Creating a family tree scrapbook that traces your Irish ancestry is a gratifying way to connect with the past.
When completed, your scrapbook may become an important showpiece at a family reunion, wedding, or other special event.
You can even post the information that you find at a family website or blog.
Your family tree and related information will really get people excited about your family’s unique genealogy.
The perfect scrapbook will be an ideal blend of factual information about your clan, as well as photos of family members, whimsical stickers and appliqués, and plenty of written anecdotes.
This type of scrapbook may become an addictive “rainy-day” activity that eventually evolves into a treasured family heirloom.
If you’re curious about your ancestry – and you’d like to begin assembling a detailed history of your family name and your Irish forebears- we have some helpful tips that will make it all easier.
Get in on the Genealogy Craze
Genealogy is very popular these days, and many Irish-Canadans and Irish-Americans are learning some fascinating stories about their own ancestry.
Here is our quick guide to tracing your Irish roots for a special scrapbook:
Interview Older Family Members
The first step to tracing your Irish roots starts with interviewing older family members, who may have important information about which townships in Ireland your ancestors lived in.
Any tidbits you can glean from your relatives will make your job a whole lot easier. Since many Irish surnames are similar, it may be hard to isolate exactly which last names are directly related to your own ancestry.
Talking to a beloved grandparent, great-aunt, or great-uncle is a perfect way to gain access to information you can use to delve further into your family background.
Be sure to ask questions about births, deaths, and marriages in the family tree, and inquire as to whether or not any family members have already created family trees that lead back to Ireland.
In some cases, other relations will have done a lot of the work for you, and you may be able to access their research for your own purposes.
Create a Family Pedigree Chart
Many websites now offer downloadable (and printable!) family pedigree charts that may be used to form the basis of your family tree.
These “interactive” pedigree charts may be altered right at your computer, so it will be easy to add new names and more information whenever you come by it.
It’s also so easy to share these digital charts with others who may help you to collect relevant data.
Seeing your ancestry laid out in such an organized manner, and then striving to “fill in the blanks”, is really the key to making progress tracing your Irish roots.
Do a simple Google search to find free family pedigree charts, or visit a popular website that offers these handy documents (such as www.myheritage.com).
While these types of websites may ask you to pay a subscription fee or one-time fee for “more features”, you are not under any obligation to do so.
Free pedigree charts are an excellent way to focus your mind on the task at hand…
Contact Authorities in Ireland
Now that you’ve gotten all the information that you can from family members, and filled out as much of your pedigree chart as you can, it’s time to use resources in Ireland to collect more facts.
Of course, a fun and educational trip to Ireland will be ideal for research purposes. However, thanks to the power of the World Wide Web, you can get a ton of valuable info just by using your home computer or smart phone.
The first authority website you should visit is The Irish Genealogy Centre, which was created way back in 1552.
This website features plenty of useful tips on tracing your roots, as well as a dizzying array of facts and figures related to various Irish families.
You may also search Irish church records for your Emerald Isle ancestors – visit the Irish Genealogy website to get started.
Put Your Scrapbook Together
Now that you’ve lovingly traced your Gaelic roots, it will be time to create your family tree scrapbook. You may visit local scrapbooking shops to get your basic book, along with a few exciting embellishments.
Check out some wonderful blogs from other avid family tree scrapbookers and talented amateur genealogists to get more ideas on putting together stories and layouts about your ancestors…
You certainly don’t need to spend a lot of money making your scrapbook beautiful.
If you’re creative, buy a simple scrapbook or photo album from a budget chain store, and then make your own embellishments out of fabric (such as craft felt), leftover gift wrap, ribbons, and construction paper.
Shamrocks, Trinity Knots, and Claddagh Symbols may be stenciled or drawn on to scrapbook pages for the perfect Irish look.
To flesh out your book, add pages honoring new babies in the clan, or pages filled with wedding photos, birthday pictures, and anecdotes about your family.
Using a mixture of high-tech (i.e. printed photos, Photoshopped design elements, and illustrations) and low-tech (handmade embellishments) elements will give your family tree scrapbook plenty of style.
Giving a completed family tree scrapbook as a gift is also a touching way to show someone how much you care.
Celebrate Your Family Tree Scrapbook with the Perfect Irish Charm
The Tara’s Diary Collection of charms and charm bracelets is a perfect expression of Gaelic roots; each charm in this sterling silver collection is specially designed to honor your ancestry.
To celebrate your Irish family tree scrapbook, why not treat yourself to our lovely, handmade Tara’s Diary Charm with Trinity Knot Motif ?
This sterling silver showpiece is adorned with a gold-plated Trinity Knot motif.
For thousands of year, this special symbol has been used to illustrate Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Emerald Isle…
Our charm will fit onto an existing Pandora charm bracelet or a beautiful and affordable Tara’s Diary Charm Celtic Bracelet.