Heritage Albums

I enjoy creating heritage albums about my ancestors. In addition to writing their biographies, I like to include items that show their talents and personalities. Here are two ideas for adding interest to a biography.

• Favorite recipes. I cherish an old handwritten recipe for biscuits that my maternal grandmother used. When including such a recipe in an album, you can easily reproduce the handwriting by scanning or photocopying it. If you or someone in the family happens to have an heirloom cookbook, consider photographing it and including the image with any recipes you reproduce.

• Favorite song lyrics. While reading a biography of one of my ancestors, I discovered that he loved singing a particular song. I had never heard of it, but a quick Internet search of the song title produced information for ordering the sheet music. A musically inclined friend played the music, and I recorded it onto a CD to include with my ancestor’s biography. Simply typing the song lyrics or including a favorite poem or quotation would also add much depth to a biography.
  Marlene Cameron Thomas, Tennessee

Illustration by Joe Flores