Family Tree Scrapbooking

If you've been working on your family tree for a while, chances are you have a lot of loose photographs, documents and other mementos floating around. A family tree scrapbook is a great way to organize these items while making an heirloom that can be passed down to future generations.

Family tree scrapbooks are highly individual. How you choose to organize it is completely up to you. The common practice is to start the book with the oldest individuals, organizing pages by couple or family. To allow room for items, it is best to devote a page per person or couple.

To ensure your scrapbook lasts for years to come, it is important to buy the correct supplies. The paper should be acid-free or marked for archival or preservation purposes. Any adhesive, whether glue or tape, should be so as well. For delicate or fragile items, you may want to consider protective sleeves.

Some families ask members to write down a memory for inclusion in the book. It is a good way to give your scrapbook a personal touch. Future generations will be able to get a glimpse into ancestor's lives from the written memories.

Photographs do not have to be just people. They can also include pictures of special places such as the family home place, the church where a couple married, or the schoolhouse where an ancestor taught. Pictures of family pets are also a good idea.

A growing trend in family tree scrapbooking is to buy expandable books. If you come across earlier generations in your genealogy research, it allows you to easily add them to the book. Likewise, when the book is passed down to children or grandchildren, they too can add their part of the family to the book, extending the genealogy for generations to come.