Posted by Roy Clement Jr
on 5/14/2008, 10:44 pm, in reply to "What to do with heirlooms"
4.230.159.157
--Previous Message--
: I hope that this posting might start a
: discussion. For me it is a question of
: ethics.
:
: I was interested in history &
: genealogy from at least as early as age
: 7. Because of this, I knew & had
: talked to many of the older people in
: my mother's family. I ended up as the
: keeper of the heirlooms. They often
: gave me jewelry, photos, mementos, etc.
: rather than to their own grandchildren,
: whom they said would not appreciate the
: items or take care of them.
:
: I knew few of my cousins, most of whom
: were distant. I know even less of their
: children & grandchildren. None have
: been interested in genealogy or in
: making my acquaintance. Although, now
: that it seems to be something of a fad,
: I am getting requests for my work...
: not for documents, etc... just the
: compiled work or a family tree. In one
: case, I then found my work posted under
: a cousin's name on her website. Yet
: this person was not interested enough
: to study the material in order to be
: able to answer questions from other
: researchers. She didn't give them my
: name. Didn't know anyone else
: interested in the family. So the other
: researchers found me by accident w/o
: her help. That's how I found out about
: the website, but that's all another
: issue, yet enhances my fears.
:
: I have no children of my own, nor
: neices or nephews.
:
: My fears are that if I simply dole out
: these items, they will either end up on
: Ebay or in the trash or a yard sale
: & be totally disconnected from
: their own histories. Who they belonged
: to. Who that person was. Etc.
:
: Some may be valuable... some are
: worthless (like a 150 year old hank of
: hair that belonged to my gggm. I know
: her life. I know where she's buried. I
: know that she cut her hair on her 16th
: birthday. I know why she cut it. I have
: her photo.)
:
: I also have all the items that belonged
: to my great-uncle, who died in 1911 at
: the age of 18 mos. I have his little
: toys, his baby pins & ring, his
: photo, a lock of his hair. I have the
: note written by my grandfather for his
: obituary & I have the obit. I know
: that he was a very smart little boy. I
: know how & why he died. I'm the
: only remaining person who knows where
: he's buried in an unmarked grave.
:
: Would anyone else care?
:
: I've asked younger friends. Which would
: you rather have... a new DVD or this
: 1876 history book. Invariably it's the
: DVD.
:
: I had a friend who gave her daughter
: her own grandmother's 100+ year old set
: of English Rose china, as well as a few
: pices of stoneware that were much older
: & were believed to have come north
: with the family from Kentucky to
: Indiana around 1820. 6 mos. later it
: was all on Ebay. My friend was
: devastated when she found out, but it
: was already gone. In it's place her
: daughter had a big, new flatscreen TV.
:
: So, I guess my ethics question is: Is
: it better to sell it on Ebay or
: elsewhere oneself... with provenance
: intact... & hopefully see it go to
: someone who cares for it & who
: might be interested in its history,
: etc? Someone who realizes that the
: provenance enhances it's value.
:
: Or...
:
: Should one try to keep it in the
: family, even at the risk of having it
: pass to someone who sees it only as a
: commodity or as junk?
:
:
:
Debra
Don't you sell your family heiritage on e-bay that is a sin as far as I'm concerend.
When my Aunt Mary Chandler who was a morman
passed away she had all of this genealogy material both daughters didn't want it so the daughter that was handeling everything was going to give it to me when her sister found out about it she suddenly wanted it she supposedly stored it in one of those mini wharehouses and it was all stolen supposedly. There was all kinds of material paper work pictures you name it. Gone for ever so you keep your family heiritage I am
Roy
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