Examples of Family Legacy: What These Two Families Reveal

It can be challenging to know if or how your family will carry forward a legacy, the things that have always mattered most: your faith, your stories, your values, and all that you stand for as a family.

So if you want a family that lasts, look at the history of other families who have succeeded. The families that pass these things down are the ones who stay intentional. The ones who know who they are and can tell that story clearly.

Two examples of family legacy can help make the difference clear: the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. One family lost sight of who they were (and their fortune) in just three generations. The other has carried their legacy for more than a century, now into the seventh generation.

WHY DO FAMILIES LOSE THE LEGACY THEY BUILT?

Families lose their legacy when they stop passing on the core of who they are: their mission, vision, and values. These three things tell the story of a family. When a family defines them and lives by them, the next generation inherits a clear sense of who their family is and what they should do. When a family loses sight of them, that is where generational drift from God's design begins.

AN EXAMPLE OF FAMILY LEGACY LOST

When Cornelius Vanderbilt died in 1877, he held one of the largest fortunes in America, more than the entire U.S. Treasury at the time. He passed it on to his son, who managed to double it before his death a short eight years later. That son split the fortune among his children, but the third generation did not continue the growth. Nearly a century later, at the family's first reunion in 1973, not a single millionaire could be found among them.

The Vanderbilt family inherited a fortune, but they never inherited a clear sense of who they were, what they were building toward, or what they stood for. Their mission, vision, and values were never defined for the next generation to live by, and wealth alone was not enough to sustain them.

GENERATIONAL LEGACY BEGINS WITH INTENTIONAL COMMUNICATION

Families that last for generations define their mission, vision, and values and share this same habit: healthy, intentional communication. They often talk about and pass on what is most important to them.

AN EXAMPLE OF FAMILY LEGACY PASSED ON FOR GENERATIONS

John D. Rockefeller's legacy is not without controversy. But the character he built for himself in his local community and at home is one that is remembered well. He was a devout Baptist who gave to his church from the time he got his first job and treated his wealth as one that should be used for others. Carrying these values throughout life, he hoped his family would continue to do the same.

David Rockefeller Jr. said it this way: "if the values weren't lived, the words wouldn't have had an impact." As the Rockefeller fortune grew over time, the values were carried forward because they were made clear from the beginning. By clearly defining the family’s mission, vision, and values, he was able to steward their wealth well and make it easier for the generations after him to do the same. In fact, his family's legacy and fortune have continued to grow over seven generations, nearly 150 years later.

WHAT CAN THESE EXAMPLES OF FAMILY LEGACY TEACH YOUR FAMILY?

The Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers both started with enormous wealth. What set them apart was what each family passed on alongside it. Your family's legacy works the same way. Whether it lasts depends on whether your mission, vision, values are clearly defined and handed down.

If you want your family to know what you stand for, start by defining your mission, vision, and values together. Then make them a regular part of your conversations: around the dinner table, in family meetings, and when big decisions come up. The more often your family hears them, the more naturally they will carry them forward.

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Get intentional about your family’s values today with the Values in Action Family Kit. It’s designed to help families like you identify your biblical values and start living them out together!