Put Your Wishes In Writing

Are you prepared for “The End,” genealogically speaking?

One day each of us will die. We know and accept that fact. Many make wills and feel pleased to think we have left instructions for everything.

Everything? Think again!

Perhaps all your personal and family affairs have been tended to, but what about your genealogical papers, files, books, records, notes and all the clutter and unfinished business of a working genealogist? Have you a plan to dispose of that, or will you leave it to a bereaved family member or friend to do?

If you really think your collected material is worthwhile, leave written instructions about its final disposal. The best way to ensure the safekeeping or proper disposal of your genealogical data is to mention it in your will. Be specific about your wishes. Spell out what goes to family and what goes to the local genealogical society. (Nothing should go to the dump!)

Have you checked with the local genealogical or historical society to see if they want your material and in what form will they accept it? Most surely they will refuse binders and boxes of miscellaneous notes and copies.

Turning over your genealogy to a public repository means that others might want to use the material, and it’s up to you to donate it in an organized fashion so it can be used.

If you don’t take the time to organize your material, who will? Does your family know what’s real family history and what’s research notes? Do they know what to keep and what to donate? If not, you might as well put it in the Dumpster yourself.

I ask this in my classes: Where do you think all those photos, scrapbooks, diaries, letters and papers come from that you see in antique shops and flea markets? They end up being sold to strangers because nobody took the time to plan for their proper disposal. Family came in and shuffled everything off to a yard sale.

Isn’t that sad?

So, make a Fourth of July resolution to get your collected family history organized and plan for its disposal. The end might be nearer than you’d guess.

On a parallel topic, Alice Smethurst of Pullman wrote to ask, “How do I get copies of my ancestors’ wills?”

When your ancestor died, his will was brought to probate court by his survivors. Then began probate, a process in which the courts followed the requests of the person who wrote the will. The will and all probate documents are filed in a packet in the courthouse.

Write to the courthouse and request that workers check their indexes for your ancestor’s name (which they usually do for free) and ask if they will photocopy just the will from among all the probate papers (maybe yes, maybe no).

Sometimes they will copy the entire file at $1 or $2 per page - and the file could be 100 pages - but they usually don’t have time to study the file to find just the will.

A better method might be to see if a member of a local genealogy society will visit the courthouse and look at this file for you. Often, older files are on microfilm and are rarely available elsewhere.

Great question, Alice. Thanks.