One of the great joys in researching a family history is the unexpected find. Usually this comes in the form of a photo album, scrapbook, journal or box of documents that we stumble upon, something that adds depth and breadth to our work.
Imagine, then, the joy at Haas Library at Western Connecticut State University. Brian Stevens, the university's special collections librarian and archivist. Stevens recently retrieved 67 boxes of books about Connecticut from the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Historical Society.
The Brooklyn Society, which was founded in the 1860s, has begun weeding its collection to focus on Brooklyn, Long Island, and other parts of New York.
"It's nice to have,'' Stevens told Eileen FitzGerald of the Danbury News Times. "All of this Connecticut material previously was invisible in Brooklyn, and now it is in a local collection in Connecticut, where it can be used."
Once the material is catalogued, it will doubtless be a great resource for the people of Danbury and Connecticut. But I have great empathy for those who did research in Connecticut while such a valuable cache of information sat in a library in another state.
This is one of the frustrating parts of researching family history – you never really know where you’ll find information that can push your project to another level. This is true in families as well as institutions. Do you really know where your own family information is? You might be surprised.
Writing prompt for the day: Survey your own family members to try to determine what family information they have and will share with you.
Imagine, then, the joy at Haas Library at Western Connecticut State University. Brian Stevens, the university's special collections librarian and archivist. Stevens recently retrieved 67 boxes of books about Connecticut from the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Historical Society.
The Brooklyn Society, which was founded in the 1860s, has begun weeding its collection to focus on Brooklyn, Long Island, and other parts of New York.
"It's nice to have,'' Stevens told Eileen FitzGerald of the Danbury News Times. "All of this Connecticut material previously was invisible in Brooklyn, and now it is in a local collection in Connecticut, where it can be used."
Once the material is catalogued, it will doubtless be a great resource for the people of Danbury and Connecticut. But I have great empathy for those who did research in Connecticut while such a valuable cache of information sat in a library in another state.
This is one of the frustrating parts of researching family history – you never really know where you’ll find information that can push your project to another level. This is true in families as well as institutions. Do you really know where your own family information is? You might be surprised.
Writing prompt for the day: Survey your own family members to try to determine what family information they have and will share with you.
Larry Lehmer is a professional personal historian and legacy planner. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.
Flickr photo courtesy of vieux bandit.
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