correspondence preservation

[malachi]

I am almost positive that I spelled the title of this wrong so please forgive me that. If this is a waste of forum space I apologize but was unable to find an existing thread which would lend itself to this topic. I can think of no better group of individuals to ask this quesiton of than all of you. My Principal recently told me of a box full of letters sent between a relative of his and that relative's wife during the war. He was in the union infantry I believe. I don't mean shoe box either. It was described to me as a substantial body of writings, and might even include his muster papers etc...
My question to you is how should the contents of these communications be preserved? I don't mean the documents themselves, but the information therein. Is there a protocol for having such things copied and sent to some central holding place for historical preservation, and if so, who and where might that be? Library of congress??? Certainly there is some institution devoted to just such things.
They are in a residence right now and I don't even want to think about how many things could destroy them there. They are our best insight into these people and their lives, in my humble opinion.
with warmest regards,
John G Tucker

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Re: corespondence preservation

John, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable people than me... but acid free paper/ box should be used to store them. Handle them with cotton gloves so the oils from your hands don't degrade them.... Other than that, if the fellow is wanting to donate them, give them to a small "public" museum. I'm of the opinion that if they do go to somewhere like the LoC or smithsonian they be shuffled into storeage and never see the light of day. Whereas (in my opinion) a small local museum like the General John A Logan Museum near here in Murphysboro, Il they could become the center piece of the collection. I would suggest finding out where they guy was from and doing a bit of research to see if there is any museums like that in the area his regiment or even company was from and go from there.... Just my 2 cents worth. Z

[Ken Knopp]

Re: correspondence preservation

Zack is right. Unless there is some significant new historical information in them about a principal officer or character of the war, then the small local museum, preferrably in the correspondents's home town or area - is the best place for them. Ken R Knopp

[Mike Ventura]

Re: correspondence preservation

If you can store them in a hermetically sealed box to keep them out of the air (drying) and sunlight (fading), that would be HUGE!

[AZReenactor]

Re: correspondence preservation

Even if the owner doesn't wish to part with them, many archives will be happy to add copies and or transcripts to their collection as a away of preserving the contents. At the very least I suggest making multiple copies and providing them to family members and perhaps even posting on the Internet, possibly in a genealogical site.

[Pennvolunteer]

Re: correspondence preservation

Another place that digitizes stuff and has a large collection of soldier correspondence is the Military History Institute in Carlisle Barracks, PA at the Army Heritage and Education Center. They could also offer advice. The Website is;

http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/index.cfm

[CSchneider]

Re: correspondence preservation

There are numerous online resources that cater to collectors and family historians that provide basic information on proper document handling and storage. Just one of them: http://history.utah.gov/experience_h...ts_photos.html.

Museum supply companies like Hollinger, Gaylord, Talas, and University Products have the proper containers to store such materials. While they normally sell their products in bulk to museums and archives, Hollinger and Gaylord also offer "Family Archive Kits" that include small amounts of the variety of basic materials that are needed to care for a collection of documents. http://www.hollingermetaledge.com/mo...dept=1&cat=345

http://www.gaylord.com/adblock.asp?abid=8099

Regarding handling paper with gloves, while there are certainly differences of opinion, I believe you'll find most archivists today agree that the best practice is to avoid cotton gloves. Gloves are unwieldy, slightly abrasive, and can lead to the accidental damage of paper. Freshly washed and thoroughly dried hands, and a light touch, are usually the way to go. Photographs and many 3-dimensional artifacts are a different story...

And yes, either donating or scanning and making available to the public is a great way to preserve them. If the paper can be unfolded easily (I wouldn't doubt it--19th Century paper is oftentimes in much better shape than the crummy paper made in the first half of the 20th Century), use a color scanner, 600 dpi, save as a .tiff.

-Craig Schneider

[J. Donaldson]

Re: correspondence preservation

The best way to store the letters is to unfold them completely and lay them flat in an archival, acid-free folder. Keep them in a dark, climate controlled area to prevent environmental damage by excess in temperature and humidity. By all means, transcripts from the originals should be made to share with the family and for research purposes, but do not photocopy or scan the documents unless you can have this done by an archive. The light will damage the ink and paper, leading to further deterioration. As to long-term storage, start with the state historical society of the soldier's home state to see if they are interested, and then move down from there to local organizations. University libraries are also excellent repositories that will allow open access to the public and will ensure proper storage and preservation techniques. Also, as your info shows that you live in Georgia, the Atlanta History Center might be of interest if there is no local or regional archive closer to you.

Here's a couple of quick links for more information.

Smithsonian Pamphlet

National Archives

One last thing. No matter how great an idea it seems, never, ever, EVER laminate a paper document. Yes, you can read it, until the glues and acids destroy the document in question.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: correspondence preservation

Another thought about donations to local small museums: I'd research and investigate how they will handle, preserve and keep the items. I've seen one such institution that kept their Civil War collection piled in and disorganized in a cardboard box. (This box contained letters, cdvs, cased images, among other items.) None of it was in archival folders/covers, etc. In such cases an individual may be more capable of preserving the collection with the right knowledge and archival materials.
While I’m sure they are well intentioned, some smaller organizations simply do not have the finances, staff and other resources available to properly take care of certain collections. This is surely not the case for all and many are certainly capable of keeping such a collection.
By all means I’d recommend sharing scanned copies of the items, with or without the originals, as often times these institutions have the potential to get that information shared with the public through displays or their website.