Nothing’s more sentimental than a bundle of handwritten letters, especially old love letters from your grandparents. If you’ve recently discovered a stack of old letters, it’’s important to take precautions in order to properly preserve the pages. Here are several tips form professional archivists and historians.
1. Work on a Clean Surface
Before scanning through the fragile papers, be sure you’re working on a clean surface to avoid any damage. In addition, always wash your hands to ovoid transferring oils.
2. Preserve and Archive
We recommending preserving old and fragile papers in either archival boxes or metal filing cabinets. This will help protect the documents from light, heat, dust, or moisture.
3. Digitize
Perhaps one of the most important part of saving your grandparent’s love letter, digitizing will help preserve these pages for future generations. We recommend using your a scanner app on your smartphone or a flatbed scanner.
4. Maintain Original Order
To avoid any confusion, maintain original order in an envelope. Remove any rubber bands, paper clips, or staples.
Visit a Real Genealogist, Not a Salesman
Let Heritage Consulting’s genealogy services help you maintain and preserve vital records. We have a highly skilled staff of expert genealogists who have helped hundreds of people like you, with finding their ancestors and learning more about them. We can also help you with estate research and probate research. Contact us today to learn more about our genealogy services.
