Catreus

I would agree with the above comments about fit.  Reach out to the people you are curious about working with, and give them an idea of what you want to do.  I sent a writing sample out with my letters of inquiry.  I got a mixed, but generally honest, batch of replies.  Most of the people you will be writing to are busy folk, and they won't take the time to give you a long, considered response if they aren't serious.  One of the things that i asked in my letter was, if the person was unable or unwilling to work with me, who they could recommend for me to talk to in the field.
 
Your language levels seem about on par with mine -- recent Latin and old, rust German -- and no one I spoke to really had an issue about it.  The people in the medieval studies program at Cornell, where I am starting in the fall, told me that an appropriate way to come at the language question is not to ask, "Where do I want to be with languages in 3 years," but rather, "Where do I want to be with languages in 10 years?  15 years?"  
 
You might also consider looking into medieval studies programs, in addition to straight history programs.  I am a historian by inclination and by training, but my work and my proposed project couldn't find a home in traditional history programs.  I want to look at medieval maps and map usage, using methodologies primarily applied to studies of 19th and 20th century mapmaking.  Most history departments to whom I spoke were unable to bridge those two fixed planes of academic work.  The medieval studies program at Cornell, though, will let me include in my committee both medieval scholars and the fellow in the history department who works with cartographic and spatial history -- and he is a Mexicanist.  I need to make sure that I come out of the other side of the program looking like a historian, rather than a medievalist...thats a real concern in terms of projected hiring.  But the format of the program will -- by its very nature -- allow for a much more flexible approach to study and research.  So its worth considering.
 
Best of luck.

With regard to the question of personal stories, I would add that my MA advisor -- also the graduate coordinator -- told me that beginning a SOP with a personal story is an eye-roll inducing cliche.  Especially stories in the vein of "I learned my love of history at an early age, listening to my grandfather's stories..."  Like Lafayette above, I included personal history that explained my reasons for returning to school, and to explain my less-than-stellar undergraduate record.  But that only comprised a small part of my SOP.  I would agree that the letter's primary focus should be on your interests and on any projects that you are bringing to the table.