Digitally Donate Your Genealogy?

 

Although not everything is online, I really appreciate being able to access digitized photos, letters, postcards, and documents when researching my family tree.

In fact, some museums, libraries, historical societies, and other institutions welcome the digital donation of old photos and printed items. This is a great way to share family history without physically letting go of the actual items.

Above, a screen grab from the online Case Western Reserve Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. The photo is one of several digitally donated by my husband's family, along with names, dates, and places. 

These digital images now accompany the online history of the Cleveland Heights Youth Theater. Pictured here is a rehearsal of a 1950s children's TV show that was broadcast from downtown Cleveland. 

By donating these digital images, the family is helping others learn more about the youth theater and the key role it played in the lives of participants.

Do you have photos, documents, postcards, printed genealogies, or other items from the past that might be of interest to an institution if digitally donated? Think of this as another way to share your family's history!

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For more about preserving family history for the future, please see my concise guide, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.

Family History: On the Air in Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland Heights OH Youth Theater TV show 

In his younger days, my husband was "on the air," performing in weekly radio and television shows produced by Children's Theater on the Heights in Cleveland, Ohio. The director was Jerry Leonard. 

Not long ago, I did an online search and found a brief piece about Jerry Leonard in Case Western Reserve University's online Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. The entry had no illustrations. And that's where Wood family history comes in.

Safely stored in my archival boxes are a few black-and-white photos of dress rehearsals from local TV shows in which my husband appeared. He loved to act, and his talented sister painted the scenery. Their classmate Larry Gorjup took the photos during dress rehearsals. 

At top, Larry's photo of "The Emperor's New Clothes," which aired live on Cleveland TV station WEWS in February, 1955. My hubby played the part of a tailor selling new clothes to the emperor.

I contacted the Encyclopedia editors and offered to scan and send the photos, along with informative captions, to flesh out the Jerry Leonard entry. They immediately accepted. 

Now a small part of my husband's family history is part of Cleveland's history as presented in the online Encyclopedia. (The Encyclopedia is looking for new contributors to get involved in writing the entries, by the way!)

If you have photos or stories with a connection to history, please consider sharing with a museum, historical society, university, or other repository. You'll be adding a human dimension to history while keeping your family's history alive for new generations.

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for this week's #52Ancestors prompt of "air."