If you have heirlooms in your home have you taken the time to record them?
Take pictures of each heirloom, place them in a book. A regular notebook will do just fine. Glue a picture on to a page, label it with the following information: Name of item (Grandma’s Quilt, Betsy Wetsy Doll, etc.), What year it was received, giver, receiver, reason for gift, why it’s important to you. Also include any other information you feel may be important to your descendants.
Heirlooms are precious. If you’re like most people, you only have a few. Take the time to create heirlooms for your descendants. It doesn’t matter what it is, just make it special. Something that is special to the person who receives it. I have a quilt my great-grandmother made for me. She completed it when I was 14, just a year before she passed away. I also have a baby doll my grandfather gave me, a stuffed dog another grandfather gave me and a stuffed dog my dad won at a fair for me. A ring my father gave me when I was young is something I will always treasure, along with a locket my mom gave me.
But if we don’t record this information, it could be lost forever. Our special heirlooms may be sold at auction when we pass on, never to touch the hands of our family again.
Please take the time to record your priceless heirlooms. Your descendants will thank you.
(From the Vault – originally posted 18 FEB 2008)
