Preserving Your History for the Future

     Something we never like to think about is the "What if something happens to me" scenario. My dad sure didn't like to think about it, nor did he like to talk about it. It was hard enough getting his estate in order before he passed. So now that he is gone, I have the job (and privilege) of going through his collection of "stuff".
     Dad was a hoarder. Not as bad as you see in the T.V. show, but he definitely did not like to get rid of stuff. And majority of the time, he knew where everything was, if it was important to him. No one was allowed to touch his stuff. I had to fight like hell just to get him to let me take his photos to digitize so nothing would happen to them. Now, there is nothing holding me back.
     While I'm going to enjoy going through my dad's stuff to find treasures, this all could have really been avoided. As much as my mom misses him, she is glad we can finally go through some things to organize them. She keeps talking to Dad's picture asking him, why he left this mess for us to handle when he could have done this himself. So she made a promise to me that she would not leave a big mess for me when she goes. And that got me thinking about my own collection.
     While I am not a hoarder like my dad, I do have a collection of family history items that is steadily growing. What is going to happen to this stuff once I'm gone? I've talked with many people recently about this topic and they have shared their own experiences where the family has just come in and thrown away so many things because it wasn't planned out or put in a will where it should all go.
     So I encourage you to go through your own collection, take stock, organize, and write down where you want everything to go. Make plans beforehand. If you want items donated to a historical society, call them first. Do the leg work beforehand so it makes it easier for your family. Talk to other family members about your collection and see who would be interested in it. The more prepared all of your stuff is, the less likely it is to be thrown out.
     For some great tips about preparing your own collection for the future, I suggest picking up the book "Planning a Future for Your Family's Past" by Marian Burk Wood. She talks about using the PASS process: 

• Prepare by organizing Materials 
• Allocate ownership 
• Set up a genealogical "will" 
• Share with heirs

     There are a lot of great tips on how to organize your genealogy materials, make decisions about your collection, and how to pass what you know to future generations. As she has on her book cover, "Keep your family's past alive to pass to future generations."
     If you are like me right now, you are stuck inside because of the weather, so now would be a great time to get started. You never know how much time you have. We barely got dad's paperwork in order before he passed. We knew it was coming, but not as fast as it did. So do it today, because tomorrow is promised to no one.