The article is dedicated to the problem of keeping family records by several generations of the peasant family. In the course of the study, diaries and biographies of Borisov-Vityazev, a good kin representing the local lore tradition of Solvychegodsk locality of Vologda Province (nowadays, Krasnoborsk district of Arkhangelsk Region) have been examined. When studying the content of the materials, the general subject and genre features of the recordings were distinguished. The conducted research allowed to establish that within one peasant family, diaries with exclusively practical significance had eventually passed into the category of memoirs with reflexive and ethical principles – personal notes had replaced the pragmatic function of diaries.