Why Institutions Want Family History Items

My husband and I began our journey of curating our family history collection in 2013. We had hundreds of theater and concert programs to donate, collected by Wood ancestors and our relatives from the 1920s to the 1990s. Our family agreed with the idea of donating because no one wanted to keep these programs any more.

NOTE: If you have questions about donating (or selling) items with monetary value, please seek professional advice. I'm no expert!

History in a theater program

One of the first institutions we approached was the university where a cousin was studying theater. The theater department told us it was mainly interested in Broadway Playbills. Why? We were a little surprised by the answer: As much as the plays and the actors were of interest, the ads and the fashions of the times were also quite valuable for research purposes.

Theater programs carry ads from local stores and restaurants, and often feature contemporary fashions, stylish jewelry, and (in those days) cigarettes, plus much more. This helps students and teachers research cultural trends, businesses, and so on. For a university production of a 1970s play, looking at clothing ads in theater programs of that era can stimulate costume ideas. And that's just one small example.

Other college libraries were interested in non-Broadway cultural programs, and now my father-in-law's Cleveland programs and Boston programs are owned by two different university collections, filling gaps in their collections. 

Where would an item go?

As you curate your collection, think not only about your family's connections but also how a few of the items might fit into the collection of an institution that does not focus on genealogy. 

At top, an ad from my Mom's 1936 high school yearbook. S. Klein is no longer in existence, but it did well during the 1930s, because Depression-era shoppers sought out its bargains. So if you're studying the history of New York City businesses or, specifically, S. Klein's past, this ad would show you (1) its logo (which evolved over time), (2) its outreach to high school graduates and their parents, (3) its main merchandise focus.

My Mom's yearbook is now in the collection of the Bronx Historical Society, adding to its library of local yearbooks. Even my Mom's 1950s needlework magazines (complete with Addressograph labels) found a home in a Midwest historical society that was missing those issues.

Check with family, digitize, document

Before I donate anything, I check with relatives to be sure no one wants the item(s). Then I digitize selected parts of the items. With yearbooks, I digitize the front cover, table of contents, and any photos/mentions of ancestors/loved ones. 

PRO TIP: Maintain a folder with signed acknowledgements of donations to institutions. This way, heirs will know what items have been donated and to which repositories. 

Still Waiting for Dad's VA Medical Records

My Dad, Harold D. Burk (1909-1978), passed away in the Bronx, New York, OTD in 1978. He was five weeks from his 69th birthday. I've added Dad to Find a Grave here with a bite-sized bio, noting his service in the US Army during World War II. The shadowbox frame above holds his military memorabilia, organized and identified for the next generation and beyond.

Before his death from heart problems, Dad had been in and out of VA hospitals for 20 years--and as his descendants, Sis and I very much want to see his medical records.

2024 Veterans Affairs FOIA Request

In early December of 2024, I submitted a formal request for the US Veterans Affairs agency to provide me with Dad's files, under a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. No response for months. And months.

2025 Denial and Appeal

I finally received a smidgen of info in August of 2025, basically the info I had provided to the VA to support my request. The agency denied my request for Dad's entire file, for no real reason, saying my inquiry was actually genealogical in nature. Um, no.

On the advice of the wonderful folks at Reclaim the Records, I quickly appealed the VA's decision and provided detailed info to prove my identity as Dad's next of kin. Supposedly the FOIA law requires a prompt response but I and many others have only had ... crickets. For months.

2026 Followup of Appeal

In February of 2026, I asked my local Member of the House of Representatives to please get involved and obtain the file or at least an estimated date of resolution to this ongoing request. For the past six months, the powers that be have continually stalled my Rep's staff. They twice asked for the reference number of my request--which I provided, both times, including with a scan of the VA's letter assigning the reference number. 

Yesterday, staff from my Rep's office told me they had an update from the powers that be: the FOIA request is proceeding into the document gathering phase. I'm cautiously optimistic, hoping I will see Dad's file before the end of 2026. 

It is now 12 months since the VA denied my request, and 20 months since my original FOIA request. Fingers crossed.

Remembering Dad with love on this 48th anniversary of his death. 

"Enviable Record and Good Health"

OTD in 1867, Train Caldwell McClure (1843-1934) married Gulia Swain (1847-1920). Train was my husband's great-grand uncle.

Train was 23 at the time of his marriage, 159 years ago today. He was a veteran of the US Civil War, having fought for the Union while in the 89th Indiana Infantry, from 1862-1865. Gulia was 20 when she married Train. They had four children together. Train was active in the local Grand Army of the Republic and attended encampments and reunions for many years afterward. 

Recently redoing my newspaper research, I discovered a small item on the front page of the Wabash Plain Dealer (Wabash, Indiana), published August 4, 1917. The masthead is shown above. The news item reads:

LOCAL MAN HAS ENVIABLE RECORD AND GOOD HEALTH

Fifty-five years ago today, T.C. McClure was mustered into the United States service, company A, 89th Indiana, for three years and five days. During that time, he stated, he never was in the hospital or guard house, meaning he behaved perfectly and had excellent health.

He has resided in Noble township for 73 years and was born on September 23, 1843, about 74 years old [sic]. Mr. McClure has been married for 50 years, and will celebrate his golden wedding anniversary on the 15th of this month.

Other dusty statistics revealed by him today show that he has lived in one house for 48 years.

He is now a resident of 254 West Main Street, this city, and has behind him an enviable record. Notwithstanding his age and war service he seems to be enjoying good health.

Train and Gulia were married for 52 years in all, so I'm sorry to see that her name was not included in this news item, let alone names of their children. 

Gulia died after nearly two years of illness, in January of 1920. Train remarried in 1921, to Rebecca Abbott (1857-1935). He was 77, Rebecca was 64. In 1934, Train succumbed to pneumonia and influenza, at age 90, and was buried next to his first wife, Gulia. 

He had indeed enjoyed an enviable record and good health for a good many years. 

Ancestry Smart Search: Old Wine, New Bottle?

Last year, Ancestry announced "Smart Search" in beta, intended to be a more intuitive search form with "enhanced logic" for focusing on more relevant results. It has shown up on my family trees and last week, I tried it for several ancestors, some I knew little about and some I know lots about.

One of the striking things about Smart Search is the way results are formatted into three main categories: People (basically, family trees), records (mainly historical documents), and photos (user-submitted and records-based). This makes it easy to focus on specific types of search results.

While I like the formatting, and the multiple filters (see red arrow above), I don't really see any major improvement compared to "classic search." Above, the top "records" result for my hubby's great-grandpa, Edward George Steiner (1830-1880). Nope, not him. 

The top photo results using Smart Search were gravestones of this ancestor. Yes, that's him. If I want, I can filter by location, date, and other elements (see red arrow above).

When I switched back to classic search, the top overall results were gravestone photos and his name in birth records of his children. Correct. Remember, Ancestry knows I already have many sources linked to this man, and therefore its search technology attempts to avoid dupes. 

When I filtered classic search results for "family trees," he was shown in 48 different trees. My tree, which is referenced first, has more sources/records than the other trees, but still I checked other trees in case there were fresh clues. 

 

So far, I haven't found a compelling reason to use Smart Search, but I'll continue experimenting. Do you use Smart Search? What do you think?

Twins in the Bronx and the Wider World

My Mom, Daisy Schwartz Burk (1919-1981), was born a few minutes after her twin sister, Dorothy Schwartz (1919-2001). 

Their mother made most of their clothes and usually dressed them alike, as shown in this photo taken at their elementary school in the Bronx, New York. Dorothy is on the left, slightly taller and bigger than Daisy, standing on the right.

The girls were told they were fraternal twins, but they sure looked a lot--a lot!--alike.

Fast-forward to my Mom's first-born children, me and my two-minutes-younger twin Sis. Sis weighed a few ounces more than I did at birth. For special occasions, we were often dressed the same but as we got older, we were free to choose whether to do this or not.

As children, we looked very much alike. Yet as long as I can remember, our parents said we were fraternal twins. This was probably because of two placentas; newer research shows even identicals can have two placentas.

Years after our parents passed away, Sis insisted we take DNA tests to prove her lifelong, strongly-held belief that we are actually identical.

DNA proved Sis correct: we are identical twins. We rarely dress alike these days, but sometimes wear the same dress or top but in different colors. 

Did you know that identical twins are important to science? Researchers value the ability to observe and research similarities and differences in biology, medical conditions, behavioral elements, and more. In fact, Stanford University maintains a Twin Registry as part of its ongoing twin studies.

The annual Twins Days Festival in Ohio (this year, August 7-9) is not only an opportunity for twins and other multiples to mingle with other twins/multiples--it's also an opportunity for twins to voluntarily participate in on-site scientific research. Maybe Sis and I will get there one day.

Finding New Homes for Old School Stuff

Inspired by Linda Stufflebean's recent blog post about captioning and donating old school class photos, I checked with my Sis about the possibility of donating our elementary school class photos and our mother's old school stuff. She agreed we should look for a good home outside the family, to preserve these items for the future.

Mom, JHS class of 1933

Daisy Schwartz (later Daisy Burk, 1919-1981) graduated from Junior High School 60 in the Bronx, New York at the end of January, 1933.

She kept a leather-bound autograph book in which she recorded her name, school, graduation date, teachers, and then asked classmates to sign.

Because of the names, dates, and good condition of this autograph book, I want to donate it to a suitable institution like the Bronx Historical Society. 

Match item(s) to repository

The Bronx Historical Society collects a variety of artifacts related to the history, culture, and development of this New York City borough. To my mind, materials related to Bronx educational institutions and the names of those who taught and attended classes at these schools could fit in the society's collections.

I prepared a brief summary of what I have (autograph book, other school yearbooks and commencement programs) and emailed the librarian of the society, emphasizing the connection with Bronx history. I included three photos, as shown in this post, and a description of the condition and contents.

Ask about interest in specific items

My email asked whether the society would be interested in accepting these materials as a donation from my family. No repository wants items brought or mailed to its location without being carefully considered by management in light of collection priorities. Usually repositories explain their collecting priorities and provide a contact for inquiries, but not this Bronx society.

If accepted, ownership passes out of my family

If the society decides to accept, it will ask me to sign legal documents indicating that the society will own any donated items. Before I complete this donation, should it be accepted, I'll be sure to digitize all of the items for my family history. 

Accepted! And maybe more

Very quickly I heard back: the Bronx Historical Society is definitely interested, having nothing in its collection about JHS 60. At their request, I submitted a complete inventory of all Bronx school items I have, to check against their collection in case they are interested in additional artifacts from my family's history. And again, they accepted every item on my list. All will be carefully packed and shipped to the society next week, available to researchers and for displays about school days in the Bronx. 

Thanks to Linda Stufflebean for sparking the idea for donating school items. I feel good about having these 20th century items go to a good new home, for research and safekeeping.