Photographs and Heirlooms
“…behold, king Benjamin…did fight…with the sword of Laban.”
                                                                                   Words of Mormon 1:13 
The sword of Laban had been handed down, from generation to generation, to king Benjamin. "We all treasure memorable family photographs and heirlooms as they inspire, amuse, and connect us" (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church News. New FamilySearch Tools Help Preserve and Share Photos, Memories. Dennis C. Brimhall, 16 Apr. 2013). 
Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander: “Families collect furniture, books, porcelain, and other valuable things, then pass them on to their posterity. Such beautiful keepsakes remind us of loved ones now gone and turn our minds to loved ones unborn. They form a bridge between family past and family future…and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can.”
Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander Bridges and Eternal Keepsakes, Ensign May 1999, 83. 
Most families collect and store photographs and heirlooms. Heirlooms may include photographs, movies, pieces of clothing, jewelry, letters, silverware, quilts, furniture, recipes, historical records, newspaper articles, audio and visual recordings and many other collector’s items. Each item tells its own story and testifies of the reality of a person or an event.
When preserved and accompanied by an explanation of its significance, the articles make the children of the present and future feel closer to the fathers and mothers of the past. 
Keep, protect, and share photos and heirlooms on FamilySearch, where families live forever.
You can keep, create, protect, and share items in a variety of ways, such as the following suggestions.  
Keep
Gather
You need to gather your photographs and heirlooms. See “Family History Information and Items.” Start by gathering ten of your most important photographs and heirlooms.
Download the following form to help your family get started
Organize
For more information see “Family History Information and Items.”
Create
There are many different ways to create and keep your own photographs and heirlooms. For ideas you can search online, look at the types of items your ancestors created, select items that have meaning to you or family members, or ask others what they have done. The following are some ways to create.
  • Make your own heirloom ornaments.
  • Take a photograph with your family or family members in the same place each month for a year.
  • Make pillows with photographs of family members.
  • Take a photograph in the same spot an ancestor posed.
  • Design family placemats.
  • Add photographs, to a family recipe, of the chef who handed down a recipe. 
Protect
Professional archivists recommend several ways to preserve photographs and heirlooms, see “Family History Information and Items” for more information.
Share
Photographs and heirlooms can be especially helpful in connecting you with your family. Sharing an item with family members can trigger memories about the event or item and give additional insight and emotion. This is a good reason to share what you have. For more information on how to share see “Share With Others.”