If you match the pages to the correct size binder, its fine. The glue strip still on the envelope flap may contain chemicals that could damage your letter if it comes in contact with the letter. They showed me how they did all their work, which included how they dealt with folds in the old documents. Your email address will not be published. (Sticky notes are fine on the folders, but not on the letters!). Do you want to know the steps to take to preserve old handwritten letters? Am writing them up but want to preserve originals. Historical letters offer an in-depth look into the daily lives, inner thoughts and feelings, communities, cultural norms, and important events as experienced by the letter writer. Is there a translation program I can use or do I need to find perhaps a German teacher to translate for me? Now that you have flattened your letters, you are ready to encapsulate them. So, again if you are passionate about preserving your family history you will want to consider paying that little bit more money and attention. Images courtesy of Melissa Barker and Houston County, TN Archives. Preserving their experiences is essential to ensure the information is not lost. She has over 26 years of genealogy research experience and six years experience in the archives/records management field. When you make the scan, it is a good idea to label the file with some sort of naming system for your letters. Instead, allow the loosely folded pages to sit undisturbed for a few hours. You can also leave it as is and just frame it.You will want to find a framer who knows how to do conservation framing so they know the techniques and materials to use. I ended up with three of these 6-inch-thick binders. Those old letters in your genealogy records collection should be preserved for future generations. Currently, they are stored flat with envelope in PVC-Free sheet protectors. How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia, and Genealogy Records, Preserving Family Stories and Living Memory, More hours at the Ohio Historical Society, Friday Finds 18 March 2016 Copper Leaf Genealogy, http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2016/03/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-march-18.html, Preserving Family Stories and Living Memory - Amy Johnson Crow. If you didnt inherit your great-grandfathers wartime letters, perhaps another descendant did. These letters cannot (and should not) be handled many more times, which is why I decided to go through the process of preserving all of these artifacts of family history. It is also well-worth effort. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. How can I preserve them? Either take a picture or if the letter is robust enough put it on a scanner to get a digital image. You need to purchase archival document sleeves that are acid-free, lignin-free and have passed the P.A.T. What is the next best thing from throwing everything in the recycling? It wont be difficult to move those photos from your smartphone to your blog or favorite social media website. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Step 1: Choose an airtight container that is slightly larger than the letter or letters you wish to preserve. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Stay up-to-date with all of the posts and get exclusive content! Original letters. It was a lengthy project, but the story that emerged was fascinating, prompting further research on my part and eventually, after a dozen years, resulted in a 500-page, fully sourced book about the guerrilla war in North Luzon in the Philippines: The Luckiest Guerrilla: A True Tale of Love, War and the Army. Digitizing Old Letters | Anderson Archival Do this slowly and if you encounter any resistance, place a new towel on and let it sit a bit more. Thanks Owain! For example, do you have lots of letters from only one person? Make a Transcription For that reason, I decided to save my work on 3 devices, the computer, a portable hard drive, and another memory stick. She has been researching her own family history for the past 27 years. Yesterday, I got a package in the mail from my Sister. Handling Family Papers and Photographs Storing Family Papers and Photographs Displaying Family Papers and Photographs Digitizing Family Papers and Photographs I have them in a binder in plastic sheets. The first step you need to take to to put all of these materials in a Ziploc bag and put it in your freezer to kill the mold. I am glad some of the methods I learned in my scrapbooking hobby can help with this, but it does seem that a digital scanner is the way to go. I respect your privacy. You can now read about different ways to share your old letters! Take the time to wash your hands, and dry them well, before touching old letters. This article was very useful to me. I am engaged in just such a project. Fortunately, preserving old letters is pretty straightforward and you dont have to break the bank to keep them safe. This means that the basement or garage are off limits for long-term storage of important documents like these. This is a great box to not only store documents and letters but also newspaper clippings, photos, and family records as well. Sign up for the free 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge today! I have a letter from my that contained a random sentence about his father (my grandfather) using a nickname until he was married. 22-year-old inmate dies in Anoka County jail - Star Tribune In this post, learn what you should do to save protect this history for generations to come. Here are some simple steps to preserve the old letters that you may have. What to do with these other than leave them to my family? Here are 5 steps to preserve your old documents and letters. How should I store old letters of varying sizes and ages? What To Do With Old Letters - Who are You Made Of? A couple years ago, I was doing research in a courthouse in Ohio. You can mark these up with notes if you want. It is at least 100 years old by now.. Im so glad that my mother saved it as well as her mothers letter from her sister. Q. Dear Donia, I have inherited all of my mothers photos, letters, documents and newspaper clippings. Remove any staples, paper clips, or any other metal attaching papers together. Itll destroy your precious family documents. An initiative of ALCTS, a division of the American Library Association, I havesome very old letters from 1898and the 1940s and 1950s. Here are a few easy steps you can take toward save yours for future epochs. Whether you inherit Grandmas missives or find your Civil War soldiers last letter home in a public archive, heres how to preserve these writings as part of your family history. Please check out my How To Scan My Photos guide for further information on what settings that you will need to get the best results. I usually like to limit fragile papers to about fiveper folder. You will want to make sure that you have the space to see what you are working with. In addition to digitizing them, physically preserving them is one of the best things you can do to save the genealogical information contained in those old family letters. Store the folders upright in a metal filing cabinet or acid-free archival document box located in an area of your home with consistent temperature and relative humidity. Its very much appreciated. Newspaper clippings. Making a hard copy to backup your files is always a smart idea! Don't worry too much about keeping things neat. This will reduce how often you need to handle the letters in the future. I artfully arranged and color-copied the letter and its envelope (and sometimes a photograph, radiogram, or other enclosure) onto a second sheet of card stock. Great question! As you take measures to preserve the letters, study them for news of friends and family that you can extract and confirm for your family tree. We suggest that you transfer it so that it can be kept for future generations! Once your letters are scanned and placed into the sleeves, you can then store them sorted into smaller groups in archival folders. Great question! You can separate your articles into various notebooks and assign tags to each document, then sort and print those if you wish. Putting all of the letters in chronological order might not be the best solution. Q. Dear Donia, I just discovered this site and was excited to read your response to Sally on framing her great-great-grandfather's Civil War discharge paper since I also have this same document from my great-grandfather! Dear Donia, I think it is very important to preserve old documents, files, videos, photos or something else, because, memory of our dead relatives lives in such things. While the envelope probably doesnt need to be flattened, you dont want to separate the letter from the envelope. Make a Digital Copy I have my great grandfathers love letters to my great grandmother in sheet protectors for 25 yearsI noticed that the writing is fading pretty badly. It is from the 1800s and beautiful old style handwriting! I also have two little books that my father gave to my mother before they were married. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands. How Do You Preserve Old Handwritten Letters? What to Do With Old Cards & Letters - The Art of Simple Archives.) Im afraid they will crumble when I take them out of the envelopes. Your information is never sold or shared. I have some letters, documents, and twolittle notebooks from my great grandfather (1850 - 1900) thatare moldy and smell and havewhite spots for humidity. Thanks, they are in sheet protectors in a notebook in a plastic tub but they were not real good to start with. More Letter Preservation Tips A numbering system can help you keep track of which letters were bundled together and in what order: You could label the outside of a file folder Bundle A, Letter 2, George Longworth to Bessie (Meyers) Longworth, 6 March 1942. Readers can then understand the letters itself without having to puzzle through the handwriting themselves and they can get the benefit of any additional research and comments you have made in your annotations. You can add subjects, names of people mentioned, etc. Old letters. Restoring Ink on Faded Documents - American Library Association Also, the writing is in pencil, and I am afraid to lose the text. Once you have put your letters in chronological order, its time to do some preservation work. Do not store in the basement, attic, or garage. The information in them is priceless and should be preserved. I appreciate your information concerning the preservation of these items. I did suffer the misfortune of losing some of my research due to my memory stick failing. This sounds like a fun project to tackle. Encapsulating them will also help keep dust and dirt from getting on them. Download Article Sort your cards by occasion. Why You Should Use Libraries & Archives In Your Genealogy Work. The original leather covers are deteriorating and I dont know what to do about that. Remove and discard those failing rubber bands, which can leach chemicals that can harm your letters, but make note of how the letters are grouped. It will make your life much easier if you make an index to the letters in your binder, even though it will be a little more work. There are several ways to safely make a digital copy of the old letters. Is there any guidance as to how to choose the best child to receive all my letters and genealogical items? If the mold returns, repeat this procedure. Please tell me howto clean and conserve them. Using clean hands and if you have them, document handling gloves, carefully remove the letter from any envelope and gently unfold it. Lay flat and store in a flat document box, in archival folders with acid-free tissue between each page, Lay flat and store in upright document box, in archival folders with acid-free tissue between each page, Store each page separately in acid-free sheet protectors and place in a binder or archival document box, Whatever method you choose, keep the envelopes with the letters. In this step, we will make sure that we have a nice, open space to work with our letters and clean hands. Gaylord Archival Family Archives Kit You have a realfamily treasure. The same rules which apply for the safe storage of paper documents generally apply to photos. Keep all food, liquids, pens, and smoke away from your workspace. We begin by scanning or photographing the letter, being careful to preserve its original condition. In the index, youd record which box or binder and file folder that letter could be found in. Keep paper happy. Do you want to know of steps to make to preserve old handwritten alphabet? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The Genealogy Research Process: The WANDER Method. [1] Safely Scanning and Preserving Old, Fragile Letters You do not want to stuff letters in the sleeves or have too much room in the sleeves allowing the letters to move around. In this post, learned what to should do up save protect this history for generations to come. I have linear feet of various family letters. The durability of old documents depends on both the type of paper and the storage conditions. Fortunately, the process to preserve old letters is easy enough to follow. Crafts & Hobbies:How to preserve old letters - Dave's Garden I want to preserve my copies in a way that can last a long time, too, so that no one is tempted to handle the letters more than necessary in the future. Scan & store them on your computer. They are different sizes. I am 72 years old and have only six nephews and nieces. I can tell you that all archivists remove the letters from the envelopes and archive them unfolded. I have a suitcase full of old family photographs. COPYRIGHT LISA LOUISE COOKES GENEALOGY GEMS -, Archivists prefer to put their encapsulated letters into archival file folders and then into archival boxes, being sure to keep the chronological order intact. My answer is always: Take the letters out of the envelopes. The lower the temperature the longer your items will last, because cooler temperatures slow the rate of chemical decay and reduce insect activity. (Hint: don't put it in the attic.) I have inherited a number of old family photos that need saving as they are quite fragile Im quite scared to do anything with them currently. After reading this helpful guide you may like to check out my How To Preserve Your Family Treasures post. Youve found or inherited old letters. How do you sort them out? Simply place your papers in the folders and then put them in the protective case. Everyone who might have recognized who the people are in the photos from the 16+ ancestral branches of my family in the 1800s, are long dead and gone. Duplication is a fundamental key to preservation. Correspondence provides a rare personal connection with ancestors. I have been told to hold them over steam to re-moisturize them. Now what else can you do with the scans? Hi, I am interested in how you preserved these letters of your family. Please share with family and friends if you think this post will help others by using the social media buttons below. (Learn Denises trick for keeping paper straight and not slumping. So, this step is essential. Your email address will not be published. Keep the relative humidity (rH) below 65% to prevent mold growth . If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Can someone elaborate on this? Almost as many photos from same period. Correctly label the digital images you take so you can easily find them later. Simply make copies and put them in a binder, Make a spiral-bound book at Staples or other office supply store, Custom order a kitchen towel or cutting board with one of the letters from Etsy. I would leave it there until spring weather returns. Best Geography and Historical Map Websites, Best Genealogy Websites for Asia and the Pacific, Family Tree Templates and Relationship Charts, How to Find Your Ancestors US Military Records, Preserving Old Photos of Your Family History, Surnames: Family Search Tips and Surname Origins. And that is why I have written this guide to help you preserve this part of your family history. Thus, we lose the connection with old generations. This is a good choice for organizing if you worry about finding a certain persons letters quickly and efficiently. Paper made before around 1865 consists of cotton fibers, whereas most papers after that date are a combination of wood pulp and lignin. (kindex.org). Preventing damage is the key to preserving your items. (Courtesy Houston County, TN. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. As the saying does, the days are lengthy, but the aged have short. Make an index. This can cause damage to them and may make reading them harder as they age. Handle the paper very carefully and move slowly. My strategy is to make sure that these letters are safe for many generations to come, yet accessible, enjoyable, and useful for those members of my family who are currently interested in reading them. There is only so much that can be remembered and I didnt want to lose any of the information that was in these stories. Individual sleeves would not be practical for such a large collection. My strategy is to make sure that these letters are safe for many generations to come, yet accessible, enjoyable, and useful for those members of my family who are currently interested in reading them. This type of storage material is available from a variety of archival suppliers, such as, Digitize the letters by scanning them on a flatbed scanner (scan the envelopes, too, if you have them). LearnBlogFreeGuides & TipsResources & ToolsDates & Events, Copyright 2016-2023 - The Genealogy Guide. ALCTS is now part of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures! If the paper is brittle and cracking, dont force pages open. You dont want to accidentally cause the letter to rip. Keep the temperature below 75 degrees Fahrenheit (F). *This post may have affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). No matter how you choose to store your letters, the key is to keep the letters in acid-free and lignin-free storage. Archivists prefer to put their encapsulated letters into archival file folders and then into archival boxes, being sure to keep the chronological order intact. When it comes to how to preserve paper, dirt and oil are the enemies. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Use the date on the letter or the date on the envelope postmark. Family members or other researchers can now browse through and read without mixing up or jeopardizing the original documents, which are fully protected from dirt, oil, and sunlight. When you have placed your letter and envelope together in the sleeve, you will see that immediately the sleeve will close around the document via static electricity.
