Preserving      Family      Documents

Collection created by George G. Morgan

Family documents include certificates of birth, christening, marriage, divorce, and death. These may be extended to include military papers, old land deeds, copies of census reports, naturalization papers, etc. Letters, postcards, and old photos may also provide clues as to an ancestor's whereabouts at a given time. They also augment our understanding of the lives these people led. This makes your family history "come alive!"

It is one thing to collect these precious documents; but it is quite another to arrange them sensibly. We agree that the "show box" method does little to present the information or preserve it for posterity.

File folders suffice until the day one is dropped, spilling the contents in a disheveled heap. Besides, if a birth certificate mentions both the father's surname and the mother's maiden name, whose surname folder should hold the document? Duplicates for both files run up the cost not to mention doubling the file space.

Notebooks provide an excellent alternative. They are portable and easily read. Using the top-loading Mylar (TM) sheet protectors, the documents can be handled without fear of deterioration. Pages of various sizes can be made uniform. (Some have suggested taping a small page to a standard 8 1/2" by 11" notebook page. Tape, however, deteriorates faster than our current poor quality paper.) Merely place the document in a sheet protector, with an acid-free page of paper to separate it from the reverse side document.

As for filing the documents in an understandable order, we suggest a numbering system. As each document is received, it is put in the next page protector and given the next available number. Notation of that number is made on ALL family group sheets it documents. For the birth record mentioned above, notations should be made on the following places on family group sheets:


1. individual - where he/she is a child
2. individual - where he/she is a spouse
3. father - where he is listed as spouse
4. mother - where she is listed as spouse

As notebooks become full, another is added. Some people suggest keeping all like documents in a single notebook. This involves using more notebooks, but then all the census records would be found in one notebook separate from the birth records notebook or the marriage records notebook, etc.

Although much has been written giving suggestions for organizing your documentation, it ultimately remains your choice. After all, it is YOUR family history. Please remember that others need to readily identify your method of organization. They need to distinguish between known and proven ancestors and names of "potential" ancestors whose relationship you have not yet determined. No matter what organizational system you use, be sure to label known ancestors and relatives clearly and keep "potential" ancestors in a separate area altogether!

CONCLUSION

Documents support the family relationships a genealogist traces. Without documentation, the family history is reduced to nothing but hearsay evidence. People who read a family history need to know exactly:


1. which sources have been searched even if nothing was found, and
2. which sources have been searched with a copy of the document included in the family history.

As time goes by, more documents are becoming available through the use of indexes, microfilm/fiche and computers. Additional information may come to light to prove or disprove previous research. Citing the sources and maintaining good document files are therefore essential activities of a good genealogist.





You may also want to visit the following
websites for more information:



• Library of Congress: Preservation Directorate: Preserving Works on Paper: Manuscripts, Drawings, Prints, Posters, Maps, Documents
  
  
• Library of Congress: Frequently Asked Questions: How should I display documents or works of art on paper?

  
  
  The Preservation Place
  
  Preserve Photos
  
  Preserve Newspaper Clippings
  
  

  
  
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