Musings of a Genealogy-Nut

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1, I will be hanging out in the Ancestorville chat room on Facebook hoping there are some other Ancesterville residents interested in heritage scrapping.  If you are on Facebook, contact me and I will direct you to one of the two chats at 3:00 EST and 8:00 EST.

I was in the chat room at Ancestorville one evening on another topic when I mentioned scrapping heritage, genealogy, ancestors, etc.  There were a couple who didn't know what "scrapping" was, let alone heritage scrapping, digital or otherwise.  There were a couple more who knew about scrapping but hadn't linked it to the stories of the ancestors.  I know at least one who has already jumped into it and keeps me informed.  I don't know all the answers, even if the "Mayor" of Ancestorville called me an "expert" but I have links...lots of links.

My suggestion for getting your feet wet is to choose one photo, piece of ephemera, or copy of an important record, scan it, place it loosely on a blank page and tell the story...every detail you know.  I usually type mine on a computer but handwritten is even better.  THEN go looking for backgrounds and decorations.

If you are ready to jump in with both feet, I would suggest the Lifebook Challenges at Heritage Scrap.  A lifebook takes one ancestor (or sometimes a couple) and follows a set pattern of one page a week on particular topics in chronological order.  I have done 2 of those with Victorian Rose, and loved the finished books.

Here is the loose schedule for a Lifebook.
Week 1: Cover/Getting started
Week 2: Birth
Week 3: Childhood
Week 4: School Days
Week 5: Parents
Week 6: Grandparents
Week 7: Siblings
Week 8: Family Memories
Week 9: Hometown/Childhood Home
Week 10: Friends
Week 11: Young Adult
Week 12: Dating/Courting
Week 13: Marriage
Week 14: Home
Week 15: In Laws/ Extended Family
Week 16: Kids
Week 17: Kids Cont.
Week 18: Jobs/Careers
Week 19: Hobbies/Sports
Week 20: Transportation
Week 21: Medical/Health
Week 22: Faith
Week 23: Holiday Memories/Traditions
Week 24: The Golden Years
Week 25: Grandchildren
Week 26: What happened in History during subject's lifetime
Week 27: Pedigree Chart

I thought I had all of the facts about my grandmother.  I discovered on the first page that I had little or no proof of her birth.  That week I concentrated on finding those records and discovered facts I DIDN'T know.  The same with her schooling and early childhood.  I found Indiana and Ohio have Old Schoolhouse sites with lots of information on the very schoolhouse I THOUGHT I knew. 

The book can really open up more research and answers than you can imagine.  It is much better, I think, to be working with a group and gathering suggestions and links from others trying the same thing.