AudreyF
05-06-2017, 8:19 AM
I am the keeper of the family tree and archive for my family and very conscious of the 'responsibility' it brings.
I scan photos and keep originals in an album where they can be removed easily if required. I have various documents which I keep in plastic pockets in ring binders and some are scanned to my computer.
As my generation are now aging (age range 50 to 85) I am 'inheriting' more and more 'stuff' from their attics. My oldest living cousin has now given me a huge amount of paperwork from her older (recently deceased) brother who was the eldest of our generation. A lot of the documents are in lever arch files and at a quick glance I can see they are duplicates of things I have or things I sent him - BMD certificates etc. There are many old photos I have to sort through.
But, more importantly, are a few diaries from WWII which his father (my uncle George) wrote and kept. I will have to read these and may pick out some interesting bits to share with family. Otherwise, I continue to keep them safely?
Now the real problem/question: There is a box (the box which was the 'Bumper Box of Christmas Cards') filled with love letters from my Uncle George to his wife - my Aunt Ida. George and Ida were first cousins and there has often been rumours of ill-feeling and opposition in the family to their 1931 marriage even though it lasted for nearly 60 years.
I have opened the box and had a brief look - it is daunting. There are dozens of small (A5 and odd) pieces of paper covered in George's handwriting in pencil. Most seem un-dated although some seem to have addresses. The one or two I have read are very tender and loving and George was clearly head over heels about Ida. The letters don't seem to be organised and are all folded quite small. I need to read each one and pick out any important information and will want to share some of it with the family - especially their descendants.
So, any advice as to how I approach the task, how I keep everything in order, how I then preserve them, do I transcribe them all, how do I share them, how do I make notes etc. about anything relevant/new/interesting I find?
Any advice or experience gratefully received before I wade in .................
Audrey
I scan photos and keep originals in an album where they can be removed easily if required. I have various documents which I keep in plastic pockets in ring binders and some are scanned to my computer.
As my generation are now aging (age range 50 to 85) I am 'inheriting' more and more 'stuff' from their attics. My oldest living cousin has now given me a huge amount of paperwork from her older (recently deceased) brother who was the eldest of our generation. A lot of the documents are in lever arch files and at a quick glance I can see they are duplicates of things I have or things I sent him - BMD certificates etc. There are many old photos I have to sort through.
But, more importantly, are a few diaries from WWII which his father (my uncle George) wrote and kept. I will have to read these and may pick out some interesting bits to share with family. Otherwise, I continue to keep them safely?
Now the real problem/question: There is a box (the box which was the 'Bumper Box of Christmas Cards') filled with love letters from my Uncle George to his wife - my Aunt Ida. George and Ida were first cousins and there has often been rumours of ill-feeling and opposition in the family to their 1931 marriage even though it lasted for nearly 60 years.
I have opened the box and had a brief look - it is daunting. There are dozens of small (A5 and odd) pieces of paper covered in George's handwriting in pencil. Most seem un-dated although some seem to have addresses. The one or two I have read are very tender and loving and George was clearly head over heels about Ida. The letters don't seem to be organised and are all folded quite small. I need to read each one and pick out any important information and will want to share some of it with the family - especially their descendants.
So, any advice as to how I approach the task, how I keep everything in order, how I then preserve them, do I transcribe them all, how do I share them, how do I make notes etc. about anything relevant/new/interesting I find?
Any advice or experience gratefully received before I wade in .................
Audrey