Family history scrapbook with photographs and source notes
A family history scrapbook pairs memories with identifiable sources. Choose one branch, person or place, then record where each photograph or document came from and what remains uncertain.
Choose one household, a move between towns or a family business. A narrower subject lets you check the details without researching the whole family at once.
Use a recollection to explain what someone remembers. Check its names and dates against documents where you can.
Make a book from these memories
Add your photos and keepsakes, then put the book together in your browser.
Keep a list of your sources
Number each photo and document. Record who supplied it, where the original is kept and any date written on the back.
Preserve the full scan even if the page uses a crop. Keep notes about uncertainty with the source file.
Check memories against dated documents
Compare a remembered date with a dated letter or certificate where available. Keep conflicting details visible in your research notes.
Keep the speaker's name beside a remembered account. Repeating a story in several places does not confirm that it happened.
Use places to explain changes
Put a street map beside household portraits to show where they lived. A workplace photograph can explain a job or move.
Choose the documents that explain the event. Keep the full source list separately rather than putting every document on the page.
Pages to make
The starting household
Pair the earliest identified group photograph with a simple list of names and the address or place, using only details you can support.
A move or change
Place a map, dated letter or address record beside a photograph from before or after the change. Identify the source of each date.
Work and daily life
Combine a workplace image with a tool, shopfront or document copy. Add an attributed recollection from someone who knew that setting.
Unidentified photographs
Put unknown faces and dates on a separate page. Add the source numbers and questions so another relative can help identify them.
Questions
How is a family history scrapbook different from a family album?
A family history scrapbook uses source notes and documents to explain the photographs. An album can simply keep the pictures in order without investigating their background.
Can I include an unidentified photograph?
Yes. Describe what is visible and state that the identity is unknown. Keep the source details so someone can investigate later.
Should I include certificates for living relatives?
Check their permission and the book's audience first. Use only the details needed for the page, and leave private identifying information out of shared copies.