Family History Scrapbook Themes
When you are about to embark on creating a family history scrapbook, you may feel overwhemed about where to start.
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Creating an album with a theme can help focus your efforts and in turn ease the anxiety of starting a big project. You don't have to start with the oldest ancestor you have found and then work your way down the family tree. It is easier for most people to use a focus for their first album. |
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Scrapbooks tell a story just like books tell a story about a particular theme or event. So working out what story you want to tell will help create the album. |
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Here are some ideas to get you started:-
Heritage Theme
Heritage albums are based on telling the stories about your family members.
You could concentrate on:-
- Grandparents
- Great-grandparents
- Generations
- Maternal ancestors
- Paternal ancestors
- Pioneer ancestors
- Family reunions
- Common family health issues
Depending on how long ago the person was born, there may be no photos of this person, but it is still possible to create a page about them. You may want to use copies of their birth certificate or you may have a page out of a family bible that they had with their handwriting.
Immigration and Geography
If you have traced you ancestors to a different country or continent, an album created about their origins and their journey to the new land would be a great story to tell.
You could include maps with where their families originated and trace their journey. You may even be able to find a drawing of the ship they sailed on. Modern photos of the town or village they were born in would also be a great idea.
Occupations and Household Duties
Everyday life has changed dramatically over the last two centuries so it is important to record how people lived over this time.
You could create an album about the occupations of your ancestors. Many occupations have died out so it would be interesting to research and document about these occupations.
Were your ancestors farmers or did they learn a trade, and who did they lean a trade from? Has their trade or family business been handed down through the generations? Were they in a religious occupation?
Most women's occupation was to look after the family and the household, or help out in the family business. In some ways, life has got easier over time, in some ways it has not. Creating an album about the household duties that your female ancestors performed on a daily basis would be valuable and help the reader understand more about that person.
Military
Creating an album dedicated to our ancestors that have served in the military is very moving and rewarding. You can tell a story about their service.
Family Recipes
Family recipes have been handed down from generation to generation. The kitchen is where the family gathers and many memories are created here in childhood.
If you have those old family recipes in your possession or you can get a copy of them, an album with all the recipes and memories of your grandmothers or mothers that you remember would be a great idea.
Weddings
Weddings were and still are major events in most family's histories and they are steeped in rich traditions. Weddings brought the extended family together and were a great occasion for a photo or two, especially in the 19th century where this may have been the only photo taken of the couple.
An album about all the weddings of your ancestors can be filled with information about how the couple met, who attended the weddings, where they were married and even who made the dress.
More information on wedding memorabilia and keepsakes
