I, too, have my Mother's button tin, which includes some of her Mother's, and now has some of mine, and my childrens from when they were young. I, too, had tears, but also smiles for all the wonderful memories that it brings. But I have gone one step further, as each one of my chidren got married, I made a special "button jar" with a mixture of all the buttons and a note telling them where some of them had come from and whose they were - and that this was there button jar to start and add to and to pass on to their children. Even tho they don't sew as we did, they still will have special dresses, shirts, etc., that will loose a button or two and they can add it to their button jar to pass on...........not as good as a completed genealogy work, but oooooo so much more heart warming........ Pam