If you’re moving or helping someone else move, pay attention: Don’t get in such a hurry that you toss out valuable family keepsakes or items of local historic interest.
Take anything that could be of local historic value to your local archives or historical society, and let them decide what to do with it. This could be yearbooks, church booklets, events programs and, of course, letters and photographs. Better to err on side of saving, and deciding later, than to just throw it all out because you are in a hurry.
Recently, I was looking through some 1930s architectural/construction magazines. To my surprise, being used as a bookmark was a 1910 list of items for sale by my cousin’s grandfather. Great ephemeral treasure, but easily lost, as my cousin did, as a bookmark. When moving my mother a few years ago, we didn’t know that about 50 great family photos had fallen behind the drawer. Only when the furniture consignment lady brought them back did we know we had lost them.
If you can’t identify family in photos, find a cousin to give them to. Don’t just toss them because you don’t know who’s pictured.
Plan ahead when you are faced with a major move or cleaning so that you know who locally is willing to take the box of stuff you assemble. Your local public library’s reference staff could help you find the nearest local historical organization or archives. Don’t assume that no one wants the material.
Bootleggers and counterfeiters subject of lecture
“Bootleggers, Counterfeiters, Privateers, and Everything in Between” is the Lunch and Learn lecture topic on Friday, September 13 at the Georgia Archives. Noon, free, bring your own lunch. Maureen Hill, archivist with the National Archives at Atlanta, next door to the Georgia Archives, will be the speaker. Ms. Hill will highlight the records in the National Archives related to those subjects. Many of us descend from folks with nefarious occupations. I know many of my North Carolina ancestors were moonshiners in the 1890s. Should be a fun lecture. For more information call 678-364-3710 or check GeorgiaArchives.org.
Nicknames can be tricky
Be careful in your research when interpreting nicknames. I have two cousins named Rusty. In one case, it’s short for Russell; in the other, for Rushin. The nickname Polly is used for Mary in one case; in another, for Pauline. Men called Ted, could be either Edward or Theodore. One cousin was called “Rik” because of his initials, not because his name was Richard.
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