Hashtags + Family History = Fun

Many weeks, I have fun participating in Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors blogging challenge, writing something that loosely fits the week's theme. Each theme encourages me to look at my family's history through a slightly different lens. Theme-related posts are on her Generations Cafe FB page and also tagged as #52Ancestors on Twitter (find her at https://twitter.com/AmyJohnsonCrow). 

In addition to that hashtag, I watch Twitter for #Genealogy and #FamilyHistory tags, not to mention the regularly-scheduled chats tagged as #AncestryHour on Tuesdays and #GenChat on alternate Fridays (including tonight, July 2, 10 pm Eastern). This is NOT a complete list--many other fun chats can be found on Twitter.

# Hash Tag Party 

Today happens to be the monthly #ArchivesHashTagParty, when archives near and far post photos and commentary based on the month's theme. 

For July, the theme is #ArchivesSignature. I've had fun reading tweets and seeing signatures held by archives including the Danbury (CT) Museum (Marian Anderson's signature), Connecticut State Library (Civil War enlistment signed by X), the History Center in Tompkins County (George Washington), the Smithsonian Archives (James Smithson, who else?), and many more. 

My post was the signature shown at top. On June 22, 1906, my immigrant great grandfather Moritz Farkas (1857-1936) signed the oath to become a U.S. citizen. It was a proud moment in his life and I am so delighted to have his signature on the naturalization document from 115 years ago. 

Great-grandpa's signature is part of my personal family history archive. By sharing his signature on Twitter, I'm honoring his memory and joining the fun. 

About Family Secrets in a Genealogy Collection

If you're considering giving your genealogy collection (all or part) to a repository such as a museum, library, archive, or society, take a moment to consider any so-called family secrets in your files.

As I wrote in my previous post, there may be "secret" family stories not yet ready for prime time, because someone still living could be hurt if the info is made public. I'm not talking about DNA secrets or incidents of historical significance. I mean info dug up during a thorough genealogy research--info that could damage a living person's reputation or cause harm in some other way.

My approach has been to keep the secret but slip the story into my files, to be inherited years in the future by my family heirs. This keeps the story from being entirely lost to the family but also keeps it from being made public for a while. IMHO, my level-headed family heirs can reconsider the situation in the far future and determine next steps.

Donating a collection? Plan ahead

However, what if the secret is in a genealogy collection that will be donated to repository such as an archive, a library, a museum, or a historical or genealogical society? Plan ahead. 

In a Twitter conversation with professional genealogist Melissa Barker (aka The Archive Lady), I learned that the donor and the repository should discuss this in advance and come to an agreement formalized in a deed of gift. That's the legal document in which someone formally transfers ownership of a family-history collection to the repository.

Putting everything in writing ensures that both parties clearly understand what will happen to the secret. Will that info be kept private forever or for a specified period? Will it be made available to in-person researchers or for specific purposes? Should the secret even be included with the donated collection? Discuss and decide before finalizing the donation.

For more about deeds of gift, see this informative page on the Society of American Archivists website.

Reader's comments

Here are excerpts from reader comments on my previous post about secrets. I appreciate that these folks took the time to share their thoughts.

One reader commented: "Consider carefully if you should commit a secret to writing at all. If the secret has the potential to be very harmful, keep it to yourself! Otherwise, write it down and go on with life."

Reader Debi commented, referring to minor family secrets: "I have not written about them (all parties deceased) and assume anyone researching could find the same information for themselves."

Reader Sandy commented: "It's not often that we look forward in this hobby. I suppose these days people are so used to putting things online they're not worried?"

Pssst! What Happens to Family History Secrets?

 

Every family's history includes a personal secret. 

Maybe it's a "secret" in the sense that ancestors never spoke of it: someone committed a serious crime in the past, someone had an affair, someone was pregnant before marriage or outside of marriage, someone died of a disease considered shameful at the time...the list goes on and on. 

Document but don't disclose? 

If the secret could be very hurtful or even damaging to someone still living, I choose not to disclose. I don't say anything in public (info is not posted on family trees, not included in family genealogies, not on my blog, not mentioned in talks). 

Instead, I document what I've learned and then leave the explanation in my files.

Why? Although I don't want to hurt someone still living, I also want that discovery to not be lost forever. By keeping it in my files, I'm allowing it to be rediscovered by the relative who will eventually inherit my genealogical materials. (Assuming the relative opens the files and reads the contents!)

It's likely that after a number of years, the secret will no longer be as hurtful or damaging because the people involved will have joined their ancestors, too.

Of course, if a secret has particular historical significance, that's an entirely different matter. Similarly, if the secret involves DNA and "NPE" (not parent expected), that also changes the situation. My ancestors didn't have those kinds of secrets--not that I know of, anyway.

Planning for a future for family history secrets

What happens to a family history secret in the event our genealogical files wind up in an archive, a library, a museum, or some other repository? In other words, the secret and its documentation would be out of family hands, if left within the files.

This is an issue to consider when planning for the future of our genealogical research and materials.

I'm going to ask several archivists what they think, and then write another blog post about their responses.

Meantime, my impulse is to let the secret stay in the file, along with a note requesting that the details not be publicly disclosed before a certain date (five or 10 years, for instance). 

What do you think, dear readers? Please add your thoughts in a comment. TY!

Keeping Up Connections Between Generations

Two years ago, the wonderful genealogist cousin of my mother's generation handed me a small box. Inside was a favorite piece of jewelry from the past. She had worn this silver pin for many decades, and now she wanted me to have it, along with stories of happy occasions.

Stories make items special

By giving me the pin and telling the stories, she was keeping up the strong connections between the generations. I never met many of the people in her stories, but I knew they were in our shared family tree. They came alive through her stories, which I think about when I wear this flowery pin.

I made a note on the box so that in the years to come, my descendants will be aware of how I came to own this pin and why it's special. 

Wait or give away now?

My cousin made the decision to give away some jewelry now, telling the stories in person as she handed each item to the recipient.

I've done the same with a few pieces of my own jewelry. When I gave a precious ring to a much-loved young lady in the next generation, inside the box was a story. I wrote about how my father gave this ring to my mother after the birth of their twins (my sis and me). The recipient read the story and asked a couple of questions, which I was delighted to answer.

The story will live on into the future, along with the ring, connecting later generations with the lives of ancestors who came before. Giving away the ring and the story now enabled me to reinforce the significance of the jewelry to our family's history.

One item at a time

Of course, not all of my jewelry and heirlooms are going to descendants at this time. But selected items already have new homes with family members, tangible reminders of our ancestral connections. Even relatives who aren't particularly interested in quote genealogy unquote will accept one item and a story! 

Remembering Dads on Father's Day

For Father's Day, I used special tools from MyHeritage.com to fix minor scratches and colorize this favorite black-and-white snapshot from my husband's family. It was taken in Cleveland, Ohio, and shows hubby's Mom, Marian McClure Wood (1909-1883), hubby's grandfather Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970), and hubby's Dad, Edgar James Wood (1903-1986).

After Brice's wife Floyda Steiner McClure (1878-1948) died, a grieving Brice visited often with his only child Marian and her family. Ed affectionately called his dad-in-law "The Old Gentleman." The two men got along famously, by all accounts (including Ed's diaries). 

When Brice died at age 91 in 1970, Ed put much thought into arranging the graveside funeral service. He wrote movingly of their close relationship stretching over 36 years, a letter that has been passed down in the family and will be inherited by the next generation.

I'm saluting Brice and Ed, two much-loved fathers from my husband's family tree, on this Father's Day in 2021.