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April 2002
KNHP/MTU Archives series links family stories with national history
By Katie Alvord
HOUGHTON --Everyone has boxes of old stuff in the attic or the basement, says
Erik Nordberg of the Michigan Technological University library archives, but we
may not know everything we can about the stories that "stuff " can
tell us about our family histories.
At a recent series of meetings sponsored jointly by Keweenaw National
Historical Park (KNHP) and the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical
Collections, Nordberg and others have been teaching enthusiastic Keweenaw
residents how to ferret out those family histories.
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This photo of Annie and Peter Bronzo from the Michigan Tech
Archives has no date. (Photo courtesy MTU Archives and Copper
Country Historical Collections. Reprinted with permission.)
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In February and March, approximately 40 people attended each of the first two
sessions in the three-part series, "Preserving Family History." The
first addressed the importance of family history while the second covered
collection and storage of significant family photos and papers.
A third meeting, "Preserving Family History: Collection and Storage of
Clothing and Antiques," will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at
the Calumet Public Library.
The free public events, part of the ongoing "Fourth Thursday in
History" program, have encouraged families to link their own stories to
national history.
According to KNHP's Abby Sue Fisher, "Putting your family history in
context fits it into the larger picture of our nation's past."
Fisher joined MTU's Nordberg to address the crowd at the first session in the
series. That presentation, on February 28 at the Calumet Public Library,
included an overview of techniques that can be used to preserve family history.
Program attendees received copies of the 100-page guide, "My History is
America's History: 15 Things You Can Do to Save America's Stories." The
National Endowment for the Humanities publication describes several
history-preserving techniques, from keeping a journal to conserving heirlooms to
sharing family stories with libraries, museums and schools.
Nordberg described various documents that can help families find information
about the lives of their ancestors. Newspaper obituaries, property ownership
records, fire insurance maps and even criminal records can all provide clues, he
said.
"Keep good, detailed notes," Nordberg recommended to anyone
researching family members and collecting information about them. "Always
write down where you got something."
For instance, he said, if you find information on a relative in a particular
library file, write down the precise catalog numbers of that file so you can
easily find the information again.
Fisher, too, encouraged the crowd to write things down. She described her own
experiences of keeping a journal and noted how friends and relatives now contact
her and ask her to double-check her journals when they are trying to recall
facts about long-ago events.
Oral histories, correspondence, photos, scrapbooks and heirlooms can also
provide clues to a family's background, Fisher said.
"There are things tucked away in your attic that can tell you something
about family history," she noted. "Document what you know about these
treasures for the next generation, and make plans to pass them along with the
information you have."
Fisher and Nordberg also encouraged the crowd to share their family stories
with the wider community, especially once those stories have been placed in a
broader context.
"Think about your family's history, but also learn about how your family
is involved in this larger endeavor of human history, and then share that,"
Nordberg suggested.
To link family stories to larger histories, they recommended comparing dates
of family events to dates in historical reference books, as well as pursuing
"cultural tourism" -- traveling to and investigating the histories of
places where ancestors lived.
Techniques for sharing family history once it's placed in the broader
context, they said, include writing a history, making a presentation to a local
school or service organization, or designing an exhibit or bulletin board
display. Coincidentally, the walls of the Calumet Library sported "My
Family Tree" posters made by Calumet sixth graders the night the first
presentation was held.
The second event in the series, "Collection and Storage of Documents and
Photographs," covered nuts and bolts of how to keep treasured family photos
and papers intact. The March 28 session at Finlandia University's
Finnish-American Heritage Center began with an entertaining presentation by
Nordberg on how to decide which of those old artifacts we all have stored in the
attic or basement are truly worth keeping. He recommended beginning with an
appraisal of the items.
"Think about how things might be used," he suggested. "What is
valuable for the stories YOU want to tell?"
Nordberg also advised adding value to kept items by writing down details
about them: the names of people in photos, for instance, and how the photo or
letter came to you.
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Erik Nordberg, director of the MTU Archives, noted this photo
of Dan, Jim and Norman Gillespie at the Houghton Canal has no
identifying date. (Photo courtesy MTU Archives and Copper Country
Historical Collections. Reprinted with permission.)
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Brian Hoduski, KNHP museum curator, followed Nordberg's presentation with
detailed information about how to store and preserve photos and documents of
value.
"Attics and basements are the two worst places you can keep
things," Hoduski noted.
Poor humidity and temperature conditions in most such places cause paper
items to deteriorate quickly, he explained. An interior closet with no pipes
above it makes the best place to store such artifacts and protect them from
moisture, light, dust and pollutants. He described archival materials and
storage techniques that can help photos and papers last longer.
"Nothing lasts forever," said Hoduski, "but the idea is to
extend the lifetimes of our family records into our children's lives, their
children's lives and maybe beyond."
Hoduski strongly recommended against using poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) photo
pages and sleeves due to the damage that off-gassing from this material can
cause. Instead, he suggested using Mylar, which is inert. He also warned against
leaving original historic photos in light, where they will fade.
The April 25 presentation on "Collection and Storage of Clothing and
Antiques" will be led by MTU Social Sciences professor Larry Lankton and
Tom Baker of KNHP. Lankton will discuss the value that objects have for our
understanding of history, and Baker will cover basic storage and preservation
techniques.
The Houghton-Keweenaw County Genealogical Society has co-sponsored the
series. For more information, contact Keweenaw National Historical Park at
337-3168 or the MTU Archives at 487-2505.
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