| Preface | 11 |
| Introduction: Victorian Pastime and Modern Obsession | 15 |
| Finding Ancestral Scrapbooks | 16 |
| Interpreting Ancestral Albums | 16 |
| Caring for Ancestral Albums | 19 |
| Timeline of Scrapbooking History | 20 |
| Chapter 1 | Getting Started | 23 |
| Start with What You Know | 24 |
| Home Sources | 25 |
| Interview Living Relatives | 25 |
| Skill-Building: Using a Pedigree Chart | 26 |
| Organize as You Go | 26 |
| Checklist of Basic Sources | 27 |
| Working From Home | 28 |
| Web Sites to Get Started | 29 |
| Connecting to Cousins Online | 29 |
| Skill-Building: Writing a Sample Query | 30 |
| Basic Types of Message Boards | 31 |
| Heraldry: Truth and Myth | 32 |
| Timeline of Genealogical Milestones | 33 |
| Chapter 2 | What Did Your Ancestor Look Like | 35 |
| Unraveling Photographic Mysteries | 37 |
| A Photographic Mystery | 40 |
| Locating Images | 41 |
| Photo Permissions | 44 |
| Rules of Caring for Images | 45 |
| Timeline: Photographic History | 46 |
| Chapter 3 | Working with Documents | 49 |
| Recognize the Style | 50 |
| Deciphering Handwriting | 53 |
| Dating an Undated Manuscript | 54 |
| Skill-Building: Writing a Query | 57 |
| Caring for Your Documents | 58 |
| Repairing a Torn Manuscript or Book | 60 |
| De-acidifying Documents | 60 |
| Timeline of Handwriting | 61 |
| Encapsulating a Document | 62 |
| Chapter 4 | Memorabilia, Artifacts and Heirlooms | 65 |
| Making Those Heirlooms Tell Their Story | 66 |
| Skill-Building: Dinnerware | 67 |
| Locating Memorabilia and Artifacts | 69 |
| The Future of Your Memorabilia, Artifacts, and Heirlooms | 71 |
| Using Heirlooms, Memorabilia, and Artifacts in a Scrapbook | 72 |
| Chapter 5 | Making Your Ancestor a Real Person | 75 |
| Questions to Answer | 76 |
| Skill-Building: Working with Reference Staff | 77 |
| Skill-Building: Timelines | 77 |
| Techniques to Follow Your Ancestors in History | 78 |
| Learn More About Daily Life | 80 |
| Hometown History | 80 |
| Become Your Ancestor for a Day | 81 |
| Chapter 6 | Telling the Story | 83 |
| Captioning Techniques | 84 |
| Family Stories to Tell | 85 |
| Recording Your Sources | 85 |
| Charts | 87 |
| Non-Traditional Families | 88 |
| Basic Tips to Remember | 88 |
| Chapter 7 | Working with a Theme | 91 |
| Finding a Theme | 92 |
| Selecting Photographs, Artifacts, and Documents | 93 |
| Copying Techniques | 93 |
| Improving the Quality of Damaged Images | 94 |
| Setting Your Page in the Time Period | 96 |
| Ways to Add Interest to Your Theme | 96 |
| Skill-Building: Clip Art | 98 |
| Skill-Building: Recreate Old Handwriting or Typefaces | 98 |
| Keep it Simple | 98 |
| Digital Scrapbooks | 99 |
| Preserving Your Digital Creations | 100 |
| Chapter 8 | Creating an Album for the Future | 103 |
| Albums | 105 |
| Paper | 105 |
| What About Vellum? | 105 |
| Adhesives | 106 |
| Skill-Building: Removing Old Adhesive | 107 |
| Skill-Building: Disassembling Magnetic Albums | 107 |
| Inks, Pens, and Markers | 108 |
| Rubber Stamping | 109 |
| Sheet Protectors | 109 |
| Stickers | 109 |
| Ways to Save Money | 110 |
| Family Memorabilia | 110 |
| Basic Rules of Scrapbooking | 111 |
| Toolkit for a Safe Scrapbook | 112 |
| Chapter 9 | Organizing What You Don't Use | 115 |
| Finding the Time | 116 |
| Sorting and Organizing | 116 |
| Labeling and boxing | 117 |
| Storage Considerations | 120 |
| Chapter 10 | Taking Your Research Beyond the Album | 123 |
| Magazines, Newsletters, and E-zines | 125 |
| City Directories | 125 |
| Skill-Building: Directories | 125 |
| Immigration Documents | 126 |
| Military Documents | 127 |
| Numbering Systems | 128 |
| Genealogical Software | 129 |
| Asking for Help | 130 |
| Writing Your Family History | 131 |