Family Tree/Genealogy Scrapping

[tigerlady]

Does anyone else research their family tree and are you scrapping what you find? Is anyone thinking of starting but doesn't know how to or have you reached a brick wall? I am happy to try to help and hopefully we can prod one another to keep scrapping our results!

[alison 2]

I have just rejoined Ancestry and really want to get more family history into my albums.
I’ve done a few pages but I find it really difficult to work out the best approach. Do I do a page for each person, an album for each family name. How do I make the pages all work together ?

I need to find the pages I’ve done and make a plan

[tigerlady]

I can’t help with that, I flit from person to person name to name whatever I fancy doing next! Have you had your DNA done?

[alison 2]

Yes I had my DNA done recently which is what has got me back into it all again.

I think I’ll just flit back and forth too, although I do like to end up with some sort of order in my albums so I need a loose overall plan.

Have you got a copy of the relevant trees in with your pages so people can see where they fit in the grand scheme of things ?

[tigerlady]

Not yet but I am filling out a huge wall chart going back 9 gens which will go into the file with them, I will also take them all out and put them into branches. I just hope I live long enough at the rate I am doing it!

[alison 2]

Haha, I know what you mean !

[stitching lady]

I have done a few LOs of my grandad and family because they were keen photographers and there were several interesting photos but I haven’t done any more than that. I, too would be interested in thinking about possible approaches to combining my family history with scrapbooking.

[tigerlady]

I had a few photographers, great grandad went to South Africa to recover from TB and to set up a photography business. It didn’t quite work out like that! The Anglo Boer war was on so he ended up in Kimberley Town Guard and also worked as a war photographer. His army record states he was a “Sharp Shooter” and I have a spent bullet case which he carried with him. I always wonder if he killed someone with that bullet.
Some of his photographs (I have the originals so am confident in saying that) are on web pages relating to the war and the future King’s visit to SA) others were recently published in a book by someone who colours Boer War images. I wonder what he would have made of it all?

[g61]

That's fascinating, Hilary. Your ancestors led the most interesting lives.
To those wondering about combining scrapbooking and family trees, some of the companies do (or did) sell 12x12 sheets on which you could capture the family tree (eg K&Co Ancestry range), which would be ideal for inclusion in a scrapbook. Though who ever has a tree that fits neatly and symmetrically onto a pre-printed sheet?

[tigerlady]

Yes, I have bought some of those over the years but as you say, who fits on that lovely balanced tree!. Also most don't go very far back.
I made a tree a few years back, using a white illuminated twig tree and everybodies photo on tags. It is one of the few things I have made which I really love.
Alison did you have any surprises in your DNA? I started out about 50/50 English and Scottish, which I expected. But every few months it gets reviewed and after a few reviews I am now 66% Scottish, 14 Germanic Europe (Is this Vlad the Impaler at last!!) 7% Swedish and only 6% English. If there is any European in me it goes back further than 1700's as my tree covers that in all or almost all branches.

[tigerlady]

And as for being interesting, no not at all! I had a lot of Weavers, Miners and Blacksmiths. I am up to nearly 4200 people and only have a handful of notable people, a couple of murderers, one of whom was hanged in Grassmarket in Edinburgh; a woman killed by a bear in Yorkshire and a good number of musical and artistic people, both of which skipped me.

[g61]

But the stories you have are so interesting, Hilary. You seem to know a lot about them. And 4200 people is very impressive!

[tigerlady]

Newspaper reports are very handy! I do trees for a lot of friends and discovered one had a relative who jailed for a very long time. I didn’t tell my friend as she had no idea he existed! Some things can be skipped over.
I have been researching since, I think, 2006. My uncle and great uncle had worked on it as well, back in the days when it was all done by visits to record offices. My great uncles tree was enormous and he is the one who linked us to Vlad the Impaler. Annoyingly the tree was inherited by a relative who isn’t interested at all. She has promised over and over to send me a copy but never does.

[alison 2]

Hilary, apparently I’m 19% Swedish/Danish and 8% Scottish. And it confirmed that my son is my son !!

Yes I have some dedicated family history papers, as you say they don’t allow much flexibility.
I did trace one and use in one album but it only shows the current generations, I’ll get a pic.

Hilary, would love to see your twig tree, something I’ve always thought about doing but never got into

4200 is impressive ! Family photographers will have proved useful

[RED HEAD]

Our niece did DH family tree, but we haven’t many photos .
It went right back to the settlement of the Pilgrim Fathers in Boston and Jamestown.
Ellie