Perhaps the hardest part of creating a personal history is knowing how to start. So you will be happy to know that you have already started your personal history. The old letters, childhood pictures, Books of Remembrance, journals and other memorabilia you have saved through the years are your personal history in embryo. You just need to develop it. Begin now by collecting memorabilia—items you have kept, or your parents or other family members or friends have kept—relating to you, things you have done or with which you have been involved. Dust off the faded shoeboxes full of old photographs, certificates, and memories, and get ready to "go back in time."

    First, get a big waterproof box with a lid. Place it in an area that is convenient for you to work in and where you will see it often. Avoid working near eating areas or in potentially damp or wet areas where there could be leaks. (Don’t even think about working in moldy basements or bathrooms of any sort.) Everything concerning the subject of the history (you) will go here. But don’t just throw everything in the box. First, place acid-free folders labeled with the categories suggested below, or other categories that you think work for you. The folders will help you divide your life into those categories and time periods. I start with the general life categories and time periods listed below, adding additional folders when I identify subjects or groupings that are appropriate to treat separately. These folders will serve as the skeleton of information with which you will write your history. In parenthesis after each category, write in the relevant dates that apply in your life (for example, Childhood (1930-1941)).

    Childhood (0-11)
    Adolescence (11-18)
    Early Adulthood (18-25)
    Prime Adulthood (25-45)
    Middle Adult Years (45-65)
    Later Adulthood (65-present)

    Whenever you find anything that may be important in writing or illustrating your history, it should be categorized and filed in the box. Later, you will decide what you will use, and what will not be used in your personal history.

    Items you should look for include: birth and marriage certificates; blessing or christening documents; photographs of you, your parents and family; love letters from your spouse; a handwriting sample; genealogy forms; graduation announcements; newspaper articles of important events; stories told in letters and thank you notes; calendars; day books; financial statements; family rules; vignettes; favorite recipes; passports; and journals.

    Place items you locate into the appropriate folders, with the earliest item in time being placed closest to the front of the folder. As you add items to your box, describe the items you place in each folder on the front of the folder or on a separate sheet of acid-free paper. An accurate record of where you have placed these important items will help you to find them quickly as you write your history. Whenever you remove something from the box, it is a good idea to leave a note in the exact spot from which you take it, making it easier to properly re-file the item when you are through. In addition to organizing your memorabilia for writing a personal history, you have started the process of becoming a librarian of your own life by making and using a personal archive.

    Using the correct types of materials will help preserve your memorabilia and keep items from sticking to or ruining other keepsakes through acid migration. Protect precious documents and photographs by placing them in acid-free pockets before you place them in the folder. These pockets are 8 ½" by 11" and are usually made of polypropylene- or polyethylene-plastics, which are chemically stable and used primarily in the manufacturing of photographic sleeves. If you place more than one photograph or document in a pocket, insert a piece of acid-free paper between each document and photograph to keep them from touching each other.

    As you organize the memorabilia of your life, it is vital to take the time to preserve these items and stop the progress of disintegration. In order to allow yourself to stay focused on the goal of completing your personal history, you may want to concentrate first on the items that will be used in your history, and work on the preservation of the other items later.

    I recommend that, once your history is published, you spend some more time taking steps to properly preserve your collection of memorabilia. 

    Please see From Shoeboxes To Books: Writing Great Personal Histories for additional information and materials relating to this step, including:

    Click here to see how you can preserve your memories, create your history and publish it through Personalhistoryhelp.com's affiliation with MemoryPress.

    In addition, we have assembled a group of products designed to help you organize and store your memorabilia in a manner that will help protect it and help you complete your personal history projects.  Click on the button below to learn more!

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