Family Tree Scrapbooking Treasures

By Daniel K. Voyles

Once you begin researching your family history you will collect various documents, photographs and information. These may include anything from birth, marriage and death records as well as obituaries, military records, and naturalization papers. You may even have such treasures as an old movie ticket stub from the first date of your mom and dad.

Consider family tree scrapbooking to hold and display all your family keepsakes rather than sticking them in an old cabinet. Everyone will enjoy looking through them.

Scrapbooking is an excellent means of honoring your ancestors. It is attractively convenient and a wonderful way to share all the family history information you have gathered. It may even become an heirloom being passed from one generation to another, while each new owner adds more pages.

Be careful while choosing your scrapbooking materials. Choose to use acid free and made specifically for archival use materials to help preserve your mementos rather than ruining them. An expandable scrapbook is the best choice, since you can add more pages to the book.

You can arrange your family tree scrapbook any way you please. However traditionally, the oldest documents and photographs are the first to go in and then you add the more recent photos towards the back. You may want to do both sides of your family in chronological order. Then again, you may prefer to do your paternal side first and then do your maternal side.

First, you will gather you items and then organize them as you want them to appear in your book. You can include photos and then have family members write down their memories for you to include in your scrapbook.

Make a page for each relative and then include all their essential details such as where and when they were born, parents, spouses and names of children. Include any photographs, records or certificates you may have as well as a little of their history. When you add photos you need to identify everyone in the photo when possible.

Try out different layouts until you find the one you like best. Tailor each layout to fit the individual. You may want to use a template to keep them all the same. You can find more ideas online by looking at samples.

You can add personality to your scrapbook, while using regular scrapbooking supplies such as patterned paper, rubber stamps, stencils, die cuts, stickers, paper punches and clip art. Using these things add a warm personal touch to your keepsake creations.

You want to keep the contents of your scrapbook safe for years to come, therefore you must take precautions. Choose to use the right types of paper, adhesives and scrapbooks. Choose products that have acid free or archival use on the label.

You can use deacidification spray to protect any acidic documents from causing damage to other papers. Use acid free sleeves rather than spray delicate old documents. These can shield light from the document that may cause deterioration and it also keeps other documents for rubbing against anything in the sleeve.

There are numerous colorful papers you can use for scrapbook decorations. However, you should always write with a black pen. Black ink can stand the test of time much longer than any other ink color.

Family tree scrapbooking treasures are worth more than gold, everyone can enjoy them. Kids love to help decorate the pages of a scrapbook. It also helps them learn more about their extended family members. When you let them help you encourage their creativity and willingness to carry on the family tree scrapbooking tradition.

Daniel K. Voyles is a genealogy enthusiast. For more great information on family tree scrapbooking visit yourgenealogyhistory.com.

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