How to Create a Heritage Scrapbook - Family History Album

How to Create a Heritage Scrapbook - Family History Album The perfect place to showcase and protect your precious family photos, heirlooms, and memories, a heritage scrapbook album is a wonderful way to document your familys history and create a lasting gift for future generations. While it may seem a daunting task when faced with boxes of dusty old photos, scrapbooking is actually both fun and easier than you might think. Gather Your Memories At the heart of most heritage scrapbooks is the photos - pictures of your grandparents wedding, your great-grandfather at work in the fields, a family Christmas celebration, and so on. Begin your heritage scrapbook project by gathering together as many photographs as possible, from boxes, attics, old albums, and relatives. These photos dont necessarily need to have people in them - pictures of old houses, automobiles, and towns are great for adding historical interest to a family history scrapbook. Remember, in your quest, that pictures from slides and reel-to-reel 8mm films can be made at a relatively low cost through your local photo store. Family mementos such as birth and marriage certificates, report cards, old letters, family recipes, clothing items, and a lock of hair can also add interest to a family history scrapbook. Smaller items can be incorporated into a heritage scrapbook by placing them in clear, self-adhesive, acid-free memorabilia pockets. Larger heirlooms such as a pocket watch, wedding dress, or family quilt can also be included by photocopying or scanning them and using the copies in your heritage album. Get Organized As you begin to accumulate photos and materials, work to organize and protect them by sorting them in archival safe photo files and boxes. Use labeled file dividers to help you divide the photos into groups - by person, family, time-period, life-stages, or another theme. This will help make it easy to find a specific item as you work, while also protecting the items which dont make it into the scrapbook. As you work, use a photo-safe pen or pencil to write details of each photo on the back, including the peoples names, the event, the location and the date the photo was taken. Then, once your photos are organized, store them in a dark, cool, dry location, keeping in mind that its best to store photos standing upright. Assemble Your Supplies Since the purpose of compiling a heritage scrapbook is to preserve family memories, it is important to start with supplies that will protect your precious photographs and memorabilia. Basic scrapbooking begins with just four items - an album, adhesive, scissors, and a journaling pen. Scrapbook Album - Choose a photo album that contains acid-free pages, or purchase acid-free, PVC-free sheet protectors and slip them into a three-ring binder. The size of your scrapbook is a matter of personal preference (most scrapbooks are either 8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12.), but consider the availability and cost of supplies, as well as how many pictures you want to fit on each page when you make your choice. Scrapbook albums come in a variety of styles, with post bound, expandable spine and 3 ring albums being the most popular.Adhesives - Used to secure everything to the album pages, adhesives come in many forms, including photo corners, photo tape, double-sided adhesive strips, and glue sticks.Scissors - Available in both straight-edge and decorative-edge, scissors help cut your photos into interesting shapes and crop out any unwanted areas.Journaling Pens - Acid-free, permanent markers, and pens are necessary for writing down important names, dates, and family memories, as well as f or adding fun doodles and pictures to your scrapbook pages. Other fun scrapbooking supplies to enhance your family history scrapbook include colored and patterned acid-free papers, stickers, a paper trimmer, templates, decorative rulers, paper punches, rubber stamps, computer clipart, and fonts, and a circle or pattern cutter. Next Page Step-by-Step Heritage Scrapbook Pages After gathering the photos and memorabilia for your heritage scrapbook, its finally time for the fun part - to sit down and create the pages. The basic steps for creating a scrapbook page include: Select Your Photos Begin your page by choosing a number of photos for your page which relate to a single theme - e.g. Great-grandmas wedding. For a single album page layout, select 3 to 5 photos. For a two page spread, select between 5 and 7 photos. When you have the option, use only the best photos for your heritage album - photos which are clear, focused, and best help to tell the story. Heritage Tip - If a photo that you wish to use in your album is torn, scratched, or faded, consider scanning in the photo and using a graphic editing program to repair the cracks and clean up the image. The restored image can then be printed and used for your heritage album. Choose Your Colors Select 2 or 3 colors to complement your photos. One of these may serve as a background or base page, and the others for matting photos. A variety of papers, including patterns and textures, are available which can serve as beautiful backgrounds and mats for heritage scrapbooks. Heritage Tip - You can create your own background papers by photocopying precious family heirlooms (such as a bit of lace from your grandmothers wedding dress). If using patterned paper or a photocopied image for the background, then it is usually best to mat photos with plain papers to help them stand out from the busy background. Crop Photos Use a pair of sharp scissors to trim away unwanted background and other objects in your photos. You may want to keep cars, houses, furniture, or other background images in some photos for historical reference while highlighting just a specific individual in others. Cropping templates and cutters are available to help you crop your photos in a variety of shapes. Decorative-edged scissors can also be used to trim photos. Heritage Tip - It is best to make and use copies of any precious heritage photos which you wish to crop, rather than cutting and possibly destroying the only photo you have of a deceased relative. Cropping can also cause crumbling edges and cracking emulsion in older, fragile photos. Mat Photos A bit different than the traditional picture mat, matting to scrapbookers means to glue a photograph on a piece of paper (the mat) and then trim the paper close to the edges of the photograph. This creates a decorative frame around the photo. Different combinations of decorative-edged scissors and straight scissors can help provide interest and help your photos pop from the pages. Heritage Tip - When including original heritage photographs in your scrapbook, it is always a good idea to attach them to your page with photo corners rather than glue or other adhesive options. in case you need to remove them or make additional copies. Arrange the Page Begin by experimenting with possible layouts for your photos and memorabilia. Arrange and rearrange until the layout satisfies you. Be sure to leave room for titles, journaling, and embellishments. When you are happy with the layout to attach to the page using acid-free adhesive or tape. Alternatively, use photo corners or a corner slot punch. Heritage Tip - Always assume that memorabilia is acidic, rather than finding out the hard way. Use a deacidification spray to deacidify book pages, newspaper clippings, and other papers, and enclose other memorabilia in acid-free sleeves. Next Page Add Interest With Journaling Embellishments Add Journaling Personalize your page by writing down names, date, and place of event, as well as memories or quotes from some of the people involved. Called journaling, this is probably the most important step when creating a heritage scrapbook. For each photo or set of related photos, you should follow the five Ws - 1) who (who are the people in the photo), when (when was the photo taken), where (where was the photo taken), why (why is the moment significant), and what (what are the people doing in the photo). When journaling, be sure to use a waterproof, fade resistant, permanent, quick drying pen - preferably black as research has shown that black ink best stands the test of time. Other colors can be used for adding decoration, or other non-essential information. Heritage Tip - When journaling in your heritage scrapbooking, it is important to be specific, adding related memories and details to the names and dates. Grandma in her kitchen on June 1954 is nice, but it is better to write: Grandma loves to cook and is very proud of her kitchen, seen here on June 1954. Her chocolate cake was always the hit of the party. Embellish by adding mementos from the occasion, such as a copy of Grandmas chocolate cake recipe (in her own handwriting, if possible). Add Embellishments To complete your scrapbook layout and complement your photos, consider adding some stickers, die cuts, punch art, or stamped images. Stickers add interest with very little work on your part and help give your page a polished look.Die Cuts are pre-cut shapes cut from cardstock, available in many sizes and colors. They help add pizzazz to your scrapbook without the need for a lot of creative talent. Solid die-cuts also make great spots for journaling. Be sure to select die-cuts made from acid-free and lignin-free paper.Punch Art, the process of using shaped craft punches to cut various shapes from cardstock and them combining those shapes to create completed works of art, is another easy way to add interest to your scrapbook pages. Again, be sure that you use acid-free and lignin-free paper to create your punch art.

Biography and Legacy of Ferdinand Magellan

Biography and Legacy of Ferdinand Magellan One of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery, Ferdinand Magellan is best known for leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. However, he personally did not complete the route and perished in the South Pacific. A determined man, he overcame personal obstacles, mutinies, uncharted seas, biting hunger, and malnutrition during the course of his voyage. Today, his name is synonymous with discovery and exploration. Early Years and Education Ferno Magalhes (Ferdinand Magellan is an anglicized version of his name) was born in approximately 1480 in the small Portuguese town of Villa de Sabroza. As the son of the mayor, he led a privileged childhood, and at an early age, he went to the royal court in Lisbon to serve as page to the Queen. He was very well educated, studying with some of the finest tutors in Portugal, and from an early age showed an interest in navigation and exploration. The De Almeida Expedition As a well-educated and well-connected young man, it was easy for Magellan to sign on with many of the different expeditions departing from Spain and Portugal at the time. In 1505, he accompanied Francisco De Almeida, who had been named Viceroy of India. De Almeida had a fleet of 20 heavily-armed ships, and they sacked settlements and established towns and forts in north-eastern Africa along the way. Magellan fell out of favor with De Almeida around 1510 when he was accused of illegally trading with Islamic locals. He returned to Portugal in disgrace and offers for him to join new expeditions dried up. From Portugal to Spain Magellan was convinced that a new route to the lucrative Spice Islands could be found by going through the New World. He presented his plan to the King of Portugal, Manuel I. He was rejected, possibly because of his past problems with De Almeida. Determined to get funding for his trip, Magellan went to Spain. Here, he was granted an audience with Charles V, who agreed to finance his journey. By August of 1519, Magellan had five ships: the Trinidad (his flagship), Victoria, San Antonio, Concepcià ³n, and the Santiago. His crew of 270 men was mostly Spanish. Departure, Mutiny, and the Wreck Magellan’s fleet left Seville on August 10, 1519. After stopovers in the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, they headed for Portuguese Brazil. Here, they anchored near present-day Rio de Janeiro in January of 1520 to take on supplies, trading with locals for food and water. It was at this time that serious troubles began: the Santiago was wrecked and the survivors had to be picked up. The captains of the other ships attempted to mutiny. At one point, Magellan was forced to open fire on the San Antonio. He reasserted command and executed or marooned most of those responsible, pardoning the others. The Strait of Magellan The four remaining ships headed south, searching for passage around South America. Between October and November 1520, they navigated through the islands and waterways on the continent’s southern tip. The passage they found was named the Strait of Magellan. They discovered Tierra del Fuego as the sailed. On November 28, 1520, they found a tranquil-looking body of water. Magellan named it the Mar Pacà ­fico, or the Pacific Ocean. During the exploration of the islands, the San Antonio deserted. The ship returned to Spain and took too much of the remaining provisions with it, forcing the men to hunt and fish for food. Across the Pacific Convinced the Spice Islands were only a short sail away, Magellan led his ships across the Pacific, discovering the Marianas Islands and Guam. Although Magellan named them the Islas de las Velas Latinas (Islands of the Triangular Sails), the name Islas de los Ladrones (Islands of Thieves) stuck because locals made off with one of the landing boats after giving Magellan’s men some supplies. Pressing on, they landed on Homonhon Island in the Philippines. Magellan found he could communicate with the people, as one of his men spoke Malay. He had reached the Eastern edge of the world known to Europeans. Death Homonhon was uninhabited, but Magellan’s ships were seen and contacted by some locals who led them to Cebu, home of Chief Humabon, who befriended Magellan. Humabon and his wife even converted to Christianity along with many of the locals. They then convinced Magellan to attack Lapu-Lapu, a rival chieftain on nearby Mactan Island. On April 17, 1521, Magellan and some of his men attacked a much larger force of islanders, trusting their armor and advanced weapons to win the day. The attack was fought off, however, and Magellan was among those killed. Efforts to ransom his body failed. It was never recovered. Return to Spain Leaderless and short on men, the remaining sailors decided to burn the Concepcià ³n and return to Spain. The two ships managed to find the Spice Islands and loaded up the holds with valuable cinnamon and cloves. As they crossed the Indian Ocean, however, the Trinidad began to leak. It eventually sank, although some of the men made it to India and from there back to Spain. The Victoria kept going, losing several men to starvation. It arrived in Spain on September 6, 1522, more than three years after it had left. There were only 18 sickly men crewing the ship, a fraction of the 270 who had set out. Ferdinand Magellan Legacy Magellan is credited with being the first to circumnavigate the world in spite of two somewhat glaring details: first, he died halfway through the journey and second, he never intended to travel in a circle. He simply wanted to find a new route to the Spice Islands. Some historians have said that Juan Sebastin Elcano, who captained the Victoria back from the Philippines, is a worthier candidate for the title of first to circumnavigate the globe. Elcano had begun the voyage as master on board the Concepcià ³n. There are two written records of the journey. The first was a journal kept by an Italian passenger who paid to go on the trip, Antonio Pigafetta. The second was a series of interviews with the survivors made by Maximilianus of Transylvania upon their return. Both documents reveal a fascinating voyage of discovery. The Magellan expedition was responsible for several major discoveries. In addition to the Pacific Ocean and numerous islands, waterways and other geographic information, the expedition also sighted a great many new animals, including penguins and guanacos. The discrepancies between the log book and the date when they returned to Spain led directly to the concept of the International Date Line. Their measurements of distances traveled helped contemporary scientists determine the size of the earth. They were the first to sight certain galaxies visible in the night sky, now aptly known as the Magellanic Clouds. Although the Pacific had been first discovered in 1513 by Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa, it is Magellans name for it that stuck. Balboa called it the South Sea. Immediately upon the return of the Victoria, European sailing ships began trying to duplicate the voyage, including an expedition led by surviving captain Elcano. It wasn’t until Sir Francis Drake’s 1577 voyage, however, that anyone managed to do it again. Still, the knowledge gained from Magellans voyage immensely advanced the science of navigation at the time. Today, Magellan’s name is synonymous with discovery and exploration. Telescopes and spacecraft bear his name, as does a region in Chile. Perhaps because of his untimely demise, his name does not have the negative baggage associated with it like fellow explorer Christopher Columbus, blamed by many for subsequent atrocities in the lands he discovered. Source: Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. Paperback, Random House Trade Paperback, May 31, 2005.