Three red suitcases

By Lyndall Maag.

I have heard of family historians being gifted or inheriting documents, memorabilia or an entire family archive, precious as a result of age and sympathetic attachment.  I remember being pleased and disappointed at the same time.  Pleased for them, for the tangible connection they now had with those who had gone before.  Disappointed that, while I have appreciated very much the moments of genealogical serendipity that have come my way, pieces of information that have demonstrated the types of people my ancestors were, that tactile connection had not happened for me.

Then … several months ago … it did, in the form of three red suitcases.  Their contents tell the tale of the Taylor family from Tullamore.  Letters, photographs, newspaper articles and memorabilia give Taylor descendants the tangible connection, one I have so longed for, to their Irish immigrant ancestors who journeyed from what was Kings County to Australia.  They travelled inland to Queensland’s Burnett region to become the pioneers we now understand them to be.  Their stories link me to my heritage; a fact I find both fascinating and a responsibility.

The cases are cardboard, very sturdy, and into the interior of each lid my grandad etched in blue ink his name and different addresses at which he and his family lived over a period of time.  This same grandfather marked many of his black and white photographs, writing in ink people’s names above their heads or marking certain friends with an ‘X’.    Many of the photographs are of horses, not unusual for a family well known for breaking and racing them.  An old metal cash tin, notebooks listing cheques written to family members, telegrams sent by granddad to his brother congratulating him on a TKO; the family also well known as boxers.

One of the items most meaningful to me is a collection of sympathy cards and ribbons from wreaths given by mourners on the occasion of my grandmother’s funeral.  A grandmother I never met; I was born 11 days before she died.  These mementoes have been placed in an old fashioned photo album with self adhesive pages that have yellowed as they have aged over the years.  In order to prevent any further deterioration, I should remove the cards and ribbons but my aunt put them in this album and I want to preserve, not only the items, but the context.  I have placed some of the larger items, such as cardboard photograph albums that are beginning to come adrift in Glad Snaplock bags.   This will keep the loose parts of each item contained, the bags are easy to write on with a marker pen and can be sealed to keep out dust and vermin.  According to the Glad web site,  the bags are Bisphenol-A (BPA) free but I seem to recollect hearing that they are also acid free.  If so they would make ideal long term containers for precious family artefacts.  Can anyone confirm this?

I am so thrilled to have been entrusted with this wonderful archive; my plan to share it is simple.  I aim to catalogue each piece.  I prefer using a spreadsheet, with a small photograph next to each entry to enable easier identification of each piece.  Columns will be based on author or creator’s name, item date, description, ancestor’s name and source.  This will allow me to data sort by category, identify gaps and forward plan any research I might want to undertake.  Once I am able to create a list of the contents based on date, I hope to begin a blog site with regular posts; each post to include images of the Taylor’s items beginning with the oldest and gradually making my way to the most recent item.   Now to consider layout, design and a title for the site that I hope to unapologetically use as cousin bait.  Any tips on wording, branding and how to present the content would be appreciated.