Links Family History Blog

My Method For Saving Letters. This post continues the Saving Letters mini-series that started with Saving Letters - Why Do It?  In the following discussion, Step 1: Cataloguing , I set out the method I follow for logging my letters.  Although I was inspired by online sources, the details of the method I follow evolved as I began working through my letters and gained insight into the data contained in the letters, how I wanted to use their information, and how I was going to store them, as well as disaster recovery and legacy considerations. The items you record in your catalogue may look different from mine as they will be a reflection of your own letter collection and goals.  Working through this process gave me: a searchable letters list that I could use for research purposes (like a library's card catalogue);  a summary of each letter's contents, physical properties, and condition;  a better comfort level that the letters would be preserved even if the origin...

A Family of Letter-Writers. In this first post in a mini-series on saving letters, I describe my philosophy and summarize my method for saving inherited family letters. My goal for saving letters? To improve being able to access the data they contain in order to use that data for family research.  I come from a family of letter-writers. At first puzzled about what to do with the box of family letters I inherited -- but sensing their potential -- over the years I sought advice on how to "deal" with inherited documents like letters. I took what resonated with my own situation and materials and incorporated it into my personal method for creating and maintaing a family archive.  Disclaimer:  I am a genealogy enthusiast not a professional genealogist or archivist; as such, a professional's methods may differ from mine, or may be more comprehensive. If you have something in your family collection that you are unsure about or you think might need particular care, I encourage yo...