I just
got back from Vermont on Saturday, & I can’t wait to get into this project! Before my visit to my cousin Alice, we had
agreed to focus on the Horr branch of our family and the interconnections with
our Blakely branch starting in the 1840s.
I gathered deeds, documents, a diary, photos, and several pieces of
handwoven cloth and needlework from that branch to take with me to show Alice. I set up a family timeline with dates of births,
deaths, marriages, etc. and a catalog of the letters in chronological
order. I packed one suitcase with all of
my historic treasures, including the older letters we had, from 1840s to 1860.
While we
were together, Alice & I shared all of the treasures we had, finding joy in
our shared enthusiasm. We explored the
cemeteries where these ancestors had been buried and investigated the archives
of several small town historical societies.
She showed me a way to open the letters gently & keep them in archival
quality plastic pockets. Alice will keep
the cloth heirlooms and make contact with experts at the Shelburne Museum and
the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, to find out more
about them & their historic value.
She will keep the photos, too, and scan & organize them. She has far-flung contacts who can help
identify some of these unlabeled family & friends. I brought the letters & deeds back to
Washington, but she will transcribe the scanned letters for us.
Now I can
dive into the substance of the letters!
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