In late August – early September 2018, the ethnographic expedition was carried out by employees of the M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folklore Studies and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the historical region of Budzhak in the South of Odesa region. In addition to ethnographic information, valuable data on family unwritten history were recorded, which are a significant addition to the classic historical and regional studies of this area. The Budzhak region has its peculiarities, as it is inhabited not only by Ukrainians but also by a significant number of representatives of other ethnic groups. In addition, the southern part of modern Odesa region was annexed to the Soviet Union as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic only in June 1940, so the colonization processes of Sovietization in this territory began much later, only in the late 1940s. This allowed for a certain unwritten tradition to be preserved, which transmitted information about one’s own family, and the 20-year difference with the rest of Ukraine roughly corresponds to the standard concept of a generation. Thus, the residents of Budzhak, in terms of the denationalization measures carried out by the communist regime, lost one generation compared to the majority of Ukrainians. This is particularly noticeable in Ukrainians, which is likely a result of their residence as part of the Kingdom of Romania, where unfortunately there were elements of pressure on non-titular ethnic minorities. Therefore, preserving family memory and traditions was the only way of consolidation. In the villages of Petrivka and Bilolissia in the Odesa region, a good preservation of knowledge about their origins and local history has been recorded. Respondents clearly indicated their ethnic origins and the origins of their ancestors in 3–4 generations. A significant number of works by students dedicated to their family trees were noticed in the Petrivka rural museum, most of which contained information about 6–7 generations and not just through the male line. According to the museum director, many family trees were compiled without recourse to archival materials, as evidenced by the approximate dates in the genealogical trees. An extraordinary case of knowledge of one’s family tree up to the beginning of the 19th century was recorded in the village of Bilolissia. Bairak Mykhailo, a former head of the local collective farm, knows his ancestor Kuzma, who was one of the first to settle in the village during the settlement of Budzhak by Ukrainian Cossacks in the early 19th century. In addition, Mr. Bairak found this ancestor’s grave and restored the tombstone on it. In the region of the Upper Dnieper, knowledge about one’s ancestors without special research is usually limited to the level of great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents. Prior to the tragic events of the Holodomor, knowledge of one’s own lineage was passed down through oral tradition and recorded in a commemoration book, a small booklet where the names of deceased close relatives were recorded in chronological order. This allowed for prayers to be said for them or for a memorial service to be ordered in church. In the documents of Greek-Catholic churches from the second half of the 18th century, such as in the village of Trylisy in the Fastiv region (CSHAUK, f. 127, inv. 1014, dos. 226), hybrids of commemoration books and confession records can be found, where the names of the deceased ones were apparently recorded from the words of relatives. Unfortunately, the communist slogan “we will turn the whole world upside down” contributed to the destruction of the family microcosm and its microhistory. The common task for all nations of the post-Soviet space, and for Ukrainians as an addition to the complex of countering Russian aggression, should be the restoration of the history of their own families, which is a brick in the history of the whole state and nation.