DIY Genealogy: Saving Letters - Step 1: Cataloguing

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 originals were lost or destroyed; and 
• an increased confidence that their legacy will be maintained for future generations of family historians. 

It is my hope that sharing the method I use to log my letters will inspire you to be the archivist of your own letter collection. This first step, the cataloguing stage, consists of three procedural steps: A. sorting the letters; B. recording each letter; and C. unlocking the content of each letter. 

A: Sorting the Letters.

The majority of my letter collection was sent to me in a box, the letters a jumble of different senders with a time period spanning decades. In Marie Kondo-esque style, I dumped out all of the letters into a pile, then sorted them into meaningful groups. 

Since all of the letters were for one recipient (my grandmother), and most of them were from a small set of individuals (her brothers and sisters), I chose to group the letters by sender. I then organized each group's letters by date. Bundling each sender group, I began logging one group at a time into the Archive-Letters tab of my Family Collection Catalogue spreadsheet (see Figure 1 below).

Figure 1: Snip of My Archive-Letters Spreadsheet

B: Considering What Details To Record.

The details I chose to log about each letter evolved as I worked with each bundle. In an earlier post in this mini-series, Saving Letters - Why Do It?, I listed three key objectives for my process of saving letters:

• using the letters as a research resource (for both current and future research projects);
• preservation, storage, and being prepared for the loss of the originals; and
• making life easier for whoever inherits my family archive collection (such as an interested family member, or historical or genealogical society) after I am gone.

Thinking from the perspective of an archivist organizing and logging my letter collection, I considered what relevant details should be recorded to achieve those objectives.

Important considerations for me were searchability by topics, addresses, and the individuals or locations mentioned in the letters. As well, it was important to quickly and easily locate the items that I needed - whether they were physical or electronic. 

And from a preservation and legacy standpoint, it seemed important to try to ensure that enough physical details about the letters were recorded in case the originals were lost (especially if loss occurred after logging but before being scanned and/or transcribed), or in the event that the letters (or their facsimilies) were donated to an archive or library.

I settled on the following data to record for each entry (i.e., for each letter) in my spreadsheet:

• Accession number: a unique number assigned to each letter
• Bundle: the number assigned to each sender-group of letters
• File folder: the number assigned to the file folder where each letter is filed
• Sub folder (if applicable): for one-offs such as two letters included in one envelope
• Title: Sender Name to Recipient Name, e.g., Edna King to Margaret LeComte
• Author: Sender Name, or in the case of multiple letters the names of the letter-writers
• Sender address: the return address on the envelope and/or letter
• Recipient address: the recipient address on the envelope and/or letter
• Letter date: date of the letter, or the envelope postmark date if the letter is undated
• Subject: general topic(s) of the letter
• Keywords: search terms or tags such as topics, people, places or events mentioned in the letter
• Media/Storage location: location where each version of the letter, physical or electronic, is stored, e.g., Archive File Box 1 (for originals); computer Archive Collection folder, Bundle 1 (for scans); and computer Research-Transcriptions-Letters folder (for electronic transcriptions)
• Notes: briefly indicate any additional relevant information e.g., the letter's physical description and condition, number of pages, whether any newspaper clippings are included
• Letter transcribed (Yes/No): indicate whether or not the letter has been transcribed
• Cataloguer's Name: name of the individual who logged the letter into the spreadsheet
• Date catalogued: date that the letter was logged into the spreadsheet

C: Unlocking the Content Of My Letters.

Once filled out, the first four items (Accession, Bundle, File folder and Sub folder) link together to create a unique call number or reference number for each letter. It aids in connecting the original letters and their original context to their scanned and transcribed versions, despite being in different formats and stored in different places. 

This plus the Media/Storage location makes it easy to find the specific letter and version I need when I need it, just like a call number for a book in a library. And this call number/reference number method is flexible enough concievably to accommodate any number of letters in one's letter collection.

Recording the Subject and Keywords data makes it easy to search for and find letters that have content related to my research project. This is done by inputting specific topics, individuals, locations or events for each letter - anything that seems relevant to highlight.

Recording data in these two fields is the secret to unlocking the content of the letters and ensuring their searchability. For example, one of my letters talks about an event commemorating the closing of the Salvation Army store at a specific location in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. The letter also includes who in the family was planning to attend the event. I used Subject and Keywords to record this data in case it might be useful for a future project (or for anyone who might be researching using my letter collection). 

Notes is where I record the physical details of the letter, such as size, stationery details, whether it was handwritten or word-processed, how many pages, and condition. This part makes life easier for a family member who might inherit my collection, or for archivists/librarians who might become responsible for my collection if it gets donated to a historical or genealogical society. 

Recording these details in Notes is also an opportunity to identify any condition issues with the letters, potentially prioritizing those letters for scanning or implementing measures to try to conserve them. An example would be letters with newspaper clippings, where there is a risk of accelerated degradation of the letter from the acids in the newsprint (more on this topic in a future post).

Reaping The Benefits Of Cataloguing Letters.

By working through this process, I ended up with:

• a well-organized library of letters including a better sense of what my collection contained;
• a searchable list of letters containing brief descriptions of their content, physical properties, condition, and storage locations;
• the opportunity to identify any condition concerns, and to deal with those that require immediate attention;
• a way to quickly find and retrieve letters needed for research;
• comfort that if the original letters were destroyed or lost, a digital backup exists; and
• confidence that, after my death, the letter collection will stand a better chance of being directed to an interested person or organization, rather than to the dumpster bin.

Stay Tuned For Future Letter-Saving Steps.

Check back for future posts in the Saving Letters mini-series! Next up is "Step 2: Scanning."

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Sources:

Preserving Old Letters in the Digital Age in Archival Methods Blog: Prevention Tips and Resources. Publisher: Archival Methods, 4 Jan 2017. Last accessed on 21 May 2024.

Guest Post by Esther. Preserving Old Family Letters. Publisher: MyHeritage Blog, 13 Mar 2019. Last accessed on 21 May 2024.

Alison Taylor. Curating Your Family's Historical Documents. Publisher: Pictures and Stories, Inc., 16 Jul 2015. Last accessed on 21 May 2024.