I’ve wracked my mind, and I cannot think of who the storytellers in our family might be. However, I have no problem identifying the storykeepers. They might not spin yarns or be captivating narrators, but they are always willing to share the family lore if asked. I wouldn’t call my mother a good storyteller, but I can absolutely count on her to provide the answers to questions I might have about even the most obscure bits of familial trivia.
I’ve been keeping the family history since I was in elementary school!
While I don’t consider myself a storyteller, I definitely count myself amongst the family storykeepers. I think by definition, genealogists are storykeepers. It’s not often that I’m asked, but I’m more than happy to share the stories whenever someone in the family should ask.
I will concede, however, that maybe I have become a storyteller. This blog is now two-and-a-half years old. This is my third time participating in Amy Johnson Crow‘s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and my 129th post as part of the challenge. I’ve even turned my first year’s set of posts into a print book and have nearly completed turning the second year’s worth into a digital book.
I often see queries on social media asking for recommendations or advice about the preservation of paper documents and other media. Those questions always make me miss my late aunt, Helen Diana Burgess, who was a conservation scientist. She’d have known the answer. I wish I had gotten more conservation tips from her.
Helen Diana Burgess (1951 – 1999). I love this photo because it shows her at work doing cool science stuff.
The professional world knew her as Helen Burgess, to me she was my Aunt Diana. I wrote about her in Week 9, “Women”. Sadly, she passed away in 1999.
Fortunately, I learned early on from her about things like the acids in paper and what not to do with photographs. Based on advice I had received from my aunt, I created one of my very first pieces of preservation, an album of compiled family photos, past and present.
The cover is boring but the contents are awesome.
I started putting this album together sometime in the mid-1990s. As a result, I cannot remember where I bought the materials, the brand names, or other specifics of the items I used to create this album. I don’t even know if the retailers I visited are still in business. Clearly I was more focused on preserving the family memories than preserving the methodology and materials.
What I can say is that the book is about 11″ x 17″ and contains several hundred pages of very high-quality acid-free paper. I used photo corners Aunt Diana recommended that were acid-free, with adhesive that would likely result in minimal harm to the paper and photos over time and remain in place for years. I even recall buying the types of pens she recommended for the project. I only use the odd numbered pages, so photos don’t press against each other when the book is closed.
I organized the book by starting with myself and then my four siblings. I then have a section for my parents, followed by sections for each set of grandparents.
On the first page I’ve included the card with my birth announcement. I mounted it on the page in such a way that you can see this delightful photo of me taken shortly after I was born.My paternal grandparentsMy maternal grandparentsSome of the pages for my grandparents
It progresses to great grandparents and then onto direct ancestors beyond my great grandparents. I then move on to aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, and then finally cousins.
Great GrandparentsBeyond Great GrandparentsGreat Aunts and UnclesGenealogy RoadTripSamples of other pages from the album
I am quite proud of the results so far. While I haven’t worked on it in twenty years, it remains very much a work in progress. There are many blank pages waiting to be filled and there is no shortage of material to add. In the time since I last worked on it I’ve married and had kids. While one sister was married when I started this, she has had two children since I set it aside. One of my brothers has married and has a child of his own. Other marriages have occurred and many babies have been born. There are also graduations and other milestone occasions that could be included.
I can say with certainty that the materials are well preserved. The pages are crisp and white and the photos look as good as they were when I started. I see no signs of discoloration, fading, wear, or decay. Hopefully this book has many long decades ahead of it.
A Deck of Ancestors 