Advice needed

[C_Bishop]

Hi

My brother and his partner are expecting twin daughters (identical!) in November. My brother's partner is interested in family history too so i thought i'd put together a little book of our family tree for the girls. I probably wouldn't put all of it in, would probably just go back to the early 1800s and mainly centre on main ancestors.

What i'd love to hear, is any ideas on how i should go about this, presentation and format. Are there any good books that would allow me to record this much? One thing that puts me off a book (already bined etc) is that i'd prefer to type it up (my handwriting tends to slip a little, and change styles depending on my mood!!!) I've had a little play on the familytree maker program yet it doesn't really do what i had in mind.

Any advice would be much appreciated! I wanted to do something quite special for them!  Especially as one is being named after me, my mother and gt gran!!! The other is being named with the mothers family names.....very nice idea 

Thanks
Cat

[little meg]

Hi Cat,
how wonderful ... twins ... special people you know 

Yeah, one of those babies in my avatar is me.

What I did for my twin and I for our 50th was a combination of quilting, applique, scrapbooking and a basic history of our lives.  Probably not suitable for what you want and of course it depends on whether you can sew or not.
Happy to put a pic up if you want.

I too change my style of handwriting so completely understand that.

I am sure there will be many ideas, I recall someone made up a box of goodies, with photos, memorabilia etc, all of which was decorated beautifully.
Can't recall who it was

Margaret

[C_Bishop]

Hi Margaret
Yes, i am so happy for them, to have or to be twins would be fantastic! This is the 2nd set of twins for my brother (different mothers  ) But from what i hear, the fathers don't determine whether they're twins....just luck i guess! Our line is riddled with twins, so when the day comes where i have children i won't be surprised if i end up with a 2 in 1! Apparently my brother's partner doesn't know of any twins in her family, and she has 3 children already from a previous marriage (no twins) So yes....they are going to have 5 children under 10yrs old! Lucky they have plenty of family to lend a hand!

Thats a great idea, but not really what i had in mind.... and i can't sew! I should learn, i can imagine in years to come the skills woman had like sewing, knitting and even cooking will become rare! In my defense....my mother and grandmother were/are not the best cooks or seamstresses!

I'd be interested in seeing a pic though! I just saw a post with a similar question and that gave some really good ideas, but I'm still kind of stuck on what i can do for the presentation of it....maybe just a very nice blank hardcover book with just a scrapbook type of thing inside....I'm not the most creative person!

Thanks for the advice!
Cat

[daval57]

That is a brilliant idea Cat.
I hope you get lots of useful suggestions.

It's a long time since I tried it but PAF via LDS used to allow one to construct a tree and download it, almost in book form, with photos attached to each name.
I only mention this because it was free.
There are a lot of programs out there that do the same thing.  However. they cost!

Why not just take the time to sit down with a blank photo album, fill it with photos from your oldest rellies down to the new weans (scans?) and write your own wee memories beside each photo.  Get other members of family to write in it beside their own photo.

It's personal.  

Think how you woulld feel now if you could look at a photo album that had comments and photos of all your rellies.
Dave (a tight Scot) Forrest.

PS Enjoy your nieces.  Good luck to your brother and his wife.
  

[C_Bishop]

Thanks for that Dave, what a great idea!
Would make it a really nice family heirloom in years to come, pity a generation or 2 before me couldn't have done it too! I've been given alot of photos of older generations so that is definitely something i will do. I could even include a few scenic shots i've come across, like a house a 5th gt gran lived in (in good old Scotland ) Photos definitely will be used! Makes it so much more then just names and dates!

Will indeed enjoy the neices! Being an aunty is great! They'll be spoiled rotten!

Thanks!
Cat

[little meg]

Hi again,
here is a pic of the cover, just put it up the other day so sorry to all those who are over it 

I will see if I can find the other site I was talking about, about a year and a half ago.

Margaret

[C_Bishop]

Oh wow, that is amazing! Very beautiful!! Gosh your clever

[little meg]

Thankyou
Cat, found the one I was referring to.
More on my book thingy in there.
but on page 3 you see what one of the other ladies put together, really beautiful.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,209437.0.html

Margaret

[daval57]

I think I'm turning into a girlie - I can't believe I'm enjoying this stuff.  That's lovely Margaret.


PS Cat, sorry to change subject.
Noticed your Scottish names - Farquharson rang a bell (I've been looking for a Farquhar).

Have you got David Farquharson marrying Elizabeth Durward in 1813 in Brechin?

No relly to me but I've got the record from SP if you want it.

Dave