By now we have learned the importance of a family tree. We know that a family tree is more than a list of names. Now, I want to share some of the significance of keeping old letters in addition to other papers with your family tree.
I have decided to make a box dedicated to all of my paperwork related to my family tree. It is an ongoing project that I work on whenever I have the chance. In this box I have added all of the old letters that I have inherited from family members.
I think it is great that my family kept some of the handwritten letters and post cards sent by our ancestors over a century ago. I have some dated back to the late 1800’s. It is great because I feel like I have a piece of our family history.
I have letters written by my great-grandfather to his sister. I also have the letters that she wrote back to him. I think that it’s a nice addition to my family tree. It is interesting to have names and dates of our ancestors. To have something hand written by them seems to add so much.
Since I know that they wrote the words themselves, it gives the postcards and letters validity. I know that anything stated is true because it was written by the source. Facts that have been passed down through the years by word of mouth lose a lot of validity over time.
I also enjoy having something that was a personal belonging of the person whose memory lives on through relatives. Not only are postcards and letters nice to have, but it’s also nice to have a piece of jewelry or something that was used by the person themselves.
My mother has a pen that was owned by an old relative of ours. She has a photo of them and she has handwritten letters that were written with the pen. Keeping these items together, she preserves a story that is passed down anytime anyone asks about the items.
Keeping a few small personal belongings and some handwritten notes adds depth to your family tree. This is a nice way to preserve a part of the life of ancestors for future generations to inherit.
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