"An Excellent Steward" for Family History Collections

Donate old family papers to an institution?

As a quilter, I've enjoyed Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series for years. In her latest novel, The Museum of Lost Quilts, characters are tracking down long-lost quilts and documentation to help tell the story of a historic building and the town's past, from before the Civil War to after WWII.

The protagonist, Summer Sullivan, is finishing her master's degree in history and spending part of the summer curating a small but growing collection of antique quilts, also writing museum labels for photos of quilts that are missing but historically significant. Summer reads through old memoirs, letters, newspapers, and other documents in the college library's rare books room, in search of clues to identify and confirm details about these quilts, the quilters who made them, and the people who owned them over the years.

Private letters and more

Summer is fortunate when some local residents come forward with private letters and other materials they've saved from family history. She enthusiastically tells one woman: "If you're looking for an excellent steward for [ancestor's] letters, as well as the rest of the ... family papers, I highly recommend the rare books and special collections department" at the local college library.

The woman is receptive, responding: "For quite a long while, I've wanted these papers to be available for students and local historians. This might be the perfect way to do so. I'll need to think it over and discuss it with my cousins. While I own most of the collection, several boxes belong to other members of the family, and I'd like to have some consensus."

The woman returns several weeks later and tells Summer: "We've decided to gather all of the papers together in a single archive and donate it to a library or museum." She then asks for an introduction to the head archivist at the local college library.

Curate and donate your family history collection

As best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini emphasizes, local historical societies, college and public libraries, county archives, and many other institutions can be excellent stewards for family history collections. As you plan ahead for the future of your genealogy materials, please talk with your family and consider donating some or all of your collection to an appropriate institution, to keep the family's past alive for future generations. Those old photos and letters may contain clues that help historians in the years to come, just as Summer Sullivan solved some local history mysteries by reading private correspondence in family histories.

Downsizing a Figure Skating Program from 2008

Fifteen years ago, I attended a fundraiser figure-skating program in Danbury, Connecticut. Yesterday, in a downsizing mood, I happened across the full-color program. Dozens of local skaters performed alongside well-known ice-skating stars like Ashley Wagner and Jeremy Abbott. Good memories, lots of money raised for a good cause. 

The program is still in mint condition...I even saved the ticket stub!

I decided to try to donate these items to a repository that collects materials related to the city of Danbury. It's important to not only identify potential institutions but also to ask permission to donate.

With a quick search. I discovered that the Danbury Museum is actively collecting materials such as these. I submitted an inquiry along with photos of the program/ticket. 

Within a day, I received an email from the collections manager, who wrote: "I’m very pleased to say yes to adding this to our collection. I don’t think we have anything from this event and very little of this era in general, so this is a definite yes."

I will be signing a certificate of gift conveying ownership of the program and ticket stub to the museum, and will be delivering everything in person.

The museum will gain fresh materials for its collection, and I will feel good that these items have a safe new home, not in the rubbish or recycle bin.

Do you have items nobody in your family wants, so you want to find them a new home? Learn how to proceed by viewing my free talk "Keep Your Family's History Safe for the Future!" during the WikiTree Symposium this week, starting on Friday, Nov. 3, at 5 pm Eastern. For more about the speakers and free presentations, see the full listing here. I'm looking forward to a weekend of genealogy education and fun!

Donate Your Family History Materials in 2023?

Will 2023 be the year you share your family history with the wider world? 

My good friend Mary just finished indexing the genealogy book her husband wrote about his Brown ancestors. Once it's printed, it will be sent to family members and donated to selected repositories, enabling researchers and relatives to learn more about this family's background. 

The index and sources are important elements, showing at a glance who's mentioned in the book and citing specific resources as evidence. The original materials remain with Mary's family, to be passed down to future generations.

Who wants your family's history or artifacts? 

If you're thinking about donating some or all of your family history materials or artifacts, consider repositories in geographic locations where your ancestors were born, died, married, lived, worked, or frequently vacationed/visited. Also consider major genealogical institutions that have a broader scope.

Check each institution's specific requirements and ask permission  to donate before sending or bringing anything to any repository!

Above, the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne, Indiana) emphasizes that donated family histories, including family record pages from family Bibles, will be preserved and available for other researchers. It welcomes both print and digital materials.

Below, FamilySearch.org actively invites donation of genealogies and genealogical materials, if they meet criteria as shown here. Donated family histories will be digitized and available for viewing online.

Don't overlook local repositories

Many local libraries and historical groups want donated family histories and artifacts, as well. Browse their websites or call to ask.

Above, the Henderson public library (Henderson, Nevada) outlines what it accepts, and provides both email and phone contacts for the library. Maybe your local library or historical museum or genealogical society would be interested in your family's materials, but you'll never know until you ask.

LOCKSS

Remember, LOCKSS (lots of copies keep stuff safe).

Especially if you have no heirs for your genealogy collection, donating copies and/or originals is a practical way to preserve your materials. Keep family history out of the recycle bin in 2023 and beyond!

For more ideas, please see my popular guide, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, available from AmericanAncestors.org and from Amazon (US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia).

Where Are Your Family's Artifacts?

 

If, like me, you've donated some of your family's photos, documents, or other artifacts to a museum, a library, or another institution, be sure your relatives (and your heirs) know the details! 

Not all items must remain in my genealogy collection. When the family has no sentimental attachment to an item, and the item is not vital to my genealogical knowledge, my goal is to keep these artifacts safe in institutions where they can be preserved and made available to future researchers.

In the past six years, my husband and I have happily donated nonpersonal items of historical interest (such as theater programs, photographs, WWII memorabilia, specialized magazines, and more) to libraries, archives, historical societies, museums, and other repositories, after asking permission to make these donations. You can read my blog post about the step-by-step process of donating a family artifact and learn more in my newly-updated book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.

As shown at top, my genealogy files include a separate folder called "artifact donations" containing all the deeds of gift and notes about what has been donated, when, and where. A deed of gift (or contract of gift) is the legal document used to transfer ownership of a donated item from myself to an institution. 

Now my heirs will be able to see which institution owns each donated artifact. 

Coming Soon: Second Edition of Planning a Future for Your Family's Past

September 1 is publication day! 

I'm releasing a new, thoroughly updated edition of my popular genealogy book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.

The new table of contents is:

• Chapter 1: Organized storage for your genealogy collection
• Chapter 2: Organize your photos, images, and movies
• Chapter 3: Organizing digital files and emails
• Chapter 4: Inventory and index your genealogy collection
• Chapter 5: Record your family tree
• Chapter 6: Family artifacts: keep or give away?
• Chapter 7: Find outside homes for artifacts
• Chapter 8: Who wants your genealogy collection?
• Chapter 9: Write your genealogical "will"
• Chapter 10: No obvious heirs? Try these ideas
• Chapter 11: Keep family history alive for the future

The paperback version is now available through Amazon.com (US, UK, Canada). Later in September, the paperback will be available at  AmericanAncestors.org. 

As of September 1, Amazon is accepting preorders for the digital book, to be released on September 15.

Please watch for more details to come. Thank you!