only the greatest or the elite can leave meaningful legacies behind. However, family legacies aren’t only for those who have everything. It’s a generational duty that can help transform a family into an influential and impactful contributor to society over lifetimes.
Daniel Webster, a famous 19th-century American statesman once stated, “Those who do not look upon themselves as a link, connecting the past with the future, do not perform their duty to the world.” A family legacy can be a path for you and your future generations to greatness. Here are 04 reasons why a family legacy matters in your life:
- Provides an Identity: Your family legacy provides a clear understanding of your roots. It builds a sense of belonging and self-worth through your knowledge of your place in the world. A research conducted by Kellas, Soliz, and Thompson on intergenerational storytelling in 2009 revealed that stories of family legacy help in constructing individual and family identity. The positive aspects of the legacy were shown to be embraced by individuals, strengthening their character.
- Continues Family Culture: Your family legacy will preserve family cultural practices and purpose. A 2002 research conducted by Fiese, Tomcho et al. used 50 years of research data and found that family routines and rituals offer stability at times of distress or harsh change and improve family relationships. Another research by Meca, Allison, Ayers, and Cruz in 2022 established that family cultural values have a significantly positive impact on adolescent health and psychosocial functioning. So, your family contributes heavily to your family members’ mental wellness and character development.
- Provides Purpose and Inspiration: Having a family legacy provides a greater purpose in life for you and your future generations. Hammond’s research in 2020 on Family Legacy Orientation (shared ideas of biological, social, and material components of a family legacy) or FLO shows that it influences intergenerational decision-making and strategies. Family legacies can help members feel that they matter, guide their decisions, and give them a meaningful goal to accomplish.
- Builds Emotional Maturity: An article published in The New York Times called “The Stories That Bind Us” stated that children showed more emotional control and self-esteem if they knew more about their family history. This came from a research by Fivush and Duke, which also found that emotional storytelling of a family’s stressful times led to children developing higher levels of self-understanding and self-esteem. Stories are part of your family legacy, and your times of struggle can help ground your future generations.
Building a family legacy is not building a machine that will churn out the copies of the same person. It’s a comforting presence that will ground you and those who come after while pushing you to achieve better. While inheritances and wealth are important parts of your family legacy planning, recorded history and other artifacts play a greater role. If you’re confused about how to build a family legacy, you should start by securing the final resting place of your family.
How Does a Cemetery Preserve Your Family Legacy?
Cemeteries are not only a place of shared grief, but they are also spaces that preserve family history and cultural heritage. A family estate or private mausoleum can be a powerful location where your future generations will learn or their family identity. Here are 05 ways your family graves will preserve your family legacy:
- Physical Markers of History: It may be hard to believe, but you can get life lessons from cemeteries. A research paper published by Okray, Jacob, and Wadell in Nature Journal has discovered that engaging with physical artifacts can help in developing a deeper understanding of history. Your family graves can function as memory spaces that will enhance your descendants’ understanding of family legacy.
- Space for Recounting History: Gravesites temporarily function as places to express grief. Over time, they become safe spaces and symbols of achievement and inspiration. Your family can recount events here, and the graves of the members can serve as anchor points.
- Proof of Family Legacy Tree: Graves can serve as a family’s connection to their ancestors. They serve as physical proof of one’s family tree, which can last for generations. No paper can generate the emotional impact graves can have on an individual.
- Place to Foster Culture and Religion: Gravesites can be used to teach upcoming generations how to continue family culture. Maintaining family graves can teach them discipline and appreciate the family legacy. Many religions also have rituals related to grave visitations. Your descendants will find opportunities to connect to their family legacy more through their attempts to pray for peace for their ancestors.
- Place to Unify Family: A family estate is a convenient and powerful place for family gatherings. Whether the family gathers in happiness or sorrow, it sets a sincere tone for all. It can be used as an opportunity to forge lasting bonds with family members.
Cemeteries are where you can begin teaching your future generations about your family history and legacy. So, you need to ensure that your family members’ resting places aren’t scattered. You must choose a method that keeps your family in one space, and that it will remain perfectly preserved for generations to come.
Bakerview Memorial Cemetery. We Preserve Your Family Legacy.
At Bakerview Memorial Cemetery, we take your family legacy seriously. Any plot you purchase at our cemetery is yours forever, and we have options for family estates. Our staff have over a century of experience combined, and they can help you preserve your family history according to your culture, religion, and traditions. We also offer mausoleum niches and wall niches if you choose cremation burials.
Bakerview is also the lower mainland’s only choice for community or family legacy creation as we have ample room to accommodate plots bundled together. Most cemeteries today are running out of space making having a family or community buried together practically impossible.
If you’re in Surrey, Delta, Abbotsford, or any part of Greater Vancouver, then you should consult us right away. Prices for burial spaces change constantly, and making choices after the passing of a loved one is always difficult. Come see us to get an expert opinion, understand your options, and lock in a price that’s perfect for your requirements.
Conclusion
Your family legacy can offer you confidence, comfort, and courage to achieve beyond your imagination. It can create bonds that last lifetimes and take your family to a place of prestige and power through generations. So, start by preserving your family history through a family gravesite.

Published: November 25, 2024