The 3-ring binder method that finally helped me keep my grandpa's stories straight

My grandpa passed in 2019 and I had a shoebox of his old letters and photos, but every time I tried to write down his stories I mixed up dates and places. I tried voice memos, spreadsheets, even a genealogy app, but nothing stuck. Last winter I got a 3-ring binder, some page protectors, and tab dividers. I made one tab per decade of his life, 1930s through 2010s. Each story got one page, with the year at the top and the place underlined. I also scanned every photo and printed them with a caption right below. Now I can flip to 1962 and see the photo of his Plymouth plus the story about driving it to Seattle. It took me 2 weeks to organize but it actually works. Has anyone else tried a physical system over digital for family memories?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaeltorres1mo ago

My Aunt Ruth and I did something similar after my dad passed in 2017. She had all these old recipe cards and holiday photos, but the stories behind them were fading fast. We got a big three ring binder with clear sleeves and made a section for each side of the family. Instead of decades, we sorted by years of big moves and jobs, since that is what triggered the memories. For each photo we wrote a little note on a sticky label under the picture about who was there and what they were doing, and my aunt would jot down a funny thing my dad said about it. It is honestly the thing we reach for at family get togethers now, way more useful than the folder of scanned files I have on my computer. There is just something about holding the paper and flipping the pages that makes the stories feel more real.

kelly63829d ago

honestly the binder thing feels like a time trap to me. once my dad passed i realized i stopped opening the physical stuff cuz it's too heavy and dusty, but my phone photos with notes i actually check. plus paper fades and gets lost when you move twice in three years like i did.