Preserving Important Documents
A family historian operates like a detective on the trail of a good mystery. Tying links to the past tightly to the present, these researchers often become the holders of a repository of information on their families.
Aging documents, precious photographs and other pieces of vital information often come into the possession of the person on the trail of their family history.
Inasmuch, it's a very good idea for the family historian to have a basic understanding of what documents must be preserved, which ones can simply be copied, and how to protect one-of-a-kind pieces from the elements, preserving their integrity for generations to come.
The number of documents a family historian might come across in the course of their research is large, but here is a listing of some of the more common items:
* Family photographs, portraits
* Birth records
* Death records
* Written journals, letters, diaries
* Military records
* School records
* Employment records
* Contracts
Some items will be more obviously precious than others. The key in preserving what's important is using personal judgment.
Photographs, for example, are generally not replaceable. Treat them with extreme care and store them in a museum quality album or case. This is especially so for old portraits where the paint might be showing signs of aging.
Official records just as birth, death and marriage licenses are often copies. If this is the case, storage doesn't necessarily have to be of museum quality. If the documents are the originals, however, keep them stored in an album with acid free paper. Don't use tape or glue on them.
Written documents from the past, especially those drafted in your ancestors' hand, require extreme care. If they are lost or left to the elements, the information and the ties to the past cannot be recreated. Use extreme care in storing and preserving these items.
A general rule of thumb for any document you want to preserve is to treat it as a museum archivist would. Use storage equipment that protects the precious papers from water, air and acid damage.
If you exercise care with important documents now, you'll be happy later and so will your descendants when they uncover their histories carefully preserved.
