Documenting your family heirlooms is a critically important part of recording your family history. If information about an heirloom is not recorded, the history associated with the object may be lost over time.

Everyone who get the genealogy bug finds that most family members who are interviewed possess something that was a hand-me-down from a parent, grandparent or other ancestors. When someone passes away, it is not unusual to find an old album full of photos, old watches, jewelry, knickknacks or other objects whose origin and significance was lost with the passing of the owner. These objects frequently get trashed or sold as antiques. Even if someone does keep the item, it’s history may be lost forever.

It is therefore important to photograph the heirloom and document everything that is known about it. That way, the historical value of the item may be retained and passed on to future generations–and the story will live on. Every heirloom has a story to tell, otherwise it would not be an heirloom. The item was important to someone or it would not have been kept and passed on to someone who would hopefiully preserve it.

The antique box shown on the left is part of my heirloom collection. It is hand-carved and interesting. But it has a story to tell, and if I keeled over with heart attack or was hit by a truck, it is very likely that no one else would know the significance of this family heirloom. The following is the story behind this antique box.

I first saw the hand-carved antique box around 1961 when I was only about 8 years old. It was given to me by my grandfather, Sylvester Sells. The technique used for the ornate carvings on the box was called chip carving and it was a popular skill back in the early 1900s, when most furniture was still hand-made. My grandfather gave it to me to use as an example while teaching me the art of chip carving, but beyond that, the box itself had a story to tell.

The box had been carved by my grandfather around 1907 when he was only 10 years old. Chip carving was one of his hobbies. He actually made many fine boxes, some with inlaid wood and some using chip carving, but this box was special to him. The box is actually a cigarette box that he hand-carved and gave to his father for his father’s birthday. My grandfather was born in 1897, which dates the box at about 1907. Presumably, the box stayed in his father’s possession until 1942, when his father passed away. The box was then passed back to my grandfather, who kept it with fond memories until giving it to me.

If it wasn’t for the fact that my grandfather gave me the box and told me this story, the box would have just been another curious antique when he passed away in 1964. The box might have been sold or given away, without any realization that this box is a part of our family history. But once the story is associated with the box, the box becomes a family heirloom that hopefully will be passed on to future generations.

Documenting family heirlooms is a critical component of preserving your family history. When each member of the older generation passes on, a lifetime of family stories is lost.

If you have family heirlooms or old photographs in your possession, spend some time showing them to the senior members of your family and record any stories or information that they may know or have heard. When you know that something is part of your family history, it takes on a life of its own and is no longer just a curious old object.