Heritage scrapbook with photos and notes makes a treasured gift

By Kim Hone-McMahan

Akron Beacon Journal

(MCT)

You might think your kids or grandkids don’t want to hear about their heritage. But it may be more about the lack of time in their busy schedules to listen than the perceived notion that they don’t care. Someday when you least expect it, little Johnnie might ask whether cranky Uncle Frank really did hail from Timbuktu.

Often, people die before talking or jotting down notes about their forefathers. You’re left with old black-and-white pictures or antique tintype photos in which no one knows a soul.

Donnette High, co-owner of The Scrapbook Shop in Copley, Ohio, explained those items eventually become fodder for garage sales.

“It’s a proven fact that if you don’t have a story (or journal entry) to go with each picture, the photo will be thrown away by the third generation,” she said.

So, before time slips away, consider a unique gift this holiday that will become a family treasure. Write a journal, or make a heritage scrapbook, mixing the old photos and clippings with the stories tucked away among the cobwebs of your brain.

Don’t worry about your writing, grammar or punctuation. It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you start keeping some type of journal.

As you think about the project, memories may come flooding back in places like the grocery story or restaurant. If you don’t have paper, jot your thoughts down on the back of a receipt or napkin. Toss them in a drawer to retrieve when you’re ready to put them someplace more permanent. You could even attach the notes to a page in the scrapbook. The kids will love seeing your handwriting _misspelled words and all.

High’s 82-year-old father, Gerald Murphy, who is in hospice care in Massillon, Ohio, made a beautiful scrapbook five years ago for his family. He included things like old photos and a letter he found tucked in a family Bible, decades after it had been written in the 1940s. The letter, penned by Murphy’s father, had never been sent.

It reads, in part:

“I wish I had the power to write the thoughts wedged in my heart tonight. As I sit watching that small star and wondering how and where you are, you know son it’s a funny thing how close a war can always bring a family who, with pride, have kept emotions deep inside.

“Tonight you’re far across the sea waging war for men like me… ”

A terrific new book, “Family History Scrapbooking” by Becky Higgins (Primedia, $19.95), explains how to get started making a heritage scrapbook. It has detailed instructions, but because of the small type, may be difficult for some elderly folks to read. Still, consider a magnifying glass - it’s worth the trouble.

Family history work, the book explains, is packed with possibilities. It can be anything from a scrapbook of stories to a complete family history library. Before you start working, take a minute and decide what sort of project you want to create.

Here are some ideas:

_A complete family history library with a binder for each family.

_A scrapbook filled with a summary of the people in your life.

_An album of family stories and snapshots.

_An album of recipes that have been passed down.

_A tribute scrapbook that honors a person or couple.

_A mini-album that answers most-often-asked family questions.

_A children’s storybook with photographs of ancestors and interesting facts about them.

There are also places on the Internet that can create personalized storybooks. They are great ways of showcasing family traditions. One is www.shutterfly.com.

Perhaps your elderly loved one can’t or doesn’t want to write a family history, but still has a sharp memory. Have her or him identify the people in old photos for you. Maybe she or he will also be able to tell you something heartwarming or funny about the people.

Heritage scrapbooks are beautiful mementos, but you don’t have to give your children something that fancy.

After years of questions about my family ancestry, my mother, Verlene Hone, realized someone might want to know a little about her life. So, she jotted down her memories in a 79-cent spiral notebook. I found the notes a few months ago, before she went to live in a nursing home.

“We had a Ford that had to be cranked. Ours was a touring car with no side windows. So, when it rained, you had to take the side curtains from beneath the seat and fasten, or buckle, them on the sides. They had isinglass (similar to clear plastic).

“We took many trips in that old car to see our grandparents out west. It took several days and we stopped to cook over an open fire for every meal.

“My dad always had a big dog and he rode all the way lying on the right front fender. He was our protector.”

Remember the small details, as my mom did.

Thanks, Mom.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/16088996.htm