Family Grief & Remembrance in Verse

Using Poetry to Honor Those We've Lost

Poetry has always been a thread in grief's fabric. Whether you're remembering a grandparent, a sibling, or someone long gone from your family line, putting your sorrow into verse is a way of keeping them close. As genealogists, we often feel the weight of untold stories. Writing poetry about family loss doesn’t just ease our own hearts...it can add depth, beauty, and humanity to the history we’re trying to preserve.

If you’ve written a poem of remembrance, consider adding it to your family history records. You may also want to share it at a reunion, on your blog, or with a younger family member who never got to know the person you’re writing about.

This article is special to me, as I learned about two weeks ago that William the Silent is my 6th cousin 15x removed. While you might laugh at the distance in our blood relationship, I was awed. I learned more about the man, and I even learned more about his death and how he was honored with a special mausoleum.

In that sculptured piece, the artist included Pompey, William’s dog. The dog, as shown above, is eternally at William’s feet. That image alone endeared this cousin to me in the best way possible. What seemed distant was now very real and heartfelt.

Learn about that story, including a poem I wrote to William. You’ll walk away with a checklist to help you write your own poems about loss and grief, free from Goin’ Poetic.