by Bonnie Butler

Created on: December 18, 2007

Genealogies and Ancestry Registries are the greatest heirloom gift that one family member can give another.

Grandmothers, you gotta love 'em. They are the perfect first stop in creating Heirloom Gifts that will live on to tell the family life story for generations to come.

Talk to your Grandmother about helping her develop sources to notate her life journey and happenings. Sons, daughters and grandchildren can all participate with this activity.

Get her a journal, scrapbook supplies, camera with film and take a day to help her dig thru old photos, the stories that she tells on that day alone will fill volumes. Perhaps take along a tape recorder to let her tell you stories that will become a treasure one day and that you can replicate to share with relatives. Trust me, that sound of her voice in the distant future will flood your heart with joy. Remember, nobody can tell a great story like your Grandmother!

Start by asking your Grandmother questions about her life, many people don't know where to start but when they begin, they can't quit. Help her organize the times, dates and photos to weave a lifetime of precious memories that otherwise would sit in a dusty attic only to be dug up by those left behind and we will know nothing of how to tell her story and remember who was who, what was what and when was when. The joy it will bring to her to relive her life with you will spread across her face and her voice. How great a gift is that?

After she gives you what you need to know to start, don't waste another moment. You can even organize the data and photos on genealogy websites that can track your ancestry for you with great speed and accuracy so you don't need to travel the world to get data, legal documents and information. You can also purchase software that will take the data you input and print it out into beautiful family tree pages to later be placed in leather bound albums.

If you are doing a physical scrapbook, you might include something of your Grandmother's that would be appreciated by the receiving family member: a silk handkerchief, pressed flower leaves from her favorite plant or garden, a personal handwritten note from her, the name of her favorite perfume or soaps so her fragrance lingers for eternity, a photo of her and the relative receiving the book, perhaps with her holding the album in the photo, the list is endless.

The time that you will spend with your Grandmother will remain with you all the days of your life. The history that you will build

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