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I wasn't sure where to post this, I thought this might be an appropriate forum, since it kind of relates to my mother's history, and years from now, could relate to genealogy... She was born in 1922, that's almost a 100 years ago! She passed last year, and I'm trying to declutter my apartment. My brother has much of her stuff, but I have some. I have her yearbooks, photo albums, love letters from when she was in the military. I'm wondering if some historian type would be interested? I would feel bad throwing it in the trash, but then again, as much as I loved her, I really have no use for her old yearbooks. Ideas?
Your mother was in the military? During WWII? DO NOT TOSS. Just don't.
The people in the military forum here on C-D may be able to connect you with someone/group who would appreciate the treasure you have. Many high schools have alumni associations that would also appreciate having some of those things. Contact the school she went to and see if they have one. (The school may have been consolidated or have had a name change.)
My mom had letters from the war from dad, and I knew where they were. I went to get them after she died but I guess dad had already gotten them. I never found them, not even in his stuff. I would dearly love to have something written in mom and dad's hand to hold and touch now that both are long gone. A letter is a wonderful thing to have to remember.
And if you don't feel like you want them please find someone who will take them. Watch the Ken Burns docomentary "The War' on netflix. All the words about the war are from real people who lived through the time, at home waiting or in the military, and it makes it an experience which can be shared with future generations. It is my favorite of his works since its so personal.
One family found a box in the attic and it had old paper in it. They decided to read it and it was a complete collection of letters from a union officer to his wife and her letters back from the civil war. They will of course keep it, but what a wonderful thing to publish as a personal history of one family in their own words.
My family translated from German and published all the letters that my great-great? grandfather's letters sent to his wife during the Civil War. It was amazing that he had the time & inclination to write two and three page letters. It was a wonderful look into the past.
Many people would love to read old letters with historical value.
Yeah, as others have said ... if you don't want to keep them, my descending list of where I'd look to donate them would be:
1. The high school
2. The local library
3. A local historical or genealogical society
4. The state historical society
5. A county, state, or university library
6. Sell it on ebay.
Classmates.com will accept the school yearbook & scan it in to their on-line database (if they don't already have that school & year on their site.)
I sent classmates.com my Dad's high school yearbook & it now resides on their database for anyone to view.
Re: her military service & letters, this site Women In Military Service For America Memorial
may be helpful. I would think that a local historical society or local library with a genealogy room might accept the letters and other memorabilia.
Respectfully, I would keep your moms year book, it's a part of your family history.
That could be a good idea but not all people are the family historian and not all people have room to store things. In my case, I kept a lot of my mother's old photos and letters but there was no yearbook, just an autograph book which I did keep.
In my own case, I am not keeping my own yearbook. (My yearbook picture was awful), it's big to store, and it didn't mean much to me. I think maybe someone in some other part of the country who has ties to my town might want it someday but I don't think anyone in my family would be interested. I can't speak for everyone but that's the case with me.
Definitely try hard to find a place which will take them, even the yearbook.
It is far enough removed in time (I'm guessing your mother graduated in 40 or 41) so it is quite possible few copies are still extant.
I even recall when back in my high school ( were talking mid 90s) there was an active search for any yearbooks to be bough by the school, local library and/or historical society pre-dating 1939 as few before that date seemed to had been kept; the local library kept old copies but those only went back to 1960 or so and a few years were missing. So, good chance someone wants it; they are one of those things which seems have have a fairly low survival rate over the decades, even if it was a fairly large class.
I wasn't sure where to post this, I thought this might be an appropriate forum, since it kind of relates to my mother's history, and years from now, could relate to genealogy... She was born in 1922, that's almost a 100 years ago! She passed last year, and I'm trying to declutter my apartment. My brother has much of her stuff, but I have some. I have her yearbooks, photo albums, love letters from when she was in the military. I'm wondering if some historian type would be interested? I would feel bad throwing it in the trash, but then again, as much as I loved her, I really have no use for her old yearbooks. Ideas?
My mother died 2 years ago and I would love to have something like that
oh gosh I would never get rid of them
My mother died 2 years ago and I would love to have something like that
oh gosh I would never get rid of them
Well I'm not heartless. I kept the BBQ sauce my dad dated (he dated EVERYthing lol - it was so annoying when he was alive, now it's completely endearing), and the can of celery seed and other seasonings I used when I cooked him meals while my mom was in the hospital, and assorted other things.
My mom had letters from the war from dad, and I knew where they were. I went to get them after she died but I guess dad had already gotten them. I never found them, not even in his stuff. I would dearly love to have something written in mom and dad's hand to hold and touch now that both are long gone. A letter is a wonderful thing to have to remember.
When my dad was in Europe in WWII, one house they "took possession of" in France had a typewriter in the basement with the "r" broken off. He typed my mother (his girlfriend at the time) a letter on it then put a note about the "r" problem. She kept that letter.
When we married, my wife had been working with geneology for over 40 years. I had never thought of some of the places to get information on a family before then. If there is a geneological society in or near your town, see if they will take them. Wife has a friend who kept some old annuals in individual space bags, the kind you seal and use a vacuum to suck the air out. Said it would help the books last longer.
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