Hi everyone... ! I was at Portland's Antique fare this weekend and stopped by a booth that was chock full of old pictures (instant family) and actual binders full of family letters (some archived from 1905-present) for a senator from California ( for example) and inquired to them about presenting it to Rootsweb/Ancestry to whomever families might be interested. I often wonder when I see family bibles up for sale at auction or at a fare that the families don't want them, but bet that somewhere some family historian that might be a distant cousin would give their eye teeth for it if only someone had asked! Theses of course are now for sale... instead of being handed down to the appropriate person (s). My question is that if they were offered, would anyone be interested in buying them? I was trying to encourage this gal, but she said that after contacting some of the family members, no one wanted them. She had given up on the idea of someone wanting to pay for the information. I feel she is wrong. Not all of her info was expensive, but some of the archived ones were going in the $100's. But, for that it was a binder at least 4 inches thick of correspondence between certain family members. Anyone wanting to comment can post off list.. or if we would like to have the bigger discussion on proper preservation of family documents, even our responsibility to leave these things, in our wills if need be, to the family historian, no matter how distant a cousin.... might be beneficial to all. But, then again, I'm probably preaching to the choir! If there is already a service like this, please let me know that as well. All the best, Ginger Ginger Aarons, CTC, Director Time Travel P.O. Box 23908 Portland, OR 97281-3908 503-454-0897 tollfree and fax 877-787-7807 cell 503-421-0029 www.timetraveltours.com MEMBERS OF : ASTA, ICTA & CLIA ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Hi Ginger -- What you describe is a valuable and untapped resource for genealogist!! What a shame to have it ultimately discarded! Is there a way to list the name or surnames in the family albums, groupings? Most of my families I am researching lived in Portland, OR. It would be my dream to find something more. I purchased some still-legible American Civil War letters written to a wounded SMITH soldier in the Union Army from IA by several members of his family years ago at a vintage postcard shop. They were full of history, names and places, and so I ultimately transcribed the contents to Rootsweb. Before long two researchers recognized the soldier and/or his relatives as their kin and contacted me. They were thrilled, and so was I! I loved the letters, didn't want to part with them, but I gladly photocopied them for free. One letter had a charming drawing of the local "school marm." Another was written on stationery that had a ACW poem about deserters imprinted across the top of the page. The person who sold them to me said that someone had come by their store and just wanted to purchase the elaborate envelopes for the stamps and postmarks, wasn't interested in the marvelous letters, had left them behind. I also have transcribed contents of a couple Spokane, WA 1920's high school books I have found at Antique shows to Rootsweb. I have also made "matches" from queries from old genealogical magazines. In fact, one successful match was made between a Donegal gentleman who was looking for his East Coast USA family. I would do more of it as a hobby had I more money to spend buying the ephemera but am on a fixed SS income. Oddly enough, my friend who owned the vintage postcard shop had also shown me a little handmade diary with an account of the authoresses' grandfather's Revolutionary War service as told to her. I wondered if it was a true account or whether it was a fanciful story. I checked the Internet to see if the names and dates and places and battles matched, later, much to my delight, found a website with the name of the authoress and her grandfather and grandmother in the FH there. Everything matched - names, places, dates, birthdates! I was thrilled! When I contacted the person who had put his FH on the web he said that he was not interested in the material as he already "had a ton on the family" and was deeply disappointed that his own children were not interested in all his life-long genealogical work, would probably just dump it all, and to just give the booklet to a library. That really stunned me! Maybe I am dreaming, but I would think that antique show owners of this type of material wouldn't have much luck selling same to strangers and could do their part in preserving history by letting it go for little or nothing to related families or transcribers or to genealogical libraries. Not everything should be for sale! That's why I support free genealogy websites. Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 11:18 AM Subject: [IRELAND] General Question to the Group > Hi everyone... ! > > I was at Portland's Antique fare this weekend and stopped by a booth that > was > chock full of old pictures (instant family) and actual binders full of > family letters (some archived from 1905-present) for a senator from > California ( > for example) and inquired to them about presenting it to > Rootsweb/Ancestry to > whomever families might be interested. I often wonder when I see family > bibles > up for sale at auction or at a fare that the families don't want them, but > bet that somewhere some family historian that might be a distant cousin > would > give their eye teeth for it if only someone had asked! Theses of course > are now > for sale... instead of being handed down to the appropriate person (s). > > My question is that if they were offered, would anyone be interested in > buying them? I was trying to encourage this gal, but she said that after > contacting some of the family members, no one wanted them. She had given > up on the idea > of someone wanting to pay for the information. I feel she is wrong. Not > all > of her info was expensive, but some of the archived ones were going in the > $100's. But, for that it was a binder at least 4 inches thick of > correspondence > between certain family members. > > Anyone wanting to comment can post off list.. or if we would like to have > the > bigger discussion on proper preservation of family documents, even our > responsibility to leave these things, in our wills if need be, to the > family > historian, no matter how distant a cousin.... might be beneficial to all. > But, then > again, I'm probably preaching to the choir! > > If there is already a service like this, please let me know that as well. > > All the best, > Ginger > > Ginger Aarons, CTC, Director > Time Travel > P.O. Box 23908 > Portland, OR 97281-3908 > 503-454-0897 > tollfree and fax 877-787-7807 > cell 503-421-0029 > www.timetraveltours.com > MEMBERS OF : ASTA, ICTA & CLIA

Hi Ginger, I agree with you. When I see these items at flea mrk, I get sad that some family is missing out. Sometimes, if the price is right I get them an post to rootsweb. In my family, I was to young, when my granmom passed an my aunt called a junk man an he carted away all granmoms stuff ( a bible from Germany with family history) I would give my eye teeth for that stuff. I search every chance I get. Good luck in your search. Lorri searching- ALLEN-BARNETT-CARROLL-BURNS GEIGER-Veach -GEARIN-KANE-SMITH-MOYLAN DONAHUE ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 2:18 PM Subject: [IRELAND] General Question to the Group > Hi everyone... ! > > I was at Portland's Antique fare this weekend and stopped by a booth that > was > chock full of old pictures (instant family) and actual binders full of > family letters (some archived from 1905-present) for a senator from > California ( > for example) and inquired to them about presenting it to > Rootsweb/Ancestry to > whomever families might be interested. I often wonder when I see family > bibles > up for sale at auction or at a fare that the families don't want them, but > bet that somewhere some family historian that might be a distant cousin > would > give their eye teeth for it if only someone had asked! Theses of course > are now > for sale... instead of being handed down to the appropriate person (s). > > My question is that if they were offered, would anyone be interested in > buying them? I was trying to encourage this gal, but she said that after > contacting some of the family members, no one wanted them. She had given > up on the idea > of someone wanting to pay for the information. I feel she is wrong. Not > all > of her info was expensive, but some of the archived ones were going in the > $100's. But, for that it was a binder at least 4 inches thick of > correspondence > between certain family members. > > Anyone wanting to comment can post off list.. or if we would like to have > the > bigger discussion on proper preservation of family documents, even our > responsibility to leave these things, in our wills if need be, to the > family > historian, no matter how distant a cousin.... might be beneficial to all. > But, then > again, I'm probably preaching to the choir! > > If there is already a service like this, please let me know that as well. > > All the best, > Ginger > > Ginger Aarons, CTC, Director > Time Travel > P.O. Box 23908 > Portland, OR 97281-3908 > 503-454-0897 > tollfree and fax 877-787-7807 > cell 503-421-0029 > www.timetraveltours.com > MEMBERS OF : ASTA, ICTA & CLIA > > > ************************************** > See > what's new at http://www.aol.com > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >