Ancestry Wall Inspiration and Ideas

I'm a genealogy buff. My great-great-aunt Melva (nicknamed "Tootsie") was the pioneer of our family's story. She was born in Panama, the daughter of a businessman from South Carolina and the granddaughter of a doctor from Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. In the (much more labor-intensive) days before the internet, Tootsie traveled to Cuba, Spain, South Carolina, and Canada to look up church records, see marriage sites, and visit gravestones. When she passed away, I received all of her folders and so much of her curiosity about our interesting family history. I have an Ancestry.com membership, and my personal tree has over 7000 people in it and goes back over 700 years. It's seriously a labor of love and if I don't keep myself in check, I can get lost in it for hours. 

But what I've found! Pictures of my ancestors and their homes. Handwritten accounts of life on the finca (farm/plantation) in Panama. I even found the man who currently lives in the house my great-great-great-great-grandfather built 200 years ago and over 2,000 miles away from where I live. And I went to visit that man (and his family) and that house. Twice. 

The McNair-Tillman House in Cheraw, SC

Here are more family pictures I can't wait to put up on my ancestry wall:

{The Coroalles family}

{Panama 1947 - 

my great-great-aunt Melva is the third from the left in the back row, my grandfather is the man in the center}

{Arthur, second from left, is my great grandfather}

So, it's safe to say I feel a connection with my roots. And I want to display these connections, because they're interesting, because I like to look for family resemblances, and so that my future children grow up with that history and feeling of where they came from.

These are some of the inspiration photos I've been obsessing over. 

{via}

{via}

{via}

Fresh Words Market is having a BOGO sale on their personalized vintage map art (they even come with heart stickers to highlight a specific region). I'd choose these four:

{BOGO sale ends 5/3 - just leave a note in the comments section at checkout telling them which one you'd like for free!}

Or maybe I could frame some vintage maps of important places: 

{via}

{via}

{via}

And since I don't have an amazing staircase like the picture above, I'm thinking the hallway might be the best location. But there's not a lot of light there, so maybe in the little alcove behind my front door. I'll have to play around with it and figure it out. 

Here is the dark, dark hallway leading to my bedroom:

There is recessed lighting, but in the daytime, it will likely look like this.

And here is the small alcove behind the front door:

The front door is on the left, a closet is on the right, and behind the door, there is about 9 inches of space.

Where do you think I should put this feature? Or maybe you think I should make it an accent - like in the dining room or the office? Give me your ideas!