Ephemera, A Window To Your Past

[Kyle Boyd-Robertson]

My incurable obsession with ephemera has been an invaluable tool in constructing a more complete picture of my past. I have been involved in researching my families genealogy for 12 years now and the photos, postcards, old newspapers, bills, books and all things paper have been a great help in filling in the gaps and gaining information that otherwise would have been lost forever. While constucting our family tree I not only search for names and dates but also for anything that can tell me more about who these people were and how they lived. I have found that searching for a Paper Trail is one of the best ways to accomplish that. Not only do I gain information from the bits and pieces of paper but I also have as a part of my tree items that are tangible links to my past.
As for my part I have encouraged my mother and father to begin writing down memories from days gone by and I have begun the same as to give my children and their children a start at Opening The Window to their past.

Visit My Website: Paper Moon

Visit our online shop Bygone Days Postcards & Ephemera

[Mike Ferguson]

The older I get the bigger my collection of "family ephemera" gets. I don't consider it a part of my collection but from an objective point of view the family papers (including genealogy notes) includes some real nice pieces. Also, the older I get the more curious I get about the stories of my family. When my grandfather died his papers reveal so many things we never knew. So far I avoided this "rabbit hole" because once I start down the genealogy road I might never come back.