By Kenneth H. Thomas Jr.
For the AJC
Genealogists, researchers and writers can spend a lifetime pursuing their interests, but have they made any real plans for their valuable files after they are gone?
An article by Patti Albaugh addressing this point, “Writing a Codicil to Protect Your Genealogy Collection,” appears in the September/October issue of Family Chronicle magazine, available at bookstores or at http://www.familychronicle.com.
The author covers the idea of making a list of genealogy papers as well as family heirlooms, and who should get them. If you can’t leave it to a family member who will care — and for many people there just isn’t anyone to leave things to — then pick an institution.
With papers, you should specifically mention the repository to which you wish the materials to be donated, and it’s always best to check ahead of time to make sure they will take them. Most archives will not take unorganized papers; some will not take genealogy papers or notes, but others will.
You also should name someone in your will to make sure these wishes are carried out. Even if your executor is your child, a sibling or a spouse, that does not mean they will do the right thing when the time comes, so pick someone who will follow through.
from The Atlanta Journal – Constitution, September 21, 2011
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