Remember Me

Many moons ago, I took a family history class in college. It was wonderful! I loved it, and one of the biggest things I learned in that class was about compiling a "Book of Remembrance." This is a book full of my important records, documents, my personal history and family history information. If you're anything like my mom, you'll want super important documents in one place so you can just grab it in case of a house fire. Always thinking ahead, she is.

Where to start

Obviously, you need a place to store all the information and a box is not it. I suggest a 3-ring binder to hold your information using page dividers with labels. Six should do it, but you can add more if you like. The great thing is, this is completely customizable.  Page protectors are also handy here. However, be careful to not get the ones that will extend too far over your page dividers so you can't see them. Sorry, not sure which ones those might be...
You'll see in the picture I created a cover. Again, optional. I like mine because it has highlights from the First Presidency's "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."

With all the important materials on hand, you can start to gather and organize your important stuff.

Labeling

Here is where you can customize. My teacher had us label ours accordingly: Pedigree chart, family group sheet, documents, research, history, testimony and family photos. The order really isn't all that important; just follow the way that you think best.

Compiling

This will take the most time. I'll give you a run down of possible things to put into each section.

Pedigree chart: This is pretty basic. I recommend using Personal Ancestry File (PAF), which is a free download for PCs or at the local family history center. Just add or update your information up to four generations. You can also do this by hand, but I think it looks prettier printed off.

Family Group Sheet: This is obvious as well and another feature on PAF. I also included an Ahnentafel Chart, a non-graphical chart using a number system. You can read about it here. I can not for the life of me remember who compiled it, but mine goes to the ninth generation and some include information about my ancestors such as how much money they had and the properties they owned during that census year.

Documents: Here I included my birth certificate, marriage certificate and many other certificates, such as baptism, blessing, and temple sealing. Others are church achievement certificates and blessings I was given over the years.

Research: Here is a critical portion as well once you begin searching for ancestors. Take notes while you research! Keep a log of websites and places you've gone with the information gathered or put that you DIDN'T find any helpful information. I suggest if you use websites that have census records and other documents, print them off and store them here.

Histories: One of my favorite parts of the project was doing a personal history outline. Our teacher told us to come up with a "Top 20" events list from our lives with only three details to each event. One event HAD to be our first kiss. Imagine your kids reading that! It's a nice synopsis of your life condensed so you don't feel overwhelmed if you aren't a good journal writer. In this section, I also included callings held in church, letters from my parents, documents from important events such as obituaries and the eulogy I read for my grandmother's funeral. Anything of spiritual value can be put here that relates to your history.

Testimony: I think it's a valuable exercise to write down what one believes, every once in a while. It keeps it real plus reminds you when you're going through a tough time. I also included talks I gave in church when I was younger that my mom kept. What a trip those are!

Family photos: I included this because not everyone's a scrapbooker. Make sure to update them every once in a while. If someone looked at mine, they would think I was still single and living at home!

My hope for this post was to help you get started on compiling some of the most important documents of you and your family. Keeping records has always been important, especially to God. Not only that, but the value of knowing who you are and where you come from. Trust me, once you start, it will be hard to stop!