my family heirloom essay

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The Meaning of Family Heirlooms: Connecting Past and Present

Here's how i discovered the rich history and meaning behind my family's heirlooms..

• Lauren Thomann
• January 12, 2023

As a child, I remember being fascinated by the old photo albums my grandparents would pull out of the basement. To me, these pictures were like little windows into the past. They gave me a glimpse into my ancestors’ lives and the stories that made up our family history.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that family heirlooms are about so much more than just sentimental value. In this article, we will explore the special significance and meaning of family heirlooms. We will also discuss the valuable lessons that can be learned from these cherished items. When linked to a story, these antiques can hold a special place in our family’s history. Here’s what heirlooms are capable of doing:

Preserving Our Memories

One of the most valuable things about family heirlooms is the way they preserve our memories of our ancestors. These items can be physical reminders of important events and people in our family’s history. And this helps us to connect with our past in a tangible way.

For example, my grandmother’s wedding set has been passed down through the generations. Every time I see the rings, I think of the love and devotion that she shared with her family and my grandfather. It also helps me visualize my grandmother’s face, voice, mannerisms, and the way she would clutch at her rings. These rings keep her memory alive.

Bringing Us Together

Another important aspect of family heirlooms is the way they can bring us together. These items can serve as conversation starters and help to spark meaningful conversations between family members. They can also help to foster a sense of unity and belonging within a family, as we come together to reminisce and share our memories.

For example, my aunts and mom acquired a collection of old family photos that we loved to look through as a family. It was a special bonding experience for us. Unsurprisingly, the experience helped me to learn more about my family’s history and the people who came before me on my mother’s side.

Providing a Sense of Continuity

Perhaps one of the most significant thing about family heirlooms is how they provide us with a sense of continuity. These items remind us that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We are all connected to a rich and diverse family history. These items ( when not hoarded in excess ) help us to feel grounded and rooted in our family’s past. When linked to a story, these antiques give us a sense of belonging and identity.

Adding Meaning to Our Lives

Family heirlooms often hold a deeper meaning and offer valuable lessons to those who inherit them. These items can serve as a reminder of the values and traditions that have been passed down through the generations. These “reminders” can inspire us to carry on these important legacies in our own lives.

For example, my great-great-grandmother’s gold signet ring was hidden in her bun when she came to America after WWI. It is one of the only remaining items we have from her. My grandmother started the tradition of passing down the ring to the eldest single woman in the family.

She wanted this beloved possession to embody the strength, resilience, and independence of my great-great-grandmother, Anna Barbara. It took incredible fortitude for my ancestor to travel without her husband and with young children to create a better life. Every time I look at it, I am reminded of the hard work and dedication that she showed throughout her life. It inspires me to be just as diligent and persevering in my own pursuits.

So, the next time you come across an old family heirloom, take a moment to appreciate the meaning and lessons that it holds. Let it inspire you to be the best version of yourself.

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Heirloom Treasures: Exploring the Meaning Behind Family Keepsakes

Jul 20, 2023 | Analysis and Advice | 0 |

Table of Contents

Unveiling the Past: The Significance of Heirloom Treasures in Genealogy

Our family heirloom treasures are not merely objects; they are living connections to our past, windows into the lives of our ancestors, and gateways to understanding our shared history. These cherished keepsakes hold stories that transcend generations , bridging the gap between our present and the distant past.

As genealogists, we embark on a journey to piece together our family puzzle, and heirlooms play a pivotal role in this quest. Each artifact, whether it be a faded photograph, a weathered letter, or a delicate piece of jewelry, holds within it the essence of those who came before us.

The significance of family heirlooms lies not only in their material value but in the emotions and memories they carry. Passed down from one generation to the next, these treasures are imbued with the love, struggles, triumphs, and aspirations of our ancestors. They are a tangible link to the stories of those who walked the paths of our heritage, giving us glimpses into their daily lives, their dreams, and the traditions they held dear.

These cherished possessions also serve as a silent testament to the resilience and ingenuity of our ancestors. In their preservation, we honor the struggles they endured and the perseverance they displayed. By exploring the stories behind these heirlooms, we not only uncover our family’s history but also gain a deeper appreciation for the courage and sacrifices that have shaped our lineage.

Beyond their sentimental value, heirlooms are a treasure trove for genealogists seeking to piece together the intricate tapestry of their family tree. These artifacts often hold clues that guide us on our genealogical journey—dates, names, places, and sometimes cryptic notes that lead us to discover long-forgotten relatives and connections.

As we embark on the path of genealogy , we must recognize the significance of these heirloom treasures. They provide us with a tangible link to our ancestors, offering valuable insights into their experiences, beliefs, and cultural heritage. Through these time-worn keepsakes, we gain a profound understanding of our roots, and by cherishing and preserving them, we ensure that the stories of our ancestors continue to be shared with future generations.

The Sentimental Journey: Emotional Connections to Cherished Keepsakes

Amidst the tangible artifacts that pass from generation to generation, family heirlooms carry an intangible essence—a sentimental journey that binds individuals and families to their past in a profound and emotional way. These cherished keepsakes transcend mere material value, carrying within them the memories, love, and shared experiences of those who came before us.

When we hold a family heirloom in our hands, it is as if we are touching the heartstrings of our ancestors. The weathered pages of a handwritten letter, the intricate engravings on an old piece of jewelry, or the faded photograph of a long-lost relative evoke a sense of connection that cannot be replicated elsewhere. These heirlooms serve as portals, transporting us back in time to a bygone era, allowing us to walk in the footsteps of our forebears and experience their joys, sorrows, and triumphs.

Emotional attachments to family heirlooms are woven into the fabric of our identity. They remind us of the strength and resilience of those who came before us, passing on their values and traditions through these tangible objects. In the embrace of a well-worn quilt or the fragrance of a time-honored recipe, we find a link to our ancestors’ daily lives and the love they poured into every stitch and flavor.

Beyond the sentimental value they hold for individuals, family heirlooms have the power to strengthen the bonds within families. The passing down of an heirloom is not just the transfer of an object; it is an act of trust, an acknowledgment of the recipient’s place in the family tapestry. Through these acts of inheritance, the stories of our ancestors are carried forward, and the shared sense of belonging is fortified.

As we trace the emotional connections to cherished keepsakes, we uncover the ties that bind us to our heritage. These treasures become more than objects on a shelf or in a display case—they become living symbols of our shared past, present, and future. They serve as reminders of the resilience, love, and unity that have threaded through our family’s journey over time.

In exploring the emotional significance of family heirlooms, we find a deeper appreciation for our ancestors’ legacies and a sense of responsibility to preserve and pass on these treasures to future generations. Through the sentimental journey these keepsakes take us on, we learn that our family’s history is not confined to dusty books and distant dates—it lives on in the cherished heirlooms that grace our lives with love and memories.

Treasures From the Past: Examples of Meaningful Family Keepsakes

In the quiet corners of our homes lie treasures from the past—family keepsakes that carry within them the untold stories and enduring memories of our ancestors. Each heirloom holds a unique narrative, offering us a glimpse into the lives they once lived and the legacies they left behind. These cherished artifacts transcend time, preserving the essence of our familial history for generations to come.

One such cherished keepsake is a weathered leather-bound journal, lovingly filled with handwritten entries spanning over a century. Within its pages, we find the elegant script of our great-great-grandmother, recounting her daily joys, struggles, and dreams. As we read her words, we are transported to an era where horse-drawn carriages graced the streets and candlelight flickered in homes, gaining insights into her thoughts and emotions that transcend generations.

In another corner, a delicate locket lovingly passed down through the generations carries the sepia-toned photographs of a young couple. Their eyes twinkle with hope and love, encapsulating a moment frozen in time. As we hold the locket, we imagine their journey—a tale of love, resilience, and the foundation of our family’s legacy.

Among the treasures, a tattered and well-worn map unfolds, revealing journeys across continents and oceans. Tracing the faded routes with our fingers, we follow the steps of our adventurous ancestors who sought new lands and opportunities, leaving behind an indelible mark on our family history.

A handcrafted quilt, with intricate patterns and patches, also finds its place among the heirlooms. As we run our hands over the stitches, we imagine the hands that carefully stitched each piece together. The quilt becomes a symbol of unity, woven with the threads of love and the warmth of family gatherings throughout the years.

A timeworn family recipe book opens to reveal age-old culinary secrets, passed down from one generation of skilled cooks to the next. As we recreate the cherished dishes, the flavors connect us to ancestors we may have never met, igniting a sense of kinship that defies time.

Each family keepsake holds a story waiting to be discovered, a connection to our past that enriches our present. They are more than just possessions—they are keys to our heritage. Through these tangible pieces of history, we embrace the essence of our ancestors, weaving their stories into the fabric of our own lives.

These treasures from the past beckon us to delve into our genealogical journey, uncovering the intricacies of our familial tapestry. As we share these specific stories and examples of heirlooms, we inspire the preservation and celebration of our shared history. For in these keepsakes, we find not only the stories of our ancestors but also the threads that bind us together as a family across time.

Tales of Inheritance: How Heirlooms Pass Down Family Legacies

In the quiet passing of time, the art of inheritance weaves a tapestry that connects generations. Among the most cherished threads are family heirlooms—treasures that carry with them not only the weight of history but also the essence of family legacies. These heirlooms serve as vessels through which our ancestors’ stories are lovingly preserved and passed down, ensuring that their presence continues to shape our lives today.

The tradition of passing down family keepsakes transcends cultures and continents, as cherished items find new homes in the hands of the next generation. From an ornate pocket watch that once graced the vest of a great-great-grandfather to a hand-carved wooden chest that journeyed across oceans with adventurous ancestors, these heirlooms bear witness to the footsteps of those who came before us.

The significance of these precious artifacts lies not merely in their material value but in the intangible connections they foster. As a family comes together to pass down an heirloom, they engage in a profound act of storytelling, where memories and anecdotes are shared, and the history of each piece is lovingly recounted. These moments of inheritance become rituals of remembrance, ensuring that the essence of our ancestors remains alive in our hearts.

Through these tales of inheritance, family legacies are preserved and strengthened. As the weighty silverware is passed from one hand to the next at a special family gathering, the sense of belonging and continuity grows stronger. With each new recipient, the stories of the past intertwine with the present, creating a rich tapestry of shared experiences that transcend time.

Heirlooms serve as the silent guardians of family traditions. The elegant family crest embroidered on a linen tablecloth harks back to a time of gatherings and celebrations, reminding us of the unity and love that have threaded through generations. The heirloom wedding ring, worn by countless brides, symbolizes the enduring commitment that unites a family through joyous and challenging times.

Beyond the sentimental value, heirlooms play a pivotal role in preserving cultural heritage. In their possession, we hold artifacts that embody the artistic expressions, craftsmanship, and values of our ancestors. As they are handed down, these cultural treasures bridge the gap between past and present, fostering a sense of identity and pride in our heritage.

In investigating the tradition of passing down family keepsakes, we discover that heirlooms are more than just objects; they are guardians of family histories and catalysts for bonding across generations. As we receive and pass down these treasures, we partake in a timeless act of love and remembrance, ensuring that the spirit of our ancestors lives on, forever etched in the fabric of our family legacies.

The Detective’s Tool: Using Heirlooms for Genealogical Research

In the fascinating world of genealogy, where the past meets the present, every artifact and heirloom holds the potential to unlock hidden chapters of our family history. Like skilled detectives, genealogists meticulously examine family heirlooms, recognizing them as invaluable tools that provide valuable clues and resources in their quest to piece together the puzzle of ancestry.

These cherished artifacts act as portals to the past, each one concealing a trove of information waiting to be discovered. A faded photograph tucked inside an old album may reveal the faces of unknown relatives, their attire and surroundings offering hints about the time and place they lived. The inscription on a well-worn pocket watch may provide a precious clue about its original owner, connecting the threads of family branches that have long been lost to time.

Handwritten letters and diaries become treasures of immense historical value. The delicate strokes of penmanship transport us to a different era, where ink and paper were vessels for heartfelt emotions and daily experiences. Reading these intimate accounts, we gain insight into the personalities and relationships of our ancestors, weaving a more comprehensive narrative of their lives.

Beyond the words on a page, heirlooms can also reveal ancestral migration patterns. An intricately detailed piece of jewelry or clothing might bear the hallmarks of a distant land, offering glimpses into the cultural roots and traditions of our forebears. These tangible mementos become passports to the past, guiding genealogists along the paths of their ancestors’ journeys.

Heirlooms also serve as catalysts for family stories and oral histories. Gathering around a cherished keepsake, family members share memories and anecdotes that enrich the tapestry of their shared history. Each story told becomes a piece of the larger puzzle, filling in the gaps and connecting the dots of generations past.

In the digital age, technology further empowers genealogists in their use of heirlooms as investigative tools. High-resolution scanning and digital preservation techniques ensure that fragile artifacts can be shared and studied by researchers worldwide. Online databases and genealogical platforms serve as repositories of ancestral knowledge, allowing families to collaborate and piece together their collective heritage.

As genealogical detectives, we must approach heirlooms with a keen eye, recognizing their potential significance as more than just sentimental keepsakes. They are gateways to a richer understanding of our ancestors and their lives, shedding light on the tapestry of human history that binds us all together. Through the use of these detective’s tools, we embrace our role as custodians of the past, preserving the legacies of our ancestors for the generations yet to come.

Preserving History: Best Practices for Safeguarding and Displaying Heirlooms

As custodians of our family’s history, it is our responsibility to safeguard and preserve the precious heirlooms that bridge the gap between generations. These cherished artifacts carry within them the stories and memories of our ancestors, and through thoughtful preservation and display, we ensure their longevity and continued significance for years to come.

Handle with Care: When interacting with family heirlooms, always use clean, dry hands to avoid transferring oils and dirt that may cause damage over time. Consider wearing cotton gloves when handling delicate items such as old photographs, textiles, or fragile documents.

Climate Control: Choose a stable and moderate environment for storing heirlooms. Extremes of temperature and humidity can accelerate deterioration. Avoid areas like attics, basements, or rooms exposed to direct sunlight. Instead, opt for a cool, dry room with controlled humidity levels.

Acid-Free and Archival Materials: When storing or displaying heirlooms, use acid-free and archival-quality materials, such as acid-free tissue paper, archival boxes, and photo sleeves. These materials will protect the items from deterioration and chemical reactions.

Framing Artifacts: If you plan to frame heirloom documents or photographs, choose UV-protective glass to shield them from harmful ultraviolet rays. This will prevent fading and help preserve their original colors.

Proper Cleaning: Before cleaning any heirlooms, seek advice from a professional conservator or expert in preservation techniques. Improper cleaning methods can lead to irreversible damage.

Rotate Display: If you have multiple heirlooms to display, consider rotating them regularly to minimize exposure to light and dust. Store the items not on display properly using archival materials.

Avoid Direct Contact: When displaying heirlooms in cases or shelves, ensure they are not in direct contact with the glass or other surfaces to prevent sticking or potential damage.

Photograph and Digitize: To ensure a backup of valuable photographs, documents, or artwork, consider photographing and digitizing them. Store the digital copies in multiple secure locations to safeguard against loss or damage.

Professional Conservation: For severely damaged or fragile heirlooms, consult a professional conservator. They have the expertise to restore and stabilize the items while preserving their authenticity.

Share the Stories: Document the stories and history behind each heirloom. Create a family record or digital archive detailing the significance and provenance of these treasures. Share this information with younger generations, instilling in them an appreciation for their heritage.

By following these best practices for preserving and displaying family heirlooms, we honor the legacies of our ancestors and ensure that their stories continue to enrich the lives of future generations. These tangible links to the past carry within them the essence of who we are, and through careful stewardship, we can pass on the cherished memories and history they hold dear.

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• Photo by Joanna Kosinska: instant images

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Essay: How Revisiting Family Heirlooms Brings About New Meaning

The Oma pan is a tiny aluminum saucepan. It’s probably something you could buy at a thrift store for a dollar. But it’s mine, and it used to be my grandmother’s, and I think of her every time I use it to scramble a few eggs or melt butter for baking.

When we think of heirlooms, we tend to think of things with monetary value — jewelry, china, silver, maybe art or furniture. But when we think of inexpensive, decades-old household items, we tend to think of them as clutter. 

I must admit, I’m kind of obsessed with decluttering. I tend to get easily overwhelmed by mess when I have too much stuff, so decluttering gives me a sense of clarity and order. Fewer things mean fewer things to clean and put away. And at this stage of my life, with five busy people in my household, managing all our stuff is especially important. 

Back when my 94-year-old Oma died, I’d just gotten married, and I was finishing up law school several states away. When it was time to divide up Oma’s belongings, my four siblings and I were tasked with choosing items in turn until no one wanted anything anymore. Since I was away, my mom stepped in to pick for me, guessing as best she could what I might like or need for myself or my apartment.  

When I next arrived at my parents’ house, I had a mishmash of stuff waiting for me. A pretty tablecloth cross-stitched by my grandmother. A dented kitchen funnel. A great-aunt’s partial silver set. A few pieces of midcentury glassware. A Gilhoolie tool (Google it — they’re amazing). My grandmother’s favorite earrings. A great-uncle’s watercolor painting. A decorative silver (pewter?) plate from Germany. A large circular mirror in a not-my-taste gold frame. Maybe there were other things, things I immediately rejected as clutter. But I only remember these things, the things I did take. You’d think that would make them important. And yet they sat, mostly unused for one reason or another.

I’m afraid to wear the earrings. They seem a bit delicate, and they should probably have a checkup with a jeweler. The great-aunt’s silver rarely comes out, and neither does the hand-stitched tablecloth, as it doesn’t really fit properly on any of my tables.

The gold mirror followed me through three moves, shuffling between attics and storage rooms, before it finally found a home above my youngest child’s dresser. I repainted the frame in a soft lilac that matches my daughter’s bedroom decor. She and Oma never met one another, but they share a birthday separated by 105 years, a connection that my daughter savors. When the mirror once again hung on a wall, it was transformed from dusty attic life to thoughtful everyday use, and in that move, it finally transcended its intermediate years as clutter. And therein was the magic: It had become useful again. Now it has a new life, a new story interweaving with the old.

The designer William Morris famously said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” It’s as good a test for screening out clutter as any. All sentimental items are beautiful, I would argue, if they give us fond memories of loved ones. But what good are they if we never take them out, see them, use them? We’re neither using them nor enjoying their beauty. 

That’s why I have a special fondness for everyday heirlooms. Because they’re not precious, we can feel free to use them all the time. Through these prosaic items, we spend our ordinary days in communion with the ordinary days that came before: ordinary childhood days when I’d wake up on the nubby living room couch after a sleepover at Oma and Opa’s apartment. The smell of French toast made from Oma’s homemade raisin bread coming from the kitchen, cooked on the gas stove that she lit with the boxed matches that always sat on the counter. There was a lot of cooking at her place, and while I don’t remember the Oma pan specifically — I tended to let her wait on me — using her cookware feels like a tangible connection to who she was, what she did for us, how we spent our time. Decades apart, our hands on the same tools, doing daily work — that’s both useful and beautiful, Mr. Morris.

I’ve always been fascinated with the everyday — the way people lived at home in other eras, seeing the home of a friend who’s moved (so I can picture them there when we talk), and even what my friends put in their grocery carts. I want to see people where they are when they are most themselves, and the material things of everyday life are a part of that. 

It’s time I decluttered some neglected heirlooms — not by getting rid of them. No, I’m going to make them useful, which will save them from a life (a death?) in dusty storage. The earrings are going to the jeweler so I can wear them for the first time ever. My other grandma’s china will be coming out more often. The pretty glassware will go into more regular rotation. 

Sure, there are risks. I may break these heirlooms or wear them out or even lose them. But, this much is certain — I won’t turn them into clutter.

8:00 AM EST

August 10, 2021

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Explore the Stories Behind 12 Treasured Family Heirlooms

By Joshua Needelman ,  Megha Rajagopalan ,  Adam Sternbergh ,  David Salle and Sejla Rizvic Nov. 22, 2022

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Heirlooms: Revisited

In june, we published a look at treasured family heirlooms — and asked times readers to share their own stories. from a phone number to a wooden snoopy, here are 12 of their most notable keepsakes..

Interviews and submissions have been edited for clarity.

Designed and produced by Alice Fang and Antonio de Luca. Edited by Adam Sternbergh, Eve Lyons, Jennifer Harlan, Dan Saltzstein and Veronica Chambers. Audio editing by Evan Roberts. Additional production by Danny DeBelius.

‘A Very Long Tone on the Sax’

Born in Suriname in 1911, Arthur Parisius arrived in the Netherlands as a teenage stowaway on the S.S. Cottica ; only later did he become Kid Dynamite. Parisius forged a career as a successful jazz saxophonist under that stage name, and he’s still celebrated for his innovative combination of traditional Surinamese kaseko music and American jazz.

Kid Dynamite died in a car accident in Germany in 1963, leaving behind two children, including a son, Herman. When Herman moved to the United States, he kept only a few of his father’s mementos. Most of the more notable heirlooms, such as the mouthpiece to Kid Dynamite’s saxophone, Herman said, were donated by the family to the Amsterdam Museum.

Herman, 76, now lives in Nyack, N.Y. He described a complicated relationship with his father. “The tragic part was that he was never home; he was never there for me as a father because he was always away making a living,” Herman said.

Herman’s son Misha, 23, views his legacy somewhat differently. “I think the difference between me and my father is that I never met him. So I don’t have any personal negative feelings toward him. I have a kind of admiration for him.”

Misha, who’s a student at the City College of New York, is working on an oral history project related to Suriname for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. “For me, it’s like rediscovering my own personal history and then, from that, being able to place myself in the world,” Misha said.

But what persists most potently of Kid Dynamite is his music. “There’s a song that he plays — there’s not many recordings of it — but it’s a song called ‘Kulembanban ,’” said Herman. “ It starts with a very long tone on the sax.”

After Herman paid a visit to Suriname, that long tone took on a different resonance. “Now I remember that the tone is the steamboat horn, when the steamboat leaves the ports,” he said. “It’s like, wow, he put that steamboat that departed from Suriname in a song that nobody else would ever recognize. But now I recognize that intro, that long tone, as the departure of that boat.”

— Sejla Rizvic

A Life in Flight

When Brad Campbell, 64, cracks open his father’s pilot logbooks and leafs through the pages, he feels a little closer to a man he barely knew. Mr. Campbell’s father, Otto, died in a helicopter accident in 1963 at 38, leaving behind Mr. Campbell, then 5, and his five siblings and mother.

The logbooks, Mr. Campbell said, are a “shorthand of his entire life.”

Mr. Campbell keeps the logbooks, sealed in plastic freezer bags, on a shelf in his office closet. Each entry is marked with a place, date, airplane, time in the air, where Otto took off and where he landed. The four leather-bound log books — one with his father’s name embossed in gold — help give context to the few memories Mr. Campbell has of his father, which, he said, are “sparse but vivid.”

There was, for instance, the cold winter day when his father dressed him and one of his sisters in heavy clothes and strapped them in, with the same seatbelt, to a seat in a doorless helicopter.

Mr. Campbell recalled how the world below seemed to shrink as the three of them rose in the air.

When Mr. Campbell turned 33, he earned his pilot’s license. In the late 1980s, he used his father’s logbooks and the FAA registration information — entries always included the plane’s “N-number” — to track down a crop-duster in Galesburg, Ill., which his father had flown. The plane had been refurbished by its new owner and Mr. Campbell arranged to fly it himself. He found himself “surrounded by this cockpit that my dad had spent hundreds of hours in,” he said. “It was very moving.”

His father, Otto — who flew in the United States Army Air Forces and, later, professionally — logged almost 12,000 hours in the air in his lifetime.

“Sometimes I think he flew more than birds,” Mr. Campbell said.

— Joshua Needelman

Voices on Vinyl

via Linda Kelly

Linda Kelly isn’t quite sure how her father, Arnold Westerdahl, acquired a portable vinyl-recording device in the 1940s. Her father was a first-generation immigrant, born just a few months after his family left Sweden to settle in the United States. When Ms. Kelly was a child, her father worked as a foreman at a licorice factory. She suspects he may have gotten the suitcase-size device from a recording studio near their home in Moline, Ill.

Mr. Westerdahl used it to make records, she said, creating some 200 vinyl discs featuring soundbites of life in their home. He recorded birthday parties, accordion playing, conversations between family members, a baby crying and his brothers singing.

Many of these recorded messages on vinyl were then mailed by Mr. Westerdahl to a brother, who was in California, or to his son who was stationed in Korea during the war. He sent the recordings, Ms. Kelly said, because it was cheaper than calling long-distance.

Now nearing 80, Ms. Kelly has inherited these circular time capsules of domestic life, with their scratchy resurrections of the past. “I enjoy every minute of it because it puts me back there,” she said of listening to her collection of vinyl recordings. Her favorite one is of a lullaby — “Sail, Baby, Sail” — being sung to her by both of her parents. Even after their deaths, she can put on the records, she said, and hear their voices again.

Messages on a Snoopy

Fake is real. Real is fake.

To keep on going in spite of a hundred setbacks.

The situation is stronger than the people.

Tyranny is temporary. Benevolent rule endures.

Without fundamental truths, there is nothing.

Help yourself before asking for help.

Every second counts.

Some years after Juliet Ching’s family moved from China to the Philippines in 1967, her mother, Vivien Kiang Ching, acquired a small wooden figurine of Snoopy.

The younger Ms. Ching, now 65, was a teenager at the time, and she recalled how, over the years, her mother carved phrases and reflections into the exterior of the figurine, covering its surface in sharp, neat Chinese script.

In China, her mother had attended college and developed a love of Chinese literature. Later, she became a stay-at-home mother to four daughters and was “always trying to look for ways to express herself,” said Ms. Ching. Ms. Ching is not sure why her mother chose the wooden Snoopy as a repository for her thoughts — it’s possible she simply saw the figurine as a blank canvas.

Ms. Ching, who lives in Oregon, rediscovered the Snoopy figurine 10 years ago after cleaning out her family home in the Philippines. She was struck by how serious some of the phrases were — “help yourself before asking for help” — which to her felt in stark contrast to what she recalled as her mother’s hopeful disposition. The figurine survives as a vestige to her mother’s inner world, filled with contradictions and mysteries she is still working to decipher.

She treasures the Snoopy now, she said, as a tangible testament to her mother’s complexity and creativity. “To see her writing is almost like seeing her,” Ms. Ching said. When you see a loved one’s handwriting, she said, it’s like “they’re right in front of you.”

A ‘Sorry Little Colander’

From a submission by Meg Kenagy, 76, from Portland, Ore.

“We cleaned out our mother’s kitchen, my sisters and I, in fits and starts, when she died 17 years ago. No one else wanted the old aluminum colander so it was uncontestedly mine. It was not a thing anyone would normally want — dented and unsteady on its three legs — but I wrapped it carefully into my suitcase, flew it 3,000 miles from Massachusetts to Oregon and unpacked it into my own kitchen cupboard.

The colander served for years, first my mother and now me, and it's earned its scars. Draining and cutting potatoes into the colander, I see that my hands have become my mother’s hands, and I miss her. The only way I can go home now is in memory. Fortunately, this sorry little colander can take me there.”

‘My Darling Sue’

Earlier this year, Holly Hazard, 67, received a bundle of hundreds of letters written by her great-grandfather, John Adoniram Briggs, which had been sitting in a bin in her brother’s garage. Briggs worked as a traveling salesman and the correspondence were love letters, written to Holly’s great-grandmother, Susan Broad Briggs, spanning from 1901 into the 1940s.

Ms. Hazard started transcribing the letters, one at a time, on a personal blog . Here, she reads an excerpt from one of her favorites, a letter written in 1908.

Hotel Sherwood, Hornell, N.Y.,

Sept. 19, 1908. Saturday at 4 p.m.

My Darling Sue ...

It is not to be with my friends and acquaintances that my heart longs for.

It is to be with you, and only you.

I hope I can feel that to be partially true at least, in your case.

I love you more than you know,

and what has in part given me such a week

has been the fact that my mind has constantly wandered, night and day,

over the unpleasant things of my life —

the unkind word that has been spoken in an unguarded or a vexed moment,

and the times when I've lacked patience.

There is just me —

one person in the world who can, by doing one thing,

add to my life

untold satisfaction and peace,

and that person is none other than my dear wife.

Whether she will do it or not is left with her.

How I would love to see you and talk with you

and feel your loving presence.

I am not lonely, merely. It is more than that.

There is just one thing that I need

as much or more than your love,

and it is your faith and confidence.

I am deserving of it and must have it in order to live.

May God’s blessing and care be upon you all,

is the earnest prayer of your loving,

faithful husband, John.

A Gift of Earrings

One heirloom story was submitted by Malathi Rajagopalan. As it happens, Ms. Rajagopalan’s daughter, Megha, an investigative reporter, has since joined the Times International desk. We asked Megha to tell her family’s story.

The story goes like this. In the 1920s, my great-great-grandfather, a well-known musician who worked in the court of the maharajah of Mysore, accepted a challenge from the king to compose a series of pieces that showcased each of the 72 foundational note patterns, or ragas, in South India’s Carnatic music system. The maharajah was so pleased with the results that he gifted my great-great-grandfather a set of jewelry, including a pair of glimmering diamond earrings, each made in the shape of a flower.

The first time I heard this story was last November.

I had brought my fiancé home for the first time, and, to my surprise, my grandmother removed those same two earrings from her ears and presented them to me to wear at my wedding. She had worn them every day of her life since her own marriage in 1950, and I have no memories of her without them on. As a journalist, my first reaction was that the story behind them must have been a bit of family lore — “too good to check,” as reporters like to joke.

My grandmother brushed off my questions about how she knew where the earrings came from. “It’s just a known thing in our family,” she said, as if to close the matter.

But it sparked my mother’s curiosity. In the months since, she has done some investigative reporting of her own — scouring academic research and our family’s own records. She found a pair of letters and a faded black-and-white photo where you can just make out the earrings in my great-great-grandfather’s ears. But still there was no definitive proof of where the earrings had come from.

I asked my mother why she cared so much about their history. “When we came to America, we tried to quickly assimilate and blend in with this society,” she explained. “But planning a Hindu ceremony for your wedding made me realize we have to appreciate our family history. After all, it’s pretty remarkable.”

After months of investigating our household lore, we reached out to a scholar in India who had researched the relationship between the musicians of Mysore and the royal court. In the palace archives, she found a letter proposing the gift of a “gold jewel” to my great-great-grandfather “in appreciation of his efficiency in music.” It was dated a little more than 100 years before my wedding day. In the quiet of that morning, I looked in the mirror as I put the earrings on, then walked downstairs to show my grandmother.

— Megha Rajagopalan

(212) ––– ––––

One reader, James Rogala, 43, of New York, described his submission as a “digital heirloom, touching four generations of our family.”

The heirloom? A phone number.

So we decided to give the number a call.

— Adam Sternbergh

Hi, is this James?

Hi, it’s Adam at The New York Times

calling to talk to you about your story that you submitted to our Heirlooms project,

about your phone number.

Can you tell me how this number entered your family,

and your first memory of encountering it?

My father was born and grew up

on the Lower East Side.

And this phone number was

his family phone number.

He, my aunt, my grandparents

and my great-uncle

all lived in a tenement in

what is now, you'd call, the East Village —

but at the time, this is like the early 1950s,

was considered the Lower East Side.

They eventually moved to a cooperative in the neighborhood,

and the number kind of moved with them

in the ’60s.

And then I was born in the late ’70s

on Long Island

and, growing up,

this phone number was essentially

my grandparents’ phone number still,

and I used to call them on it.

And then, fast forward to the late ’90s,

I came to New York, into the city,

to go to school, to go to college.

And I ended up moving in with my grandfather.

He was a widower,

so he took me in, and we kind of became roommates.

And that number then became my phone number.

When it came time to get rid of the landline,

I had it ported over to my cell phone.

Area codes and phone numbers,

they used to geographically tie

a person to a place, right?

if you heard 212,

you knew that was somebody in Manhattan.

Or 718, or any other place in the country.

I wanted to keep the number

mostly because it was kind of a connection to

this place and the neighborhood, and

I didn’t want to lose that.

I have a daughter who has her own number, but

I’ll probably try to find a way to give it to her at some point,

in some capacity, just to keep it going.

Documents of Freedom

From a submission by Mae Whitlock Gentry, 71, in Burbank, Calif.

“The bill of sale represents our family’s quest for freedom. My ancestor Lucy Wilkinson bought her own freedom and purchased her enslaved 4-year-old daughter Flora in 1804. She freed Flora in 1820 so she could marry as a free person of color, ‘not being owned even by her mother.’

The deed of manumission represents Lucy’s desire to ensure Flora’s freedom. Freed slaves held on to their freedom papers and passed them down through the generations to ensure they would not be re-enslaved. The documents, once on display at the Smithsonian Institution, have been in my family since 1804. I gave the original documents to my daughter when she became a mother.”

‘A Way of Walking Through the World’

From a submission by Kersha Smith, 48, in Brooklyn.

“On my wedding day, I wore a pair of cream, sling-back high heels that belonged to my grandmother. These shoes were not only my ‘something old’ to assure good luck and lasting love but they also represented part of my family’s legacy. My grandmother was one of a handful of women machinists who worked for Caterpillar, Inc., a tractor-trailer and heavy equipment company.

Monday through Friday, my grandmother wore steel-toe boots, T-shirts and jeans. Her hair was either cut short or pulled back, and her safety goggles were planted securely on her face. However, on the weekends, when she was not working overtime, she showcased another part of her personality. This elegant side sewed beautiful dresses and treated my mother and me to Saturday morning brunches and shopping.

I consider my grandmother’s shoes an heirloom because, to me, they represent an ethos — a way of walking through the world. I hope these heels will remind my future family members to celebrate, as my grandmother did, the multiplicity of their selves. Even when society wants to put us in boxes, we must live our lives in as much complexity as we like.”

A Sword from the War

The sword sits at the bottom of a trunk in Steven Albert’s home office. Mr. Albert does not open the trunk often.

Both the trunk and the sword belonged to Mr. Albert’s father, Jack, who died in 2010 at 92. Before that, the sword belonged to someone else who, unlike Mr. Albert and his father, was devoted to its engraved swastika.

For Mr. Albert, 62, who was raised Jewish, the sword is a connection to his father, who obtained the item while working in Europe during and after World War II. “It’s not something that we’re proud of and we put on the mantelpiece,” said Mr. Albert, discussing the unlikely heirloom.

In fact, Mr. Albert’s father did not even show him the sword until Mr. Albert was 30. His father kept the sword, he explained to his son, because it served as a connection to one of the most adventurous times of his life.

“He was a native New Yorker. He didn’t really stray too far from home, I think, before he went to Europe,” Mr. Albert said. In Europe, his father skied in Denmark, dated French women and explored Paris. “The whole European experience opened him up.”

In addition to the sword, his father also left behind a scrapbook, documenting his time in Europe. One photo, dated September 1945, shows his father Jack, by then a captain, along with four of his fellow servicemen, standing outside the former home of a German merchant who’d given money to the Nazi party.

Jack and the others, Mr. Albert explained, had just held a Rosh Hashana service in the merchant’s home in defiance. They took the photo to commemorate it.

A ‘Passport’

Michael Zorek thought he knew all the important details of his father Warren’s life. Then, in the winter of 2006, not long after his father’s death at 81, Mr. Zorek found a small piece of cardboard amid a trove of his father’s papers.

It was a Kindertransport tag, an artifact from when his father, at 13, was evacuated from Nazi-controlled Germany to England.

Mr. Zorek knew of his father’s move, but he hadn’t known it was part of the Kindertransport — a rescue effort facilitated by the British government and funded by private citizens and organizations, which sent nearly 10,000 Jewish children to Britain in 1939. “This has opened up this amazing amount of doors that we didn’t know existed,” he said.

Mr. Zorek connected subsequently with Abraham Ascher, a professor at the Graduate School of the City University of New York and the author of “ A Community under Siege: The Jews of Breslau Under Nazism .” Prof. Ascher, like Warren Zorek, grew up in Breslau, Germany, and he recommended that Mr. Zorek visit the Leo Baeck Institute . There, Mr. Zorek found a newspaper listing announcing his father’s bar mitzvah — an event Mr. Zorek had never before known about, and which occurred 19 days before Kristallnacht.

“Like many men of his generation, my father didn’t really speak about his early life,” Mr. Zorek said.

He now keeps the tag in a binder along with his father’s papers. While it has no intrinsic value, it’s imbued with a heavy history — a document of deliverance. “It was the passport to the rest of his life,” Mr. Zorek said.

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When All of Your Family Heirlooms are Stories

Gina sorell on her grandmother's intangible legacy.

There were six of us cleaning out my grandmother’s apartment after she died—all women, all related, and each with a different relationship to her. We sat on the floor of her cramped one-bedroom apartment, light streaming through the windows and illuminating the dust that scattered from the covers of the books I had stacked to give away.

My grandmother hadn’t really left a will, just her wishes that her things be divided up fairly—a difficult metric to go by, as her idea of fair was always subjective, aligned with whomever was in her favor at the time. My own relationship with her was a complicated one, hindered, as I got older, by the knowledge of her shortcomings as a parent to my beloved mother. I sat among clothes bought on sale, sometimes in duplicates, the tags not yet removed, pieces of fine furniture that had travelled across continents, art books that had been read hundreds of times, and a large tin of jewelry containing the few items that she had not sold. I reached in and pulled out a hand-painted, green wooden box and a pair of silver and freshwater pearl earrings, my heartbeat accelerating at my discovery.

“Oh, I loved those,” said my cousin, “Gran used to wear them all the time. Can I have them?” She reached over to admire them, holding them up to her face to see how they looked.

“They look great on you,” my aunt said.

“You should keep them,” my other cousin suggested.

“No,” I said, surprising everyone. “Please. I gave them to her. I want them.”

It was the only thing that I had asked for all day, my voice lost to the grief of having so many questions that I would never be able to ask her.

“Of course,” my cousin answered, gently passing them back to me. “I didn’t know.”

I was surprised and moved to see that my grandmother had taken such good care of the gift I’d purchased in Florence on a school trip ten years earlier. She had loved that city, and my experience of it was colored by her stories of the beauty of the land and its people. I had found the earrings and little box at a flea market and carefully transported them back in my purse. Green is a color I never wear, and yet, the two things that I hold dear from my grandmother—the jewelry box and the last card she gave me—are both this color. The color of the trees that flanked our weekly walks, the color of the money that drove so many of her motives, and the color of envy—a vice of which I was often guilty, jealous of my younger cousin’s seemingly carefree relationship with her.

Some families have many heirlooms, things that are passed down from generation to generation, but not mine. We have stories. Stories that my grandmother would share with me on our weekly Thursday visits together. It was the one day of the week that I would have her all to myself, giving me a glimpse into her strange and wonderful adult world, a world that she did nothing to alter to meet the needs of a child.

We would meet at her apartment full of books stacked thigh high along the walls, their pages marked with old envelopes recycled into bookmarks, lines of text underlined in pencil, notes often at the margins, and set out on our adventure. Taking the pathway at the back of her building that cut through a leafy green ravine and over a wooden bridge in the middle of the city, we’d walk until we found ourselves at her favorite neighborhood café on the other side. There she would greet her friends, all regulars, eager to talk about what she had just finished reading. She’d introduce me briefly and tell me to order whatever I wanted from the menu while she sipped a cup of her diuretic tea. With no children’s menu offering grilled cheese or chicken fingers, I’d order an egg sandwich and listen in on conversations about philosophy, religion, and spirituality, my grandmother an expert in each, as I ate.

Afterward, when her friends had left, she’d tell me their stories. The lady whose husband abandoned her with two children and no financial support, the beautiful young man whom everyone believed had the makings of a real spiritual leader, the colleague who’d made themselves sick from worry and jealousy. She’d hook her arm through mine and whisper their secrets, stopping in at her favorite bookstore to pick up her latest order before leading me to the pastry shop to buy us each a decadent sweet—what she’d really skipped her lunch for. As we’d make our way back home, the conversation would switch to art and reincarnation, and always, the importance of love above all else.

Looking back, I think of how many of our conversations were not really appropriate for a child, but having never had the opportunity to be a child herself, I’m not sure that my grandmother knew that. And just as she may have had trouble seeing me as a child, I had trouble seeing her as my grandmother. I saw her, as she must have seen herself, as a girl whose broken heart never properly mended, who was damaged and drawn to kindred spirits, who understood what it was like to have loved and lost many times—first her mother, then her brother, and finally her fiancée in the war.

I heard her story the way she chose to tell it, carefully crafted and delivered, the details sometimes changed in the retelling depending on her audience or the point she was trying to make. She taught me early on that sometimes truth can be subjective, memories are ours to shape, and that perspective is everything; lessons as I writer I still carry into my work, striving as she would to empathize rather than judge the characters in my stories.

As we sorted through my grandmother’s belongings, I realized that I wanted something tangible to hold onto as well. When I looked at the earrings, I remembered the stories my grandmother told me, her love of beauty, and the vast, if hidden, impact she had on my life. It seemed to be a symbol of who we once were to one another—sources of pride and inspiration, fellow artists and dreamers, students of life, and lovers of the beauty found in simple things, like the jewelry box I held in my hand.

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Gina Sorell

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15 Expert Tips for Preserving All Your Family Heirlooms

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Whether you’ve inherited a shoebox of old snapshots or an entire house filled with a lifetime of memories, becoming your family’s caretaker of the past is a weighty responsibility. It’s also a joy for those who understand the physical connection to your ancestors that old items can provide. We’ve been privileged to stand by you in your role as heirloom guardian. Here, we review some of the best heirloom advice we’ve dispensed in our 15 years, plus a few new tips. Follow these guidelines to care for your collection, and its history will enrich your family for generations to come.

1. Name your collection.

As I’ve grappled with organizing, digitizing, preserving and sharing several generations of keepsakes from both sides of my family tree, I’ve found it remarkably helpful to start with one small thing: Give the collection a name.

The biggest benefit of naming your collection is certainly emotional. Genealogists and nongenealogists understand the power of words. A named collection conveys authority and value. Instantly, it’s no longer someone else’s “stuff.” The box of old photos and letters has become the John and Rebecca Miller Papers or The Stevenson Family Collection, a personal or family archive of value. A personal connection to that box of old papers makes it harder for someone to throw away John and Becky Miller’s old love letters.

2. Copy and isolate newspaper clippings.

I was surprised to learn that many archives, including the New England Genealogical and Historic Society library in Boston, won’t accept newspapers as part of donated collections. The typical high acid content of 20th-century newspapers makes them toxic to any other photos and ephemera they come into contact with.

Instead of keeping the original newspaper with other family memorabilia, photocopy the clipping (or scan and print it) onto acid-free, lignin-free paper. Keep a digital image as a backup and for transcribing and extracting information.

To preserve a newspaper clipping as an artifact, isolate it inside an acid-free, buffered sleeve or envelope and store it in an archival box, where it can’t touch other items. The calcium carbonate used in buffered paper helps prolong the life of acidic paper. You can use large sheets of archival board, available at art supply stores, to separate entire newspapers or enclose collections of smaller clippings and tear sheets.

3. Encapsulate unstable mementos.

When you want to preserve an item that’s unstable from an archival standpoint, such as a newspaper birth announcement or pressed flower, along with an item you want to protect, such as a baby book scrapbook, you can prevent acid migration and further damage by encapsulating the toxic item. This is an especially good technique to use in your scrapbooks, which often include all kinds of potentially damaging materials, such as newspaper clippings (see tip No. 1), receipts and matchbooks.

You can purchase encapsulation supplies from archival suppliers such as Brodart and Hollinger Metal Edge . Or, make your own encapsulation packet using a clear mylar photo sleeve and acid-free double-sided tape: Place the unstable item inside the sleeve and use double-sided tape to seal the sides, leaving the corners unsealed for air circulation. You may need to trim the sleeve or cut it into two sheets so it’s easier to slip the memento between the layers. Static electricity helps hold the item in place without shifting, eliminating the need for glue. The key to encapsulation is its reversibility: You can easily remove the item from the protective sleeve without damaging it, which isn’t possible with lamination.

4. Keep letters and envelopes together in archival folders.

Handwritten letters and stamped envelopes are becoming increasingly collectible as our correspondence moves to email and text messages. You can best preserve your family’s old letters by doing a little prep work before you place them in archival storage.

Wash your hands first to minimize transfer of any oils. It’s fine to wear white cotton gloves, but thinner nitrile rubber gloves are sometimes less awkward. Carefully remove the letter from the envelope and gently unfold the pages. Don’t force the paper flat, which could lead to cracks. If the paper is especially brittle, allow it to rest for a few hours. The relative humidity in your home may help it gently relax.

Remove any foreign objects such as staples, straight pins, paper clips or sewing needles—people would use almost anything to keep pages together. Also remove newspaper clippings and replace them with a photocopies on acid-free paper. Acid migration from newsprint can severely damage old letters (see tip No. 2).

Scan each page and the envelope, front and back. Place all the pages and the envelope together in one archival file folder. Store the folders upright in an archival document case or in a metal filing cabinet. To limit handling of the letters, use your scanned images for transcribing and research.

5. Scan photos and documents only once, at high resolution.

It’s so tempting to quickly scan and email an old photo or document as needed, but each time you handle the item, the oils from your hands and the light exposure of a scanner speed its deterioration (not to mention the potential for accidental tearing or other damage). You can’t eliminate the effects of time, but you can limit how much you touch the materials in your family archive. 

Next time you want to post a family photograph on Facebook or email a copy of an heirloom document, take time to scan it, name it according to your file naming scheme, and file the digital image in your family photo library. Set your scanner for loss-less TIFF format (if available) or high-quality, full-color JPG, at 600 dpi (dots per inch) or higher for photos and 300 dpi for documents. For viewing and sharing, make a copy of the master file and use your photo software to convert the copy to a smaller file size (such as a 72 dpi JPG). Now you can put your original in archival storage, to bring out and appreciate on the most special occasions.

6. Dry or freeze wet photos ASAP.

Pipes burst, storms hit, accidental spills happen—sometimes to your family archive. Don’t panic. If your photos become wet, you’ll need to dry them as quickly as possible to minimize the growth of mold or mildew. But wet photos are fragile, so handle them gently. Air-drying is best. Use clothespins to hang your photos by their edges from an indoor clothesline where air can circulate, or place them in a single layer on clean, absorbent paper or cloth. Run a fan (aimed above the photos, not on them) to keep air moving.

It’s best to begin photo rescue operations within the first 48 hours of water damage, before mold can grow. If you can’t work with your photos right away, freeze them until you can. Create packets of 25 pictures, separating them with kitchen wax paper, if available. Place the photo packets inside plastic bags and put in the freezer. When you have time, defrost the packets and air-dry the pictures. Wear nitrile gloves and a face mask to avoid contact with mold spores. (It’s a good idea to collect these supplies in a large tote, to have on hand in case disaster strikes.) Consult a professional photo conservator for advice about restoring heirloom photographs; you’ll find a directory at Conservation-us.org .

7. Remove photos from “magnetic” albums—today. 

Practical Archivist blogger Sally Jacobs has great advice for using those “magnetic” photo albums: Don’t! Photos stuck between an adhesive-covered album page and the thin plastic cover sheet will fade and yellow in only a few years. Even worse, your photos can become tightly stuck to the adhesive. If That’s already happened to you, Jacobs suggests removing photos from the sticky pages with the help of a micro spatula, a metal tool that looks like a miniature pancake turner. If possible, insert the thin, flat edge of the micro spatula between the photo and the album page to gently free the photo from the page. Carefully scrape away any sticky residue from the back of the photo before scanning the picture and placing it in an archival sleeve or envelope. Don’t stack the image with other photos; any remaining adhesive could ruin them.

8. Use a tripod and camera to quickly digitize large albums.

Three camera accessories can save you time when you’re digitizing a photo album: a standard tripod, a small flexible tripod and a shutter remote. 

Try suspending your camera, lens downward, from the center section of a traditional tripod, so that the camera is directly over the photo. Use the camera’s digital viewer to frame the shot, then snap the picture with a shutter remote to eliminate shutter-shake.

You can use a flexible tripod for your smartphone or digital camera (mine came from Joby.com ) to best position the camera to capture digital images of photo albums and scrapbooks. Use the remote shutter release here, too. A flexible tripod also makes a handy travel companion; wrap it around a chair back or bookshelf to snap a sharp picture. 

9. Store antique quilts on an unused bed.

One of the best places to store antique quilts, tablecloths and other large textiles is on an unused bed. Spread out the quilt, cover it with a clean white sheet and keep the cat off the bed, and you can feel good about extending the life of your family treasures.

Don’t have a spare bed? Another option is to loosely roll textiles over polyester batting to minimize folds, then enclose the roll in a clean white cotton sheet. Place folded tablecloths and smaller items inside an acid-free archival box with acid-free tissue to cushion the folds.

Quilts look fabulous displayed on a wooden quilt rack or hung on a wall, but the weight of the materials and the exposure to light, air and dust will fade the fabric and weaken the fibers. If you want to show off your heirloom quilt, keep it in a protected area of your home and limit the time on display. Museums regularly rotate textiles, giving them a few months on display and then moving them back to archival storage.

10. Clean textiles before storing.

Before you pack away the baby’s first hand-knit sweater or your aunt’s needlepoint pillow, take time to carefully wash or dry clean your treasure. Although it may look, feel and even smell clean, anything that’s been worn or handled has gathered skin oils and other contaminants that are attractive to textile pests. Moths, silverfish and carpet beetles love slightly soiled clothing, knits, woolens and cottons. The best defense is to store only clean items and to regularly vacuum and air out your storage area. Check for any sign of infestation and take prompt action to get rid of problems. Note that mothballs are toxic to human health and should be used with care.

11. Vacuum heirlooms with a diffuser.  

There’s a right way and a wrong way to vacuum dust from heirloom textiles and artifacts. Your vacuum’s powerful suction can damage or weaken textile fibers and suck up more than just dust from an old photo album.

To help diffuse the suction, fit the brush attachment on your vacuum hose with a protective screen or cover it with an old nylon stocking. Use low suction and hold the nozzle slightly above the surface of the item. Avoid rubbing the surface of the item, which can cause damage from abrasion.

12. Avoid furniture polish.

Don’t use furniture polish and modern cleaners on heirloom wood furniture, case clocks or musical instruments. The ingredients in most of these cleaners don’t help preserve old wood. It’s better to dust the wood with a soft microfiber cloth and if necessary to restore shine, apply furniture paste wax annually. 

Place valuable furniture away from high-traffic areas where it’s more likely to get damaged. Also locate it away from heat and sunlight sources, such as radiators, fireplaces and windows, which can dry out the wood and fade the finish. Think twice before undertaking do-it-yourself repairs or modernizing with new hardware, feet or finials. Both could adversely affect the cultural and monetary value of the piece. Instead, consult a professional conservator for assistance.

13. Beware of glass display cases. 

I always thought glass-front display cabinets were the perfect way to preserve old treasures—until I saw firsthand the damage they can cause. In museums, display cases are dimly lit and the artifacts they hold are rotated back into storage. But at home, glass cases leave the contents vulnerable to prolonged light exposure.

The cabinet I saw had been untouched for at least three decades in an elderly relative’s home. Porcelain teacups appeared fine and tarnished silver spoons could be polished. But the prized keepsake, a porcelain doll dressed in cotton voile, couldn’t be repaired. Prolonged exposure to sunlight filtering through the room’s windows had turned the white gown brown and brittle. The visible portions of the doll’s porcelain body had yellowed, a marked difference compared to the porcelain protected by fabric.

14. ID removable storage devices.

Have you ever walked away from a library microfilm reader or copier and left your flash drive behind? I have. But thanks to a tip from the Family History Library volunteer who helped me get it back, I now worry less about losing my flash drive.

When I reclaimed my device from the box filled with similar looking memory sticks, my rescuer suggested I create a text file on the drive with my contact information. He helped me use Text Edit on my Mac to create a file with my name, address and cell phone number. We named it –IF LOST PLEASE RETURN TO (the hyphen at the beginning forces the file to sort to the top of an alphabetical file list). 

Back at home, I used a label maker to create sticky labels for all my mobile devices—portable scanners, external hard drives and flash drives. I added my identification text file to SD memory cards and wrote my name on their cases with a permanent marker. Don’t add a removable label to any device that’s inserted into your camera or computer, because it can peel away and get jammed in your expensive equipment.

15. Check date and time settings on your digital camera.

Digital files are more useful and easier to find with labels, keywords and other information added to the metadata in your photo organizing software. But the most important piece of metadata is the date and time the digital camera automatically sets. If this information is wrong, your pictures can end up categorized with the wrong year, month or date. Twice a year, when you change your clocks for daylight saving time, make sure your cameras are set to the correct date and time. Confirm that the settings are correct when you import your first new digital images to your computer.

A version of this article appeared in the January/February 2015 issue of Family Tree Magazine .

Denise May Levenick

related articles

Save the stories of your stuff with artifcts, family heirlooms: how to care for the most common types.

How to Store a Wedding Dress

Tips for Preserving Military Memorabilia: Flags, Medals and Uniforms

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How to Document the Stories Behind Family Heirlooms

Family heirlooms connect the past to the present in a uniquely personal way. From furniture to jewelry to military memorabilia, these objects embody history and lived experiences. Passing your hands across a worn table or smoothing out the creases in a christening gown sparks the imagination of what those who came before may have felt or done. Caring for and preserving these precious items is a way to honor the past, remember family members, and even pass our heritage down to the next generation.

It is easy to lose the history behind these objects over time, however. Memories fade like old photographs and time ravages even the hardiest of hard woods. In addition to physical preservation of family heirlooms, documenting the stories behind them is an important way to carry forward their history and meaning.

The three key steps to documenting the stories behind your family heirlooms are:

• Identify your family heirlooms
• Find your expert
• Record the story

1. Identify Your Family Heirlooms

The first step is to identify the items you consider heirlooms. These could be photographs, art, figurines, baseball cards, clothing, furniture, jewelry - anything at all. It might be an item in your possession or something that a relative has in their home. It could be worth a lot of money or have deep sentimental value, what matters is that it is important to you or your family.

2. Find Your Expert

Next, figure out who knows the most about each item. Typically your best bet is to start with your oldest living relatives - or whoever passed the item down to you. There may be written accounts or old family photos. You may know enough about an item's origin to start piecing together its story, but collect any and all info you can.

3. Record the Story

How you preserve a family heirloom will vary based on the item itself of course, but at a minimum we recommend taking photos and notes and storing them with other important documents. This might be digitally, in a photo album, or even in a safe - whatever makes sense for you. Try and capture a description of the item, when and where it came from, who owned it, and what it was used for.

If you're lucky enough to have a living relative who knows the story behind an heirloom, record a video of them talking about it. You will not only capture the history of the object but also create a wonderful memento of that family member. You'll get much more nuance and emotion from a video versus a few notes on paper. Here are some questions to help get you started (or use the Remento app which has a pre-created set of prompts to make it even easier):

• What is this object?
• What was it used for?
• Where did it come from?
• Who has used it or owned it over the years?
• Why is it important? What does it mean to you?
• What memories or stories do you have about this object?
• What do you hope happens to it?
• What do you want other people to know about this object?
• Who else in our family might have a story about this?

Next up: 20 Questions to Ask Your Parents or Grandparents

Remento Staff

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Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

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Preserve family stories. No writing required.

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Why We Built Remento, by Charlie Greene, Co-Founder and CEO

How I Navigate Tough Conversations with Family (By Dayana Preval)

My Experience with Remento (By Natasha Breu)

How to Write about Family Heirlooms: 4 Tips

by Laura Hedgecock | May 28, 2013 | Family History , How-to , Writing Advice , Writing and Sharing Memories , Writing Prompts | 0 comments

Family heirlooms, however, aren’t just objects with significant monetary value. In fact, the objects we cherish often have less fiscal value than emotional significance.

When we write about these physical treasures lurking around our households, the fiscal value isn’t what matters. Leave a record of the object’s story so family members can more deeply appreciate them.

It’s always interesting to see an family heirloom mentioned in a written family story. It’s almost as if owning an object passed on by ancestor gives a more tangible connection to that person.

Identifying Emotional Family Heirlooms

There are  articles to help you find objects that might be “worth something” financially. But we’re looking for things of emotional (and storytelling) value.

Heirlooms can be a bit like flowers. One person’s flowers are another person’s weeds. So how do you figure what you want to pull and what you want to fertilize?

 Look around and start asking relatives…

That quirky item might just be a family heirloom.

Objects You’ve Always Taken for Granted

Are there objects that you have had in your home all your life? Look around as if you’re a visitor. What looks old or unique? What doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the decor? Ask relatives if they remember them, their origins, and their stories. Even if they’ve only been kept around for their aesthetic of financial value, it might be interesting to know what other homes they’ve graced and if they were purchased (or better yet, made) for some special occasion.

Travel Treasures

Ask about any objects brought back from military or business travel overseas. See if you can find out when they were purchased and for whom? Why was the purchaser traveling? Many stories accompany keepsakes on their travels, and one story can easily lead to another.

Is there any hand-made furniture in the family? Ask about its origins. Look at old photographs and pay special attention to the backgrounds. Do you recognize any of the objects? Don’t forget textiles—especially quilts. These were often handed down from generation to generation. Once you know the maker of the object, it becomes easier to write about that heirloom and its place in your family history.

Tools of the Trade

Explore the attic, basement, or garage for long-sealed boxes. You might find:

Military artifacts:

Uniforms, helmets, or medals. These give clues to ancestors’ military service, rank, deployment, and timing of discharge.  Read more at Sharing Military Memories Can Heal .

An old camera can give insights to hobbies and expertise.

Professional tools or equipment:

An old sewing machine from a seamstress or tailor, furniture from a carpenter, etc., might reveal what a family member’s life was like in the “olden days.” Exploring the tools and asking questions about them will certainly lead to stories of one sort or another.

Personal or hobby mementos:

Artwork, travel souvenirs, or items purchased far away can reveal information about travels, income, and personal taste. Of course, the fact that the relic has been relegated to the attic or garage might be part of that story as well.

Last, but certainly not least—anything with only emotional value that your relative or ancestor cherished enough to keep can be a family heirloom.

Perhaps it’s the vase that always sat on the mantle or a piece of quirky art that your remember from childhood.

The fact that these items are still around might simply be indicative of someone’s inability to part with things. On the other hand, each of these items might lead to a story. Simply examining the objects often gives you a closer connection to their owners. If you can, ask questions. Even if the relatives aren’t around or up to interviews, with a little research, you might find some great stories.

© Laura Hedgecock 2013

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My family heirloom project

• The Guardian , Friday 16 August 2013 14.30 BST

Two years ago, Joakim Blockstrom began to think about heirlooms. "Not about my own inheritance," says the photographer and father of five. "But how most things these days are mass produced, so that when the time comes, what will we have to hand on?"

He asked friends if he could photograph special objects they'd inherited, and stories came flooding out. Afterwards, people thanked him for giving them the chance to think deeply about something – and someone – they had taken for granted. "I gave people an opportunity to reconnect with their feelings about people they had known. The exercise shines a light on a particular member of the family . Quite often they would say something like, "I have never really thought about my grandfather like that before."

As word spread about Blockstrom's project, he began to hear from strangers who had objects for him to photograph and their own stories to tell. Gradually, he concluded that we all have heirlooms, though they are not always what you would imagine. "I have one person who has nothing from her dad except for one of his teeth. It's a bit gory, but does an heirloom have to be beautiful?"

Another woman wanted Blockstrom to photograph her naked body: she'd had a mastectomy because her mother had breast cancer.

People's stories almost always stirred him up. "Father-son things especially because I didn't grow up feeling very connected to my own father," he says. Indeed, his own heirloom is a photographic book about the Vikings that belonged to his father. "Maybe it's got something to do with holding on to my Swedish side" – Blockstrom left Sweden to live in London in 1987 – "and having something to pass on to my own children. Even if they can't read the Swedish, the book can become a symbol of their heritage."

The past has value, Blockstrom says, because it teaches us who we are. "But this project is not only about looking back. It's also about creating a catalogue of things that might be lost. Among his own possessions, he hopes to leave behind a handmade table designed by Conran, and expensive Italian pans. Which of his five children – Scarlett, 25, Kyle, 16, Kodie, 14, Johnny, nine, and Lola, seven – will inherit them? "Oh, I'll leave that to them."

Though his children have lived mostly with their mothers, he says he sees a lot of himself in them. "We all inherit a part of ourselves from our family. Good and bad. And we should treasure that. When I shout at my children, I can hear my father shouting. But my father, as well as shouting sometimes, is very creative, and my mother is very thoughtful. I have inherited both of those qualities. And they should be cherished."

The heirloom project started as a photographic exercise but quickly became a project about family. "It's asking people to think what we really value. What are our experiences within a family? And I think it's also a message to my own children." What is that message, exactly? He thinks for a moment before answering. "That they are important, and we are all connected, and I love them."

Interview by Alex Whyte

Here we publish a selection from the heirloom project:

My dad was a fundamentalist born-again hellfire preacher and I grew up in a very antagonistic relationship with him. My normality as a teenager was hoping that new girlfriends wouldn't notice the faith-healing, amens and hallelujahs going on in the front room. I left home as soon as I could and it took me over a decade to sort out the mess that kind of religion leaves you with.

Then I was able to notice the man my friends saw – funny, eccentric, generous (he loved cartoons, he regularly gave away more money than he could afford, he taught himself Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic so he could read "what the Bible really said"). We still disagreed on almost everything but found we had a lot of common interests.

Shortly before he died he gave me his sermons. It was a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek gesture from him (mixed with some earnestness). They are dated, with where he preached and what hymns they sang, and passionately annotated and reworked. They were the thing that I most wanted, because they were him put down on paper.

I can never read more than a couple of lines, though, because they are so intolerant, aggressive and angry, and that's not how I want to remember him. But that's also why they are so great because their accidental message to me is about not being too hasty in dismissing someone because I dislike their attitudes. I'd have missed some great conversations that way.

My heirloom reminds me that we're all weird and we only think we aren't because we choose friends who are weird in the same way as us. John Wyatt-Clarke

My dad died when I was just a lad, leaving me with just a few vague memories of things we did together. The things I tend to remember more, funnily enough, are the things he did. He was always doing something: making furniture, printing his photography in the darkroom, screen printing, painting or just sitting drinking whisky late at night playing his guitar. He never made it feel like we couldn't join in – it was just that he was busy and we were all happy to fit in around him because it made him what he was. Memories can be triggered by many things, none more so than our sense of smell. So if you put a bottle of Rotring ink under my nose today I'm straight back to Dad's study. His wooden swivel chair, his blood red desk, Letraset pages scattered all over and his Rotring pens all laid out, as he toiled over his latest poster for a local theatre or communist party poster.

I always loved the coloured collars the pens had and thought they must be very special. By day, his proper job was teaching kids with behavioural problems, but at night he'd let loose on his current creative outlet and we might not see him for hours. Its funny, but as I write, I realise I'm becoming exactly the same. Every night I escape to my studio at home, somewhat oblivious to everything around me, and sit there and make music or work on images until the wee small hours. Got a lot of my dad in me, I guess, although I never did get the taste for whisky. Owen Gale

I inherited Cassie from my mum years ago – guess I kind of just took her one day, as she had been shoved in a cupboard for years and was wearing no shoes, no knickers, no top, just a rather chunky, unattractive knitted pink skirt and braces, and even though the smile (obviously) remained intact, she looked somewhat chipped and neglected. I felt a bit sorry for her. She was my mum's first doll, and sported hair "back in the day", but like a well loved grandad, I'd only ever known Cassie as a baldie. But the broad metal staples that held three strategically placed tufts of hair remain in her head – another reason to feel for her! My mum passed away a few years ago, so Cassie's presence in my home has taken on even more significance. I like to move her around a bit, so that I never quite take her for granted.Although most visitors think she's rather creepy, to me she's always just my mum's Cassie and I think she looks really rather magnificent in all her naked, ebony glory, albeit a bit chipped. Suzanne Stankus

My grandfather was a great sailor and taught me a lot about boats and sailing. He always carried a Leatherman sailing knife, for cutting ropes or just tinkering. I remember how he kept it so well oiled and it smelled like his workshop. He passed away a few years ago, and unfortunately we had to sell his yacht. My grandmother wanted to give her grandchildren one special thing to always remind us of how gentle and nice he was, and I was given his sailing knife. I now sail all the time, training and competing around the country, and always hope that he can see what I'm achieving. I carry the knife in my kit bag everywhere and use it just like my grandfather did. Hopefully, when I am older, I will own a yacht and use it as much as he did. Stan Chick, aged 13

When my grandfather passed away, my whole family went to his beautiful home in Gloucestershire to say goodbye for the last time and collect his belongings that had meaning to us. One of the possessions I picked was this classic vintage Roberts radio. I was very close to my grandfather and have fond memories of making him tea and sitting in his sunroom, where I would quiz him about his time serving during the war and we'd listen to the soothing sound of the cricket commentators on the radio – he played cricket for Gloucester in his youth – before his afternoon nap. Rosie Nicholls

When I was five, my grandfather gave me this "stuffed" baby crocodile. It was already a very old specimen. He claimed it was found on the banks of the Nile in 1904. While it probably dates from around this time, I think he may have made up the story to appeal to a child's imagination. I thought it was incredible and it became my most treasured possession. It was the centre-piece of my bedroom "museum" and undoubtedly sparked my interest in taxidermy and curiosities. Many years later, I discovered just how ordinary such things are, but it never lost its appeal. It now has pride of place housed under a glass dome in my "cabinet of curiosities" at home and it's my children's favourite piece. Alexis Turner

This miniature pin cushion was given to me after my grandmother passed away when I was 16. She was a seamstress, and I remember playing with it as a child while she was busy making me rag dolls. It sat in a drawer for years like most memories are left untouched in a part of your mind until you need them around you again. Elise Dumontet            

This Kowa camera used to belong to my Japanese grandpa in Osaka. He died when I was 19 and I inherited it. He was a keen amateur photographer, loved taking photos in camera clubs and used to show off the images of beautiful models posing. He was also a keen English learner who would translate his favourite Abba records into Japanese. Now he must be enjoying his second life living inside me, speaking English every day and being a photographer in England. Without his influence, I would not be what I am now. Mayumi Hirata

My father died when he was only 41. I was 14. He was a craftsman and enjoyed working with wood. Apart from losing him, one of my biggest regrets is that he died before I had the chance to learn this craft from him. My most treasured possession is his old toolbox with his metal initials on, "MSC – Michael Stanley Cook". This box contains some of his most-used tools. It's a strong wooden box he made and the felt lining shows the respect people had for tools back then, trying to minimise damage and scratches. In recent years I've become accustomed to using these and now also collect vintage tools to add to my collection. Soon I will need to make my own toolbox. Gary Cook

In the early 1970s I was nine years old when my family scrimped, saved and borrowed to take a train from Liverpool to Jersey for our first and only holiday "abroad". The hotel had palm trees and a swimming pool, and seemed like the most exotic place in the world. My sister, Joanne, was five years younger and hadn't yet learned to swim, but on our first evening she walked backwards into the swimming pool. There was nobody else around, so I jumped in fully clothed and lifted her from under the water to the side of the pool. I was more concerned about being in trouble for getting my clothes wet, but my parents were beside themselves with gratitude, and recounted the story to everybody in the hotel. We never had much money at the time, so I was amazed when they offered to buy me a watch the next day while out in the town. They were thinking of something small, inexpensive and age-appropriate, but I pointed to a large, ostentatious diver's watch, which was well out of their budget.

We left the shop empty-handed, and I thought nothing more of it until the next day when they surprised me with the watch. I wore it constantly for years afterwards and it sits in the bottom of a drawer now, but in my mind it will always be a most valued possession to pass on, representing the love and selflessness of my parents. Ian Pendleton

If you would like to take part in Joakim Blockstrom's project, contact him at theheirloomproject.co.uk

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Top 9 Family Heirlooms

Passed down from generation to generation, often with a background story, they help preserve our heritage for future generations. We recently wrote about  bizarre places to find family heirlooms.

I grew up in a home where many pieces of furniture once belonged to my great-grandmother. I thought that it was strange to have such antique furniture in our modern home but, as I grew older, I came to appreciate their value and the importance of safeguarding pieces that once belonged to the matriarch of our large family. Little did I know that my family was not unique and that furniture is commonly passed down in families and cherished for generations.

Here are nine of the top family heirlooms:

1. Musical instruments: Not only expensive grand pianos, but also small musical instruments are often saved as keepsakes.

2. Engagement rings and jewelry: It’s sentimental to cherish a symbol of love passed down through the generations.

3. Recipes: Family food traditions and the stories behind them evoke family memories (See our collection of family recipes ).

4. Timepieces: Clocks and watches are valuable, but also a testament to mechanical ingenuity of times gone by.

5. Photos: Family photos create lasting memories and transport us to a different era.

6. Furniture: Many antique furniture pieces come with dents, and scratches along with memories. Their traditional designs, and lasting quality are an added bonus.

7. Military relics: Most of us claim at least one relative or ancestor who served in the military.

8. Quilts: Family heirloom quilts add color to family history. They often get softer and more beautiful with time if preserved well.

9. Written memories: Letters and diaries provide insight into our ancestors’ lives, through penmanship and personal content.

Do you have family heirlooms from this list? What do they mean to you?

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John M. Wood

September 21, 2015

What a nice essay. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have heirlooms from each of your 9 categories close to me.

It is very comforting to know their value to the family and to know who and where they came from. I believe it is now my job to make sure that “value” and “knowledge” be passed on to the next generation.

Pauline Clark

September 22, 2015

I’m lucky enough to be the custodian of a mahogany breakfront sideboard that was a wedding present to my Great Grandparents James Henry & Elizabeth Maud Ferris in 1898. I remember as a child cleaning the “silver” with my Grandfather and putting it back on this sideboard when it was clean. My parents inherited when he passed away. It then travelled half way round the world to Australia and now proudly sits in my lounge room in pride of place.

T. Intardonato

September 24, 2015

My family doesn’t have much in the way of furniture or jewelry or other things like that. We do have photos and we have family recipes that have been passed down over generations.

Josephine Walda

September 25, 2015

I have a beautiful linen cupboard (kussenkast) that I inherited from my mother and a Zaanze clock. Both will be passed down and I know they will never be sold. They are both from the Netherlands. I also have silver alphabet spoons and quire a bit of old Delft. Also a teaset from my husbands grandmother. And of course a lot of family photos.

September 26, 2015

I have some of all of them but musical instruments. Unfortunately some of the photos are unmarked and anyone that might know who they were have passed away.

Robert Burke

September 27, 2015

What about family Bibles? I have one from my great-great grandparents and it’s one of my most treasured possessions.

I’m surprised that a family Bible is not a top heirloom.

Elisabeth Meier

September 28, 2015

I have a few items that have been hand down but probably my favorite thing is a small rocking chair that was my Great Grandmother’s. I also have her bed.

Fred Johnson

I have my Great Grandparent’s Photo Album, It was sold to them in 1898 I even have the receit that i just recently found in a hidden compartment. the front of the album has two doors that latch and open in the middle, its covered in red velvet but today the red has faded to orange. there are two diamond shaped mirrors, one on each door, when you open it, the pages fold down, and its filled with numerious tin pictures and other pictures from the early 1900s, lots of cabinet cards, its definitely an interesting piece

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The Family Curator

Preserving and sharing our family treasures

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Get tips and techniques that you can use, how to archive family keepsakes.

 ARE YOU…

Buried under mountains of memorabilia, lost in piles of research notes and charts, ready to get your genealogy organized, but don’t know how to start.

How to Archive Family Keepsakes gives you step-by-step advice for how to organize, distribute and preserve family heirlooms. It’s full of practical and effective ways to manage boxes of photos, papers and memorabilia inherited from a loved one. Whether you have boxes filled with treasures or are helping a parent or relative downsize to a smaller home, this book will help you organize your family archive and preserve your family history for future generations.

Checkpoints, Worksheets, Charts

You’ll learn how to:

• Organize the boxes of your parents’ stuff that you inherited
• Decide which family heirlooms to keep
• Donate items to museums, societies, and charities
• Protect and pass on keepsakes
• Create a catalog of family heirlooms
• Organize genealogy files and paperwork
• Digitize family history records
• Organize computer files to improve your research
• 208 pages PLUS Bonus PDFs>
• Available in Paperback, Kindle, and eBook Editions

From Denise May Levenick, The Family Curator

Voted family tree magazine’s 40 best genealogy blogs.

“I’m passionate about preserving family keepsakes”

Denise inherited a trunk filled with her grandmother’s keepsakes sparking a quest to learn how to organize and create a family home archive. She is now the caretaker of several family collections and researches her family tree with stories from the archives.

Heirloom Help

• Organize your loved one’s estate and keep peace in your family
• Digitize heirloom and research documents
• Break the paper habit and organize your genealogy
• How to Archive Family Keepsakes gives you step-by-step advice to organize, preserve and share family heirlooms.
• Checkpoints
• 208 pages PLUS links to printable PDFs for all worksheets

Reviews & Comments

In How to Archive Family Keepsakes , Denise Levenick has created an amazing reference for anyone who has inherited a collection of family letters, documents and personal items. For family historians and genealogists, this is an essential guide for organizing and managing the family archive. — Denise Olson, Moultrie Creek Books

Archiving, organizing and digitizing family treasures is one of the greatest challenges for genealogists. In her book  How to Archive Family Keepsakes , Denise Levenick presents a game plan that breaks down the steps and provides a clear picture of the end goal. The worksheets and checklists provide the kind of practical advice I look for in “how to” books. No fluff here, just common sense, and usable information that leads to success. — Lisa Louise Cooke, host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast

Table of Contents

Part I: I Inherited Grandma’s Stuff, Now What?

Chapter 1: Organize Your Objectives Chapter 2: Organize Your Plan Chapter 3: Organize Assistance from Family Members Chapter 4: Organize Your Archive Chapter 5: Organize for the Future Chapter 6: Organize Archival Papers Chapter 7: Organize Archival Photos Chapter 8: Organize Artifacts

Part 2: Break the Paper Habit

Chapter 9: Organize and Digitize Your Paper Document Chapter 10: Digitize Your Family Archive Chapter 11: Organize Your Paper Files Chapter 12: Organize Your Computer

Part 3: Root Your Research in Strategies for Success

Chapter 13: Organize Your Research Chapter 14: Organize Your Source Citations Chapter 15: Organize Your Software Solutions Chapter 16: Organize and Discover Research Connections Online

————

Title: How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn how to preserve family photos, memorabilia and genealogy records

Author: Denise May Levenick

Publisher: Family Tree Books (September 13, 2012)

Format: Paperback, 208 pages

ISBN-10: 1440322236

ISBN-13: 978-1440322235

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Ensuring That Family Heirlooms Are Treasured Forever

Trying to ensure that family heirlooms are treasured forever? Let's find out. “Forever” is a long time, but that is exactly the aim of valuable heirlooms like jewelry, antiques, silverware, and other treasured items. Keeping heirlooms alive is about so much more than having beautiful items from the past.

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It is about maintaining connections to past loved ones, reliving memories when we see or use beloved items, and celebrating the love of family. A recent survey has found that around 42% of people in the US have family heirlooms that are over 50 years.

Moreover, nearly seven in ten people say that some of their most cherished childhood memories involve looking through old photographs with their grandparents. And if you asked people what their most cherish items are, most say it is their family photos.

If you have heirlooms and kids or grandkids, you may wonder how to ensure their material and sentimental value remains intact throughout the years. Below are a few strategies you will find useful if you, too, believe in “forever.”

Before we continue, let's start by answering some questions, shall we?

What is the significance of family heirlooms?

Family heirlooms hold a special place in our hearts, connecting us to our past and the people who came before us. These treasured possessions often carry stories, traditions, and memories that have been passed down through generations.

They provide us with a sense of continuity and belonging, reminding us of our roots and the importance of family. Family heirlooms are material objects and symbols of our heritage and legacy.

What is the sentimental value of heirlooms?

The sentimental value of family heirlooms often surpasses their monetary worth. These cherished possessions are infused with love, memories, and emotions. They connect to our ancestors and remind us of family traditions, values, and personal experiences.

Family heirlooms can evoke a sense of nostalgia, comfort, and pride, creating a deeper bond between generations. They hold emotional significance that cannot be replicated, making them truly irreplaceable treasures.

Now that we have that cover let's discuss how to treasure that family heirloom forever.

Keeping Heirlooms in Good Condition

Keeping treasured heirlooms doesn’t involve much work, but investing time and funds in maintenance is well worth it if you want to maintain their value and boost future generations’ interest in these items.

Take jewelry. Delicate jewelry from past generations can contain stunning details like pave diamonds, gemstones, and pearls—over time; these can get dislodged from their settings.

Avoid this happening by taking items to specialists regularly for cleaning and maintenance. Try to think of the times you have been given an item with missing stones, only to keep it in a drawer for years for this very reason.

If you have items with missing pieces or components, get them fixed so they are good as new and ready to be used. The same goes for items like silverware, antique clocks, and nostalgic devices like old cameras.

In the case of silverware, for instance, set aside a time every year when you polish your entire set. If you have old clocks and gadgets, make sure they are working. If you have old items of furniture, then restoring them and fitting them with new upholstery is a wonderful way to display their full beauty.

Having Your Heirlooms Valued

Some owners of heirlooms seek to ensure that their beloved items are distributed fairly among loved ones they are no longer around. Having these items valued is a good way to achieve this goal so that they can include heirlooms in the personal property memorandum of their will.

Some heirloom owners have items valued and even purchase more items to be left to a set of family members. Take the case of a collection of gold coins featuring a collector’s set—such as American gold buffalo or eagle coins. Say you have five of these coins and seven grandchildren. You might decide to acquire gold buffalo coins to make up for the difference and ensure that each receives one coin.

The same goes for loose diamonds or other gems. Ensuring everyone receives similar heirlooms is a nice way of making everyone feel special, though, of course, you may have a very small collection of items and decide to divide your collection according to value. 

Special Moments

Many heirlooms have a strong sentimental value attached to them. For instance, you may have a locket that was given to you by your grandmother or a set of silverware you used to polish on your mother’s side.

Don’t be hesitant to distribute heirlooms according to their sentimental value. For instance, if you have various children and one of them helped you polish the same set of silverware you inherited, or you have a grandchild who was particularly close to their grandmother. It seems fitting that the item should go to them since it is part of many memories.

If you have one daughter who stood by you in tough times and helped you out when you were ill or otherwise needed them, then deciding to give them your engagement ring is completely logical. Although valuations are a nice way of keeping things “fair,” heirlooms are also about emotions, and ultimately, it is important to be true to yourself and leave items in accordance with what you feel is right.

Remember that there are always ways to ensure everyone is happy. Families can be surprisingly peaceful and reasonable in this respect. In some families, personal heirlooms are placed on a list.

Upon the owner’s death, children take turns choosing one item and continue until no more items are on the list. This way, everyone has at least one thing that is meaningful to them. If you plan on leaving specific items to people, let them and others know so there are no surprises. Try to ensure everyone has something special to remember you and your ancestors by.

Creating Duplicates

Heirlooms are not always expensive. As the introduction states, some of the most valued items are photographs. Similar heirlooms are letters and journals. It is so easy to ensure everyone has their own set of treasured family photographs and best of all; you don’t need to leave the original set to anyone in particular.

You can scan and print the photos your family wants, so you never lose possession of your photos but facilitate a copy to anyone who wants them. Pulling out your albums and having your family members identify the photos they want via Post-Its or other means is good.

You can then scan and print these out and give them as gifts to the family as a family album. Letters and journals can similarly be scanned and sent to others for prosperity.

If you are a tech whiz and you like the idea of creating a dedicated website for photographs and texts, then make a dedicated family site. Uploading items will enable everyone to access and print them independently, so you don’t need to take charge of the time and expense involved in printing. 

Choosing a Photo Gallery Website Template

If you’re not a programmer, know that creating your own website to post heirlooms on is easy if you use a template. Check out easy-to-use templates like Jevelin, Mooseoom, and Ashade for photographs.

These templates have numerous layouts to choose from, so you can select those that highlight the beauty of your precious moments in the most appropriate way. They do not require coding at all, so they are particularly well-suited to absolute beginners.

Many also allow you to connect your social network to your website, so you can let family members know when the site has been updated. They also enable you to add video and audio to add video-recorded moments to your collection of heirlooms.

Preserving family heirlooms is about more than just objects. It's about cherishing connections, reliving memories, and celebrating love. By ensuring your heirlooms are clean and well-maintained, having them valued, honoring sentimental attachments, and creating duplicates, you can ensure their longevity for generations to come.

With user-friendly website templates, sharing these precious moments with the family has never been easier. So embrace the power of “forever” and treasure your family heirlooms because they hold material value and the essence of who you are and where you come from.

Latina mom of 4 married to wonderful Greek gentleman. Living in southeast PA and trying to juggle family and a household while trying to earn an income from home. Follow my stay at home journey as I discover how to earn money and save money so we can continue to live debt-free.

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Narrative Essay Sample about Heirlooms

What does family history mean? Is it heritage? Is it values? Traits? One can articulate that what I stated earlier can all be considered family history, they're all a mix that creates what we classify as family history, most of these contribute a little to how we view our own families. However, Heirlooms are the only physical representation of family history, they are passed and used by multiple generations making them sentimental and important to the generations incoming. This physical form of family history makes for great things being passed along, an interesting item I have heard of is a human bone cross from generations back, being passed on to a friend. Land is technically also a part of heritage, it allows generations to inherit the value from another generation’s work, it also allows them to experience traditions on their own land, just like people before them did. Land inheritance is such an important part of family tradition, that most places in the world have laws protecting the transfer of this asset. One can also say that money is an heirloom. The diversity of what can be considered a heirloom is massively interesting to the general public, with people showcasing their most outlandish heirlooms.

Heirlooms have always had a special place in both my paternal and maternal family lines. My paternal family line originates from a famous philosopher and mathematician named the Thales of Mellitus. My maternal family also has plenty of history, the family, the Uballits, can be traced back to the BCE era where they ruled as the kings of an empire. The maternal side of my family has always interested me, they've always been special placements in which societies over the years, during world war 1 and world war II many of the Uballits were businessmen and traders, my great grandfather was one of them. In other parts of the world, they're myths that the Uballits are involved in black magic and other witchcraft which is the reason for their good luck. Today both families have relatively normal lives and none of the people in those families have particularly important positions due to their family history. However there are many museum exhibits that showcase the history and culture of both families, both have been around since the beginning of the world wars and both are due to the efforts of British geologists. The museum exhibits have always been an area in which the actual families have not lived for very long, for example, although the Uballits were a part of Anglo-Saxon tribes they have never actually lived in London however today their museum stands in London around 3000 to 4000 miles away from where they originally ruled. This discrepancy means that many of the people who are related and who are a part of these families are not able to see the museum exhibitions more than once in their lifetime. This has resulted in some disputes in the families, and (on my maternal side) the establishment of a fund to help any of the family members who cannot afford to go. Today, there is a trade group owned by members of the family and over four thriving family businesses. 

Thales of Mellitus, was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. He is considered to be one of the great Greek minds in the early periods of history. Thales' most important discovery or act was when he predicted a solar eclipse accurately for the first time in human history. His standing to this day allowed for his name to be passed down through history. Today the Thales family owns multiple businesses and is involved in trading and other business Fields. Under the Thales group inc. The history of the family in mathematics, sciences and others allow its members to flourish in society under the guise of their ancestor.  Museums in Greece and mentions in history books are our main inheritance from his great heritage. In Turkey, the Greek island stands as our hometown.  

The Uballits are historical nobles in Mesopotamia and my maternal ancestors, they were known for allowing their empire to prosper and for their trade with ancient Egypt. The Uballits also have a family company today. There are museum exhibitions for the history of the Uballits in the UK, Canada, and the US. Uballit, means white in the ancient language used by the empire. The Uballits were a part of Anglo tribes that migrated to the east, they spread out across both continents after the fall of their empire. Today, Uballits can be found in many areas around the world, from Canada to Yemen, however, they are mostly found in the UK and the US. 

Overall, this essay for all intents and purposes highlights that heirlooms can be generally more than physical items, they can be a family’s influence, power, and status in a subtle way. My heirloom from my ancestors basically likely has no value in terms of monetary status, however, it definitely has a symbolic factor, it allows me to look back and literally know what my ancestors did, and how they improved the world for the best. This really is usually harder than Googling your last name, and I for all intents and purposes am forever grateful for that long-lasting heirloom.

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Essay on Heirlooms (Chapter 5 Extra)

Another approach to “the secret history of objects,” as discussed in Wonderbook.

When I was growing up, my dad had a family heirloom that fascinated me: a small tobacco pipe with a glass-covered pinhole in the side. If you looked through the hole you could see a microfiche-like photograph: four rows of stern-looking men and women, along with names and other information in German or Dutch. My dad explained that the photograph depicted a group of dissidents from before World War I. My dad didn’t know whether it had been a “hit list” for the secret police or used by the radicals to keep track of their own. But those kinds of details didn’t register with me then. For me, the pipe was a compelling oddity, a window that delighted me because I could look through a tiny hole and see so much.

Over the years, though, I kept thinking about that pipe—my mind just wouldn’t leave it alone. Then, while working on my noir fantasy novel Finch , it resurfaced as an heirloom of detective John Finch’s father. Finch’s father is a mysterious figure with shifting allegiances between various factions in my war-torn imaginary city of Ambergris.

In the scene in my novel, Finch is shown the pipe as a child, much as I was shown the real pipe by my dad, but with the added layer that through the device of the pipe Finch’s father is trying to communicate something about his real role in Ambergris that he cannot state directly without endangering his son. Finch looks through the pinhole and he sees “A whole map of the known world. There was a dot for Ambergris. The line of the River Moth…The Kalif’s empire covering the west beyond the Moth. Exotic city after exotic city marked in that vast desert, the plains and hills beyond.” But my made-up pipe also has a pinhole on the other side, which shows “Black-and-white photos of twelve men and women.” His father tells him, “The owner of this pipe ran a network of spies. The map…is really a code. It tells the owner something about the spies whose pictures you’re looking at.”

A secret history of the world. A topography of the imagination in which cities become shorthand for people’s lives. For me, writing fantasy has always had that element. Each novel has contained autobiography tied to setting—details that are taken directly from both the exhilarating and mundane aspects of my life, my past and my family’s past. Do readers see those elements as personal, as transposed from reality? Probably not in most cases, and it isn’t necessary for reader enjoyment.

But it’s this hidden element, this strand of subtext, that, unseen by readers but felt by them, breathes life into fiction and is especially important for fiction set in imaginary places, which might otherwise be so disconnected from reality as to become meaningless. A novel that isn’t anchored to some aspect of the human condition, to some universal aspect of our disparate experiences, is usually a novel inert and lifeless on the page.

This subtext also acknowledges that what’s private is also public, that the world beyond one’s immediate experience has an impact on you and thus your fiction. As a kid, the pipe represented a potent possibility for adventure, a sense that the world was deeper and wider than I could then know. It also represented a bonding experience with my dad. But as an adult, it became a different kind of mystery, with a different set of questions. Who were these people trapped inside the pipe? What had they lived for? What had they been willing to die for? Slowly, the political mixed with the personal, and yet I didn’t want the real answers. My mind was seeking fictional ones instead.

I found them in writing Finch . The novel is set in a failed state run by a dictatorship that doesn’t understand the people it is governing, which results in both absurd and tragic consequences. Although Finch has a noir mystery plot wedded to a surreal fantasy element, the context, the setting, the lives of the characters, are informed and shaped by the last eight years of U.S. foreign policy, from 9-11 and Ground Zero to occupation to torture to suicide bombings.

Writers often mention the need to get distance from events in their personal lives to include them effectively in fiction, but I find a similar need to get distance from historical/political events. Without that distance and the transformative power of the imagination, a fiction writer risks creating unsubtle polemic or introducing the didactic. Writing in a fantastical setting helps me, as it immediately changes the paradigm, the context, while retaining the intellectual arguments and questions, tone and texture, of the original events.

To me, then, this fantastical place continues to be highly personal in a way that encompasses the political because the political, the historical, always takes a toll even on those of us on the sidelines. You cannot as a writer remain unaffected by that, even as you sometimes can’t see how to write about it. Ambergris allows me to write about it. Fantasy allows me to write about it. That prism is like putting my eye to the hole in the pipe and seeing this fragment of another world that’s still part of our own, no matter how distant in time or space.

The truth is, Ambergris has always been porous—there’s no barrier between me and it, and thus no barrier between it and the world. The world is continually being received by me—horrifies, moves, elates, bores, and changes me—and, in a very organic, a very intimate, way, Ambergris is continually being colonized and redrawn in my imagination as a consequence. There are no maps of Ambergris because there can be no maps of Ambergris, no matter what an image in a pinhole tells you. In Finch , Ambergris is a beleaguered city, linked by psychic distress to places like Baghdad, Beirut, even occupied Paris during World War II, but what will it be tomorrow?

Originally published in the LA Times.

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C1/C2: A Priceless Family Heirloom

This is a short text I wrote for C2 students who had to to a proficiency writing on a possession with sentimental value. I haven’t designed a full lesson plan around it yet but it might be useful for other teachers of high levels:

Do you have any possessions that you have inherited from other family members?

Do they have sentimental value to you?

If your house caught fire and you had enough time to save one thing, what would you choose? My great grandpa’s old stamp collection is a priceless family heirloom that has been handed down from generation to generation . It was his prized possession and he held onto it through thick and thin , travelling the world to collect over 2000 different stamps. Leafing through the pages gives a fascinating insight into a bygone era . Smelling the pages evokes memories of a seemingly simpler time before all the noise and stress of life in the 21st century. Some would call it a dusty old knick knack but the collection has huge sentimental value to me and has been a source of endless hours of pleasure. It seems that my dad really was a chip off the old block because he has his own collection. This geeky fascination with stamps really seems to run in the family because now my son is crazy about stamps too, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree . Apparently a rival collector once offered my dad €200,000 for the collection but he turned it down out of hand. You can’t put a price on that slice of history. Blood really is thicker than water.

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7 expert tips on decorating with family heirlooms for a space that tells a story

T he holiday season is the perfect time to visit with family, share stories and recall happy memories. And while looking through old photo albums is perfectly nostalgic, one of the best ways to honor your family's past is by exhibiting heirlooms for all to see.

Whether you own heirlooms from centuries past, have recently received family treasures, or are just now starting your own collection of keepsakes, these items can bring a lot of love to just about any space.

Despite their sentimental value, it might feel impossible to meld family heirlooms with contemporary or modern design styles – some things just don't match. But not to worry, there are plenty of ways to integrate the past into your present space. 

To help you scatter your favorite family memories through any room of the house, we spoke with seven interior design experts who brought their top tips for blending family heirlooms with personal interior design styles.

How to blend family heirlooms with your personal style

While there are clear benefits to showcasing family heirlooms in your home, making them mesh with current interior design trends can prove quite difficult. Contrasting styles can work well together, but only when thoughtfully and carefully put into place.

But the finished designs found in heirloom-adorned spaces will have you rushing to the attic to unearth your own family's treasures. Here's what designers have to say about the benefits of decorating with family heirlooms, plus how to seamlessly integrate history into your day-to-day environment.

1. Create contrast between the old and new

Because family heirlooms come from so many different people, places and time periods, designing with them looks different for everyone. No matter their origins, though, there's no need to make your entire home match, it's about embracing transitional style. 

Create a playful juxtaposition in your space by blending old items with new design styles. Your whole home doesn't need to transform into a time capsule just because your family left you with antiques.

'It completely depends on what you have inherited, but introducing old with new will create a rich and layered contemporary living space. It’s all about finding the right balance, contrasting heirloom pieces with contemporary style,' says Tom Rutt, interior designer and founder of TR Studios.

2. Maintain your existing color scheme

Keeping a cohesive color scheme is one of the easiest ways to ensure your interior design is up to par, so family heirlooms that feature bold hues can quickly get in the way. 

Luckily, there are simple ways to get around odd colors, whether they're far out of the box or just not in line with your personal style. Audrey Scheck, interior designer and founder of Audrey Scheck Design, suggests tastefully altering larger heirlooms to make them match the existing space.

'Keep the color scheme of your home in mind when incorporating larger furniture pieces. If the finish doesn’t flow with the remainder of your home, try restaining or repainting the piece to align with the tones that are established within your space,' she says.

When it comes to heirlooms on the smaller side, experiment with their placement. It might not look natural on the first try, but thinking creatively will allow you to find somewhere it'll blend in, yet still get its due attention.

3. Take advantage of your home's focal points

Kathy Kuo, interior designer and CEO of Kathy Kuo Home, says that adding family heirlooms to your interior design style adds 'soul and personality to any space.' 

To best fit heirlooms in with their surroundings, note your room's focal points, and try decorating with antiques in regularly used places. From furniture arrangements to side tables, finding the right place for your heirlooms will spark conversation with guests and elevate your interior design.

'Try adding some special heirloom pieces to styled vignettes on your bookshelves, on your coffee table or on your mantel – framed photos and small sculptures and trinkets work well here. You could also bring heirloom glassware or dishware into your bar cabinet or hutch, and try mixing one or two heirloom furniture pieces in with your newer items if the styles and colors match well and the pieces are in good condition,' says Kathy.

4. Make a statement

While heirlooms always make great accessories, go beyond the small details and feature them prominently in your space. Jessica Jubelirer, interior designer and founder of Jessica Jubelirer Design, suggests using family heirlooms to add both subtle touches and centers of attention.

'These items can be incorporated as accents, such as hanging a mother’s plates on the walls of a breakfast nook, or as bold statements, with a dramatic antique bench or writing table,' she says.

According to Jessica, heirlooms work wonderfully in any space because of their construction – they're made with love, and last quite a long time when cared for properly.

'Whether it’s a grandmother’s porcelain table lamp or an antique armoire, older pieces are often crafted with enduring artisanry and exceptional quality, which is welcome in any space. In addition to being well made, one-of-a-kind antique treasures are highly personal and unique, inviting conversations and stories,' says Jessica.

5. Update your heirlooms to blend with your space

It might feel unnatural to modify family heirlooms to match your home – respecting their history is important, after all. But a surefire way to make heirlooms work in your space is to make small adjustments. Alexandra Denburg, principal interior designer at M&P Design Group, says this trick works especially well with upholstered furniture.

'Adding new fabric to an antique can birth life into a relic, creating a one-of-a-kind show stopper that marries vintage detailing with your own flair. These pieces will often turn into some of your most cherished possessions because you’ve given a whole new life to something that already holds your family’s history and story,' she says.

Alexandra brought this tip into practice when she reupholstered a client's heirloom bench, pictured above. The bench had been in the client's family for over 100 years, spanning many generations, and this skillful touch gave it lasting power.

Upholstered furniture isn't the only place to make updates, though. If there are elements of your heirlooms that you could really do without, don't be afraid to bring them more in line with contemporary design styles.

'Swap the vintage escutcheons for some really lovely drawer pulls. Sand off that horrible cherry varnish and refinish with a natural wood tone. Try to not remove the piece’s vintage personality so entirely that it may as well be purchased new, but small updates allow for the craftsmanship of yore to feel fresh and whimsical in your existing spaces,' says Alexandra.

6. Don't let perfection hold you back

Families and family heirlooms have at least one thing in common – they're imperfect. So, when decorating with vintage items into your home, give yourself grace and don't expect perfection. 

Stefania Skrabak, principal designer at AHG Interiors, says having fun with the design process is just as important as the final product when it comes to family heirlooms. If colors don't match perfectly or your heirlooms are just a bit too big, rest assured that the meaning behind them will carry them a long way.

'The most liveable spaces don’t match perfectly. Only hotels are perfect and thought out but sometimes feel sterile. Homes are meant to have a story. Let your story shine!' says Stefania.

7. Let your heirlooms tell a story

Rebecca Frye, designer, and founder of Rebecca Frye Design, agrees – heirlooms are meant to tell a story. Let your family's background take center stage in your home by featuring heirlooms in the places that mean the most to you. Not only will guests be intrigued by the tales you have to tell, but you'll be reminded of the ones you love each and every day. 

Whether you place your great-grandmother's hand-me-down compact where you get ready for the day, or your great-great-grandfather's baseball cards are framed near the entertainment center, your family heirlooms will remind you where you came from, and give you that extra bit of encouragement along the way.

'Decorating with family heirlooms is a genuine pleasure, a meaningful journey if you're fortunate enough to undertake it. These aren't just pieces of furniture; they're threads of your family history woven into the fabric of your daily life. Embracing the beauty of heirlooms is about creating a home that tells your unique story – one that spans generations and encapsulates the warmth of memories shared with those who came before you,' says Rebecca.

How can you best preserve the family heirlooms you have on display?

When displaying family heirlooms, you'll want to keep their safety in mind – they are quite old, after all. Be sure to keep heirlooms out of direct sunlight, and in places that aren't often exposed to the elements. A bit of moisture or too much warmth can damage older materials, especially fabric and upholstery.

If you're looking to display photographs, artwork, or vintage papers of any kind, consider framing them, or covering them in thin plastic. This will prevent some fading, spills, and fingerprints from eroding the material.

Decorating with family heirlooms allows you to tell a story with your space and feel more connected to your loved ones, no matter their generation. By being mindful about placement and making a few quick adjustments, it's incredibly easy to display the things that mean the most to you without compromising your personal style.