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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: ellie1789 on Monday 15 April 24 20:06 BST (UK)

Title: Old documents - what to do?
Post by: ellie1789 on Monday 15 April 24 20:06 BST (UK)
Hi there,

I stopped my mother throwing away some old documents when her stepfather died. He was the last in his family for a few generations. As the documents are of no relation to me, I’d like to send them somewhere that they’re more appreciated. They range in type - some probates from the 1830s, mortgage documents from the 1900s, planning documents etc. I’m more wanting to preserve the probates as they’re all original with the wax stamps etc. Would I be best taking them to an archive centre? Trouble is they cover various places in the Midlands and Worcestershire. I wish I had more time to research the individuals and find closer relatives, but I think the archives may make them more accessible to others. They however might not be interested. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance
Title: Re: Old documents - what to do?
Post by: CaroleW on Monday 15 April 24 20:19 BST (UK)
Have you checked the Surname Interests Board to see if any other RC member is researching the same family?  Scroll to bottom of page & link is under TOOLS

If you have Ancestry access - you could check if anybody has a Tree for the people involved and may appreciate having the docs
Title: Re: Old documents - what to do?
Post by: MollyC on Monday 15 April 24 22:54 BST (UK)
Ask Worcestershire or Warwickshire Archives for advice.

Archives are often held as collections which do not relate to a single archive authority, but it is the entity of the collection which is important.  If placed in a public archive they are available to anyone who may be interested, rather than having an uncertain long term future in the possession of one person.
Title: Re: Old documents - what to do?
Post by: ellie1789 on Tuesday 16 April 24 08:35 BST (UK)
That’s what I thought. I’ll message them to see if they’re interested otherwise I’ll try to send them to a distant relative I find online. I don’t have much time for research anymore which makes it hard. The main surname is quite common - Taylor