Wednesday, January 2, 2008

terrible eating day but productive

         

            I have gotten though1 and a half closets at my MIL's.  2 more bedrooms to go...plus 2 bathrooms,  the downstairs and the basement.  Thrilled I am not.  I finally insisted on my hubby coming up and helping me in his dads closet.  Ok , other people have done this.  What do you do with grandparents and other relatives birth, marriage, death certificates?   Millions of old records, pictures, documents, bank statements.   Some date back to 1800!  They are neat to look at but!  Do I want to store them?  No.   We have letters from a relative from San Fransisco.   They are dated 1910.   Right after the big earthquake.  Does he talk about the reconstruction?  Who knows...they are written in Danish.

    I have pictures from relatives in the cival war.  Cival war bullets.  Old Old pictures.  Pictures from the 1800's to the early 1900's of Indians with my uncle who built roads.  Neat pictures, but how much can you store for the next generation to go through at your death.  I tell you this makes you want to never save anything.  It has been fascinating reading  all that we can and we really wish we could read Danish since so much is written in Danish.   Many of the pictures I can sell as they are so old and tell a history of the building of roads in the Black hills etc... but it feels weird selling old photo's of relatives.  It is one thing to do it of people you don't know.  Ya know!

     Anyway that is how my day was spend again.  Then we went out for a much needed meal.  My eating was terrible today.  I didn't eat until 6 pm and then had a piece of pizza and some popcorn.  No water.  Bad day.  I am off tomorrow again and then work the weekend.  When I am off I am listing items.  Work work.  Poor me, right, LOL.
 
   I wish this was all done and over with.  I wish it was spring.  I wish we could have the auction next week.  But we can't so I wish instead I could ride my bike.  Take care all.


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember going through my grandmother's things, and the old photographs...etc...  My mom saved photographs of people we actually knew, but there were so many pictures of women and men in hats (I was 11 years old--that is mostly what I remember) that we had no idea who they were that were tossed.  It was sad actually.  As for legal documents...etc..I would save them--may be put them in a safe deposit box?  Are there any history buffs in the family?  Perhaps a grandson or cousin would like those....  Julie :)

Anonymous said...

I have kept all my mothers old pictures. Ken says after we are gone our generations down the line will look at our old disk with our pictures on them and wonder what in the land they are since technology moves so fast LOL. Good luck with sorting out those clothes. I had that problem when my Mother died and told my brother to give or sell most of the clothes to whoever he wanted. There were a few that my DIL's family and friends got. Then the same thing when my MIL died. I donated most of them to needy people and to the Salvation Army. I had to do all of that. Her daughter didn't do a thing except get a couple of pieces of furniture she wanted and most of her pictures. It's cold here and I will be so glad when spring comes. Helen

Anonymous said...

PS love that picture. Helen

Anonymous said...

I've found similar things in Grandparent's houses before after they have passed away.  It can be pretty neat to see all of thst stuff...a living history lesson of sorts.  I wouldn't throw the majority of it away.  If you don't want to keep it, see if a museum would like to display it.  It would be a shame for things that have made it this long to get tossed out with the empty orange juice carton.

Greg

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to have that old...very cool stuff from the Civil War! I'd love that!! Old photos, and BULLETS?? If you don't want them, send 'em to me. I love Civil War memorabilia!
I know it's tough to know what to do with it all. My Mom had stuff dated from 1930's-1940's. I just keep it all in a file cabinet in my garage. I've gone through it and can't seem to actually throw some of it away. So it sits there. That should be a goal for this year, to empty out that old cabinet LOL!
Have a good day.
Pam

Anonymous said...

I've never had to clean a house out.  I'm pretty sure my mother doesn't have much because she doesn't save anything.  Me, on the other hand, I would have problems parting with all the old pictures and memorabilia.  I doubt if you would need old bank statements and such.  Ugh, I would probably keep it all in file cabinets.  Chris

Anonymous said...

Hi...just came onto your journal first time....and read about MIL records, pictures, etc...if you have a genealogy in your library or a society in your town...it would be best to give it all to them...they will file it and store it...then if a few generations down the road a family member wants to see it....they will have it on file....no storage for you....but stuff is presentable later on....I can only imagine what you are doing....lotsa work and decisions to make...God Bless and good luck...hugs from Ora in KY

Anonymous said...

All the old paperwork, I would have to keep, somehow.  I just love old family history.  But you have to do what works for you.  I think you are right in insisting that Hubby helps you out here. You can't do it on your own.  It's too much.
Take care
Sending hugs your way.
Carolxx