We're back!

It’s been a long while since you have heard from me about the Lufkin Family Archive. I confess to being both distracted by everything else in my life, and by feeling overwhelmed by the project. However, I am starting anew, and this post is intended to recruit my extended family's moral support, time and energy.

My commitment is to preserve, index, store and make readily available to you (and your heirs) all the materials in the Lufkin Family Archive. Here is what I can tell you right now:

1.      I have letters, photos and papers from Edith Hall Lufkin, Harry, Anne, and Bernardine and many others. These include letters and journals.

2.      These items have come to me over time from Anne High, Edie Sanchez, Jim Lufkin and others.

3.      I am preserving them with archival-grade storage, along the lines recommended by the Society of American Archivists.

4.      These items are stored safely in a climate-controlled space: my second-floor study. They are on shelves, not the floor, and the air is not humid or overly-dry. They are in a good place, in other words, and will not degrade more than absolutely necessary.

5.      I have broken down the major tasks of the project into smaller pieces so I can get a grip on them. First, I have to finish getting all the pieces boxed properly for preservation. Then I can start scanning everything so that it is all available digitally. Much still needs to be done to complete the process of indexing and boxing the materials.

Here is how Lufkin family members can help:

1.      An advisory board: I would like to have an advisory board of perhaps four people, at least one from each branch of Edith and Harry’s family (Ham’s, Nat’s, Dexter’s, Anne’s) to help with steering the Archive. In particular, I think such a board should make the decision about where the Archive goes when I can no longer keep it. Also, if any funding is needed, the Board can decide how to fund it. Are you interested in serving on such a Board? We would not need to meet in person, but could meet by Skype quarterly, perhaps. Each Board member could be succeeded when necessary by someone else in their branch of the family.

2.      Transcription: If you are interested in helping to transcribe handwritten letters, you can help make these items much more accessible for everyone. I will supply the digital files, you can let me know your contact info and how much you might be willing to do.

3.      Web site development: We talked about this years ago, and I really dropped the ball. But I need help to get all the materials out there. The vision is to develop a web site that will include several parts:

a.      genealogical information;

b.      current family news – which I hope will include ways for family to get together, as well as births and deaths;

c.      catalog and index of the Archive;

d.      the letters, photos and papers themselves in digital form;

e.      this blog, attached to the web site.

For this to work, we probably need several functions to be filled: Administrator of the site; editor of family news; editor of genealogical information. I’m happy to do the blog and edit the materials themselves and the indices thereof.

4.      Visit: Yes, my hope is that people will actually come see the archive and use it for research. The digital versions will all be out and available to the public. But if you’re like me, you like to see the items in person. You are welcome to do so. It’s not cheap to fly to Syracuse, but it is cheap to stay in Syracuse. And if you’re just one person or two, you can stay in our house.

You'll be hearing from me more often now. So spread the word, and tell the people on your side of the family.