Family Folklore



Do you have any stories that are “famous” in your family? Perhaps they are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation? Maybe you question the validity of some aspects of the story, but enjoy them anyway, despite not knowing if they are all true? Many families have these type of tall tales in their history books, and it might just be fun to put together a book of family folklore.

What is folklore? By definition via merriam-webster.com, it states that it can be:

1. traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people

2. a branch of knowledge that deals with folklore

3. an often unsupported notion, story, or saying that is widely circulated

So, family folklore can include a myriad of topics, stories or traditions. Every family has them. So, why not create an album that encompasses where your family comes from and the folklore that has been carried down from generation to generation?

You can start by interviewing living family members. Maybe a grandparent, or great aunt or uncle will remember a story that they once heard from their grandparent. You can document their story just based on their memory. If some facts are not all there, it is OK, because you are creating a book of family folklore, and can let it be known that the book might have some tall tales. Perhaps you can write a disclaimer at the beginning letting the future readers know that some of the stories that are contained therein may have been embellished, but they are your family’s stories nonetheless.

When you can, collect pictures to go along with the family’s folklore. This will be a great way to help your album take shape. You can include the same story narrated by multiple individuals seeing how the story changes from person to person. This will be a fun way to sort out the “facts” and make a conclusion for yourself what really happened.

Perhaps you could include famous sayings of your own parents, grandparents, and so on. You could dedicate a page to all the sayings in your family that have become infamous by being passed down from one generation to another. I still smile every time I hear my Dad say, “cotton-pickin’ ” when he is upset about something. Being raised in the south, and knowing where the saying originates from, I laugh to hear it still being said in my generation. So, maybe not all sayings are ones that you will want to pass down.v

But, whatever you decide to put in your family folklore album can be unique to you and your family. After all, folklore doesn’t have to be exact, but it can be a fun way to document the less serious events in your family history.

Meredith Ethington is the author of this blog. To learn more about Meredith, and her history with Scrapbooking and Genealogy, go here.

< Return To Scrapbooking


Related Articles

» When Should You Throw Pictures Away?
» Great Resource - Interviewing Your Relat
» Silhouettes for your Christmas Tree
» Heritage Advent Calendars
» Family History in a Bottle
» A Thank You Note Layout
» Where You've Lived Layout
» Scrapbook Yourself
» Scrap the Not-So-Perfect Moments Too
» Through A Child's Eyes
» Make Your Holidays About Heritage
» Another Thanksgiving Layout Idea
» 30 days of Thankful Layout
» A Stitch In Time
» Life Lessons
» Free Vintage Frames
» A Layout About Your Locks
» Trick or Treat Layout
» Be Thankful Craft
» Scrapbook Your Family Reunions
» Choosing a Child's Name
» Mapping your Family History
» A Simple Heritage Layout
» Vintage Wall Display
» Scrapbook Childhood Toys
» Scrapbook Your Family Holiday Traditions
» A Day In YOUR Life...
» Finger Paint a Family Tree
» Go Vintage with Echo Park
» Easy Family History Photo Tiles
» Give Back by Returning Letters
» Study the Skill of Scrapbooking
» Our Roles in Life
» A DIY Mini Album You will Love
» Sibling Love
» Product Review-Timepiece Line by Bo Bunn
» Rolodex Your Relatives
» Decorate Your Wedding With Family Histor
» Map It and Scrap It with October Afterno
» Re-Visiting the Past in the Present
» Decorating with Family Heritage
» Family History Blocks
» Help Your Child Remember Relatives
» Pregnancy Journaling
» Heritage Scrapbooking With Your Kids
» An Album for Man's Best Friend
» Saving Trinkets and Memorabilia
» Baby Albums vs. Scrapbooks
» Pay Tribute to a Best Friend
» Colorful Scrapbook Pages
» Throw a Party to Get Your Family Involve
» Family Activities
» Capturing Childhood
» Picking a Title for Each Layout
» Hidden Family Talents
» The Title Page for Your Heritage Album
» Questions for Starting Your First Herita
» Don't Keep it in a Box!
» 5 Ideas to Inspire Yourself to Scrapbook
» Quick Fixes When Time is Short
» Get Your Kids to Love Heritage Scrapbook
» A story of an Immigrant
» Heritage Scrapbooking Products-Paper Hou
» A Wedding Gown
» Honoring a Soldier
» Your Family's "Crown Jewels"
» A Mother's Day Gift
» What's In A Name?
» Four Generations Layout
» Pretty Pedigree Charts
» Free Heritage Scrapbooking Papers
» Scrapbooking Without Photos
» Genealogy and Family History Photo Organ
» Pay Tribute to a Long Life
» Scrapbook Your Childhood Home
» A Memorial Album
» A Cookbook Scrapbook
» Post-Mortem Photos
» Choosing an Album
» Converting Slides to Digital
» An Ancestor Wall
» A Love Story Album
» An Album for a Special Family
» Over 50? Scrapbook Your Own Heritage Alb
» Heritage Scrapbooking Products-Karen Fos
» Heritage Scrapbooking
» Scrapbook A Family Tree-Part II
» Scrapbook Shadow Boxes
» Introduction to Scrapbooking Your Family