In our digital age, more and more family historians 'scrapbook' - that is, use their creative talents to tell a story. They combine photos, memorabilia, clippings from newspapers, magazines and other print media, and their own words. Treasures in their own right, imagine the joy of finding such a marvelous record as a way to further your ancestral research! Scrapbooking is not a new idea. If you haven't looked for them, you might be missing a valuable key.

There are several different types of scrapbooks:

• Family photo albums: These offer images of others in your family, and typically are held by family members. They may document births, Christmas or other holidays, trips (I have photos of my great-aunt standing on the great wall of China, from a trip she took almost 100 years ago), important possessions (how about the first vehicle owned by your ancestor?), or many other topics. If you're the family pack rat, you probably already have at least one of these. But remember that Mom and Dad were not the only ones who might have maintained a scrapbook! How about grandparents and aunts and uncles? Always seek out every bit of data. Some may have better captions than others, especially dates and the names of relatives who are not longer recognizable.
• Specialized interests: Was a member of your family a collector of some sort, or involved in a club or organization? Perhaps that person became the official historian for the group, and put together a scrapbook of the activities of the local PTA, veterans group, church, or other organization. These may not be held in the family any more, but should be sought in the archives of the group. Not only will these scrapbooks inform you about your ancestor's role, but you'll obtain valuable historical background about the others in group with whom your ancestors affiliated. Perhaps you'll be able to identify that photo in the family photo album that says "Jack and I at the fair."
• Historical events: What was happening in the area during a collector's lifetime may end up in a scrapbook. (My grandmother clipped and scrapbooked all the men from her home county that joined the military service during WWII, for example.) These will differ but think about President Obama's inauguration, bringing German prisoners to Minnesota during WWII, natural disasters such as floods, beginning a new church, the U.S./Dakota War of 1862 and so on. Perhaps your ancestor or his neighbor wrote of experiences in the local newspaper. Perhaps the local genealogical society clipped obituaries, knowing that someone would eventually want them. Perhaps the local librarian clipped and filed important news items for the community. Your family's history is part of the larger local history, which in turn in part of a greater history.

  Scrapbooks like these can be found at local historical societies, libraries, or in the hands of individuals who care about the local community's history. As you search for family information, be sure to ask about the possibility of scrapbooks!

Happy hunting!

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