Archiving after years of quiet neglect might seem a bit ironic as these documents had just been sitting in old, tattered leather suitcases and a trunk with no worry of air contamination or preservation. For years they had been shuttled from one family attic to another, sweltering in the heat and cold of each season. We moved them from damp and humid Vermont to the dry southwest of Colorado; again without having even opened the lids. Now, needing a project to keep me quiet, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to see what family 'treasure' I might find. (That story will be another entry; this story is about my newest find.)
In those suitcases and trunks were documents from the late 1700's to the 1940's. Family history is fascinating!
With this move to our new house we 'found' an old metal safe deposit box, previously not seen.
I found only snippets of information in this box. The legal paperwork without the stories. I know there are stories in all the others suitcases & trunk. Time to delve back in, time to find a few stories behind driving an ambulance in France during WWII. There is obvious pride to be uncovered.