Making an Ancestral Greeting Card
If you’re like me, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years is so busy, my genealogy research is put on the back
burner. However, this year I decided to incorporate a little genealogy into my holiday festivities. How? By creating an ancestral greeting card.
The idea came to me when a friend told me about the family photo she included in each year’s holiday cards. I thought it would be fun—and informative for other family members—to put an old family photo on the front of the greeting card, then write what I’ve learned about that ancestor on the inside of the card.
The first decision was picking the ancestor. Since my family has so few old photos, my choices were limited—but in the end, I went with my great-great-grandparents, Frank and Josie Faulkenberry. I created the card cover using Photoshop Elements 2.0, and then put together a short biography of the couple to tuck inside.
You can use any image editing software to do the same. I also added a small clip art tree, just to balance my design. In retrospect, I wish I’d added a red border or frame, but perhaps next year!
If you’d like to make your own ancestral cards, and don’t have any old photos, that’s not a problem. You can always include a photo of the family homestead, a vintage postcard from the town your family lived, or even a favorite family flower, the ship that carried them to America, a scan of their immigration papers, or a shot of a family heirloom. Use your imagination—after all, this is for fun!
Here are a few suggestions for finding free clip art for your holiday card:
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Tagged as:
ancestral,
christmas,
genealogy,
hanukkah,
holiday family greeting card,
Holidays,
kwanzaa
About the Author
Have you decided to trace your family tree but hit a dead end or don't know where to begin? I have lots of "how-to" articles, with topics ranging from French genealogy to Civil War photos. Want to keep in touch? I'm @genealogyteach on Twitter.
