My Grandpa's Book
The book 'When Grandpa was a Little Boy' has been mentioned several times on this blog. My Grandpa did a fantastic job of recording his memories alongside the social history of his childhood.
We had reached the point where some of the copies of the book had been lost and the copies remaining were looking a little worse for wear. The book was created in 1992 and consisted of pages of text followed by a couple of pages of photocopied photographs. Technology didn't allow for anything different back then.
My Mum has been wanting to turn it into a photo book for a while now. We have spent several weeks typing up the book, adjusting minor spelling and grammar mistakes, collecting all the photographs we have and scanning them. I then started using the Project Life App to bring everything together.
Time isn't always kind to photographs, some are ripped, crumpled, the ink may have faded. In some cases I questioned whether to include damaged photographs. Often, the ripped and crumpled photograph was the only copy we had. It was sometimes the only photograph we had of that individual or couple in that phase of their life. We have so few photographs of my Grandpa's life as it is that I wanted to include as many photographs as I could, regardless of the condition they are in.
The majority of Grandpa's book is his words, his story. Intermingled with his thoughts and memories are quotes he researched about the time; how much a loaf of bread cost, what family life was like etc. I wanted to include each quote but make it clear that it wasn't my Grandpa's words. I did this by using one font throughout the book for Grandpa's words and another throughout the book for quotes. I tried to keep things as consistent as possible throughout the book. I use the same journalling cards repeatedly to help add to the flow of the story.
Sometimes my Grandpa would spend a few paragraphs describing an object, or event - different types of shelters, different types of plane or ammunition. They didn't snap a photograph of each shelter or plane, but a quick search online and I soon found large images to match his descriptions which I downloaded and included in the book. On this page, Grandpa describes his memories of VE night, his Father taking him to Buckingham Palace and seeing King George VI. I again searched online and found a couple of photographs included in newspapers showing VE night and King George VI on the balcony with the rest of the royal family. 
In his Postscript, my Grandpa invites his daughters to later add their chapters and record the story of their childhood. It seemed fitting to add photographs of Grandpa as he grew up and then later with his young daughters. I included my Grandparents leaving on their honeymoon; my favourite photo of them as a couple; and two photographs of Grandpa with his daughters.
I am currently working on the book about his time in the Navy.
Documenting family history through Project Life can feel a bit daunting. Actually, I think collating certificates, photographs, census records, family memories and any other paraphernalia found in dusty boxes in the attic is the daunting part. It is something that I have wanted to do for years but haven't quite managed to collect it all in a readable format. I know there is a push to turn things digital, websites such as familysearch.org encouraging everyone to gather everything together in an online space. When explaining my family history to family members, I find paper format the easiest way. I am still working through the process myself but will keep you updated.