April 30th, 2011 at 2:27 pm (Articles)
We all have many items in our homes that are stored or set aside. Many of these are made of paper. Unfortunately if you have a flood or water leak in your home many of these items may not protected. First suggestion is to start now and find more suitable storage for paper or delicate items. Always keep any item the can be damaged by water up off the floor. You may choose to use risers of some type. The recommended height off the floor is at least one foot.
In case it is too late and you have water damage now, here are some suggestions.
Care of Books and Papers After A Flood
Dry books and papers slowly:
1. Place books on end with leaves separated.
2. When they are partially dry, pile and press books to keep pages from crumpling.
3. Alternate drying and pressing until books are thoroughly dry. This helps prevent mildew. Use a fan to hasten drying.
4. If books and papers are very damp, sprinkle cornstarch or talcum powder between the leaves to absorb moisture. Leave powder for several hours and then brush off.
5. When books are nearly dry, apply low heat with an electric iron. Separate the page to prevent musty odors. This is a tedious process which you may want to use only with valuable books.
6. When books are thoroughly dry, close them and use C- clamps to help them retain their shape.
Even if books and papers appear to have dried successfully, they may disintegrate rapidly because of materials in the flood water. Any important documents or paper should be photocopied as a precautionary measure.
References
This article was written by Anne Field, Extension Specialist, Emeritus, with reference from the USDA Disaster Handbook.
Information was listed on the Michigan State University Extension Office website. Thanks to them for their valuable information.
Thanks to one of my readers, Esmerelda, for the following article suggestion. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please feel free to send ideas to me at any time.
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April 15th, 2011 at 5:29 pm (Articles)
For many years I have worked on my mother’s line of family history. Some information is known, but unfortunately not as much as I would have hoped. For fifteen years or so I have pursued the line of my great-grandmother Malissa Johnston Warren and her line. Countless letters, phone calls, e-mails, and online posts have been made as time goes by, but with little success.
What little I had was that Malissa Johnston married Moses C. Warren on August 13, 1890 in Bates County, Missouri. At the time she was only 15 years old and needed permission from her mother to marry. There is a letter which states just that and it is written and signed by Nancy E. Murphy her mother. I also was able to locate a 1900 census record that listed Malissa’s son’s, one of whom is my grandfather Arthur Warren. He and his two brother’s are listed as living with their paternal grandmother Nancy Warren. Moses and Malissa Warren died during the years when the boys were in Elementary School and it seems they went to live with their father’s family. This is where the brick wall begins.
Once this happened and I found my self floundering, I began again posting requests online. One of the ones that I have used many times is www.genforum.com. As time has gone by I have posted the same request or at least a similar one at least four to five times. Each time I would write a post and wait. Many times I received no answer.
Early last week I decide to try again. I posted the usual information and went on about my business. Today I opened my e-mail and noticed in the “In Box” to my surprise was an email from one of the GenForum people. I felt like it was Christmas. He had sent the basic information to verify that he had found the right person and he had also included a copy of my great-great grandmother’s death certificate. Included also was the death certificate for her second husband. What a gift this was.
After my initial shock ebbed, I went back into my e-mail to send a thank you to this gentleman and I saw there was a second e-mail posted. As I opened it I noticed it was from someone else at GenForum. I had posted my request in the sir name category and also in the state listing. Well by doing both, two separate people found separate information. This lady had sent a write-up found in a listing by a distant family member of Nancy E. Murphy’s 90th birthday celebration. Included in the article was a complete list of her parents and both first husband and family and second husband and family, who attended, where all were from, and a glowing report of her life and character. This is four pages long!
As you might have guessed I was beyond excited. With all the information I just received I now have the generation I was looking for plus extras. Now I have enough information to start researching the next generation.
The moral of this story is to preserver. Continue to work on your family history. Try new things, try old things, but keep trying. Try this website. I hope you have the luck I did.
*I would like to send out a special thank you to the workers at GenForum. Their work is appreciated more than I can truly express.
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