Heirlooms and Family Treasures
Your family may have collected many items over time which could provide useful clues to your family history, as well as a richer picture of people's lives.
One of the most useful types of memorabilia is the Chinese Immigration Certificates and Forms that were issued by federal immigration officials.
Other examples include:
- Family Bible
- Newspaper clippings
- Letters
- School yearbooks and report cards
- Passports
- Photographs
When possible, make copies of family memorabilia. In some cases, you may be able to make photocopies. However, older items are sometimes quite delicate, and cannot be photocopied. Prepare full physical descriptions of such items with written transcriptions of the contents. When taking photographs, record when, how and where the item was found and note its present location.
Some interesting examples of family memorabilia can be seen on the Internet: