I had a wake-up call this morning. My one-year-old standard poodle, Bix, and I came down to my office to start work for the day. No sooner had I sat down at my computer when I heard him chewing on something. Thankfully I didn’t ignore the sound like I sometimes do; I immediately investigated. There was Bix, lying on the floor chewing on page 34 of the epic 37-page letter my grandfather wrote my grandmother in 1927. Bix responded to my thunderous “NO!” and dropped it, but the damage was done.
At first, I couldn’t figure out where he got it. I looked all around for where I had stored that precious letter. I found it up high, stored loose on top of the Adams archival photo box in my office closet. That’s right, on top of the box. (How lazy can I be?) For some reason, that particular page had fallen off the top of the box and Bix noticed it on the floor. I hurriedly put it back and started plucked bits of paper off of Bix’s legs. Before I knew it, the page fell off again.
Clearly, this is a very poor way to store a delicate item that’s precious to me. I’ve already scanned and transcribed the letter, so the torn words aren’t lost to me. But I’m heartsick that my carelessness resulted in damage.
So I’m taking action this morning to properly store the letter. It’s shameful–I even have the supplies on hand to store it properly. I actually have acid-free tape, which I picked up at a genealogy conference, so I will see if I can tape the fragments back onto the damaged letter. I consulted my copy of How to Archive Family Keepsakes, by Denise May Levenick, so I know I should carefully unfold the letter and store the pages flat, in order, in an archival file folder inside an archival document box. As soon as I post this, I will take care of it.
Do you have any precious inherited items that you could be storing more safely? I encourage you not to wait until you get a wake-up call like mine: take the time to properly store them now. If you need help on proper storage, Denise’s book is excellent.
Ouch! That happens, Janine. I’ve found things in odd places too, but fortunately my cat would rather lay on top of papers than chew them.
You mentioned trying to repair the torn letter with acid-free tape, but an easier (and preservation-friendly) method is to encapsulate the torn fragments between two sheets of polyester plastic. The static electricity in the plastic sheets keeps the plastic together to hold your items in place. And it’s totally reversible at any time. Just open the plastic enclosure. You can also seal the edges with double-stick acid-free tape, not touching the paper. If you don’t have this kind of plastic sleeve handy, an alternative is to place the torn sections between two sheets of acid-free paper and store the packet flat inside a box or book (just don’t forget where you put it!) until you can get the polyester sheets at an art supply store or archival supplier. Over time, even acid-free tape may break down and leave a residue or discolored mark; encapsulation avoids adhesives completely.
Good luck, and thanks for the shout-out about my book. I’m glad you find it helpful. ~Denise
Denise, I was hoping you would read this and reply with advice! I’m afraid I already used the tape–do you think I should take it off? Bix tore off three little pieces, one of which is still missing.
Janine – just wanted to let you and your readers know that the National WWII Museum in New Orleans is looking for original letters from service members and their families. The letters will go into their archives for historians to study.
After much thought, soul searching, and consultation with my family, I scanned all of my grandfather ‘s letters, postcards, and photos. Then made a digital copy onto a USB drive along with the biography I wrote on his war time experiences and donated them to the museum. Of course, I kept a digital set and backed it up onto two other drives. This freed up space in the safe for other records and will hopefully serve more people than had I kept them. I am certain their archival methods will preserve them better than I could and we felt that this was a better way to honor his and his familiy’s sacrifices for our country.
Thanks for all you do to help us find and preserve our families’ history!
Steve
Steve, thank you for sharing that information! I think it’s wonderful that you donated the original letters to be preserved by the museum and studied by historians. I think that’s a wonderful way to honor your grandfather. If I had letters from WWII relatives I would definitely consider doing the same and I encourage readers to give it some thought!