Highlands
21-07-2013, 10:36 PM
One of the things I find more valuable than records are letters, news articles, diaries and other personal memorabilia. Luckily we have a lot of things that my family saved over the years, as well as a few letters a living relative sent once we "reunited", but for most of my branches, there's next to nothing, and yet I know some things must be out there. I imagine what hasn't been destroyed is either with other family members or in antique shops, or they're in some sort of archive somewhere.
The problem with the first scenario is that I'm not sure how to tactfully ask that someone take the time to send me what they have, or allow me to do so. I've been able to go through close family members' boxes for memorabilia, sometimes with them, but because they were immediate family it didn't feel intrusive. Whereas I'd feel strange asking my mother's cousin's son if I could poke around his things for three hours. :shocked: I do think people on both sides of my family are aware that "someone" is doing research, at least - should I wait for them to come to me?
Then there's the matter of finding things in antique stores... has anyone tried doing this? The problem for me is distance as well as the practical matter of narrowing it down. Are there stores that list specifics on their websites?
I'd be interested to know if anyone has obtained such memorabilia, and how.
The problem with the first scenario is that I'm not sure how to tactfully ask that someone take the time to send me what they have, or allow me to do so. I've been able to go through close family members' boxes for memorabilia, sometimes with them, but because they were immediate family it didn't feel intrusive. Whereas I'd feel strange asking my mother's cousin's son if I could poke around his things for three hours. :shocked: I do think people on both sides of my family are aware that "someone" is doing research, at least - should I wait for them to come to me?
Then there's the matter of finding things in antique stores... has anyone tried doing this? The problem for me is distance as well as the practical matter of narrowing it down. Are there stores that list specifics on their websites?
I'd be interested to know if anyone has obtained such memorabilia, and how.