How to Preserve Family Handwriting and Honor Your Ancestors

It is a meaningful thing to possess the handwriting of an ancestor.

When I first came across a scanned copy of my great-grandma’s note to my grandpa when he was just 17 or so, my mother’s heart was deeply touched.

Mabel had ten kids, raised during the depression. That she would write such a tender note to her boy, away in the barracks, is a beautiful testament to the kind of woman she must have been.

The story that was “everyday ordinary” has become our family’s history, all of us.

Do you have any old notes? Records?

Anything with their penmanship is fine. The important thing we can document is a relationship, so keep those treasures, and we can mix and match close-era pictures with each piece.

Here is an example…I found a rare photo of my great-grandma, enlarged writing from a separate note Grandpa had tucked away, and included a postcard. They all repreesent a story, a bond, and don’t necessarily need to be exact.

Every piece is relevant for memorial handwriting

How does what we have available relate to us, or our family? Perhaps a parallel can be drawn from a great uncle’s quirky sense of humor to your own? A style sense that another generation of daughters seemed to possess? A shared love of animals?

Anything we know, or can see and touch is worth preserving.

By treasuring the tidbits, I’ve slowly been able to build a stronger familial association with the people who paved the way by sacrifice for the life I enjoy today.

Preserve A Loved One’s Handwriting:

Ask family for any letters or postcards. Generally, people don’t associate them with value and might be tossed in old boxes. It is worth the search, and can become a fun treasure hunt. My Grandpa always wrote to me once as an adult, about the garden. The weather. Blistering reminders that it had been too long since I called 😉 They are priceless to me
Are there things with signatures? Driver’s license, Union cards, canceled checks. All of these might be leads to other places to find a photo if needed as well
Check edges of old photos. People used to write the details along the edge of the white border. These can be photocopied and the writing saved for another use, while not ruining the picture
Receipts or lists. I’ve come across random tidbits over my years of hunting that have led to invaluable clues for story preservation. It is a good thing to that WE tuck a few things away. A list in a cookbook, tucked into a children’s book etc. It brought me tearful joy a few years back to come across a list someone I loved had made while alive. The memories flooded in of where they sat when they made lists, the whole home, their voice. What unexpected gifts to leave our loved ones too
What to do with the collection? Try to create scrapbook pages, enlarged portions of something for embellishment, make a box of collected items, or design memory books. Some even use the handwriting to make tea towels. Here is an idea I saw on Spoonflower Also on Etsy, you can even have writing embroidered. (Here is a link).

How can you begin a memorial handwriting project?

In 15 minutes I created the layout above. Choose a picture for a focus and loosely organize items around it. Don’t overthink it, let it just be fun.

Even if it is just for you, and the family doesn’t seem interested right now, isn’t that a good enough reason?

I think so. And eventually, they likely will too.

Plus, you might just be surprised at where little rabbit trails of questioning can lead when preserving our loved one’s penmanship! It has the potential of building a bridge across generation gaps in the family when we start conversations, and, perhaps like me, might even lead to an amazing adventure.

To trace the steps of my Grandma’s story across the country, and send her pictures to match all the stories of her childhood she’d so happily shared. A gift that all started with a question…