AncestorNews: Family Mementos

I love scanning and taking digital photos of family mementos, then importing them into my genealogy software program. They make such a great addition to the reports I print and sent along to family members. Some of the items I’ve imported are a Valentine sent to my dad sometime in the 1920s, one of my grandmother’s dance cards, and a factory badge that belonged to my grandfather.

Lately, I’ve been looking for items that depict scenes where my family lived. Just today I was on eBay, bidding on an early 19th-century postcard of St. Joseph, Mo., (my hometown), and Shelbyville, Ind. (where my great-great-grandfather was married). For me, these kinds of items really bring family to life.

What else can you scan or photograph? Military records, a wedding dress, v-mails, jewelry, china, silverware, perfume bottles, military decorations or a family Bible. I even plan to photographing some of my grandmother’s hankies. Why? Because I can’t remember her ever being without one.

For info on finding old postcards (a fabulous addition to your family history reports), visit these sites:

• eBay
www.ebay.com
Search by locale or even surname.

• GeneaNet
cards.geneanet.org
Search for postcards

• Vintage Postcards From Around the World
genealogy.about.com/cs/postcards

• Postcards from the Past
www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/feb01/postcards.html