Update 2/27/24 – Handout
Recognizing and Sharing Family Treasures
Selected Resources
African American Treasures: A Preservation Guide. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Smithsonian Institution, 2007.
Attics and Basements and Closets, Oh, My!
https://www.artcons.udel.edu/about-us/family-treasures-series
Brinkhurst-Cuff, Charlie. “Discovering Black Family Heirlooms and the Stories Behind Them.” New York Times, 19 June 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/19/insider/discovering-black-family-heirlooms.html
Family Treasures ToolKit
Family Treasures Notes
Family Treasurers Time Capsule
Family Treasures General Preservation Supply List
Family Treasures ToolKit
African American Treasures: A Preservation Guide
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/african-american-treasures/individual-toolkit
Horowitz, Bruce. “12 Things Your Kids Actually Might Want to Inherit.” AARP, 4 Aug 2021
Long, Jane S. and Richard W. Long. Caring for Your Family Treasures. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.
Miles, Tiya. All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake. New York: Random House, 2021.
Miles, Tiya and Michelle May-Curry, et. al. “Heirlooms, Redefined.” New York Times, 17 June 2022.
Preserve Your Family Treasures
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/african-american-treasures
Save Your Family Treasures
https://www.fema.gov/assistance/save-family-treasures
Tips for Preserving Your Family Treasures
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/tips-preserving-your-family-treasures
Bessida Cauthorne White
February 25, 2024
The Middlesex Museum and Historical Society, Inc. will celebrate Black History Month with a presentation by Bessida Cauthorne White on Sunday, February 25, at 3:00 PM at the Middlesex County Historic Courthouse, 877 General Puller Highway, Saluda, VA.
Community and family historian Bessida Cauthorne White will discuss the use of family treasures to explore and communicate family and community history and to shed light on the broader African-American story. She will share a myriad of treasures from her own family history journey. White will talk about the various ways that she uses family treasures to interest and engage persons of all ages in the pursuit of family history as well as how family treasures will be used in the upcoming African-American Businesses in Middlesex County exhibition at the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society. Attendees will learn how they can offer their own treasures for inclusion in the exhibition.
Family treasures are highly valued possessions that may have been passed down from generation to generation or may be newly acquired or created. They hold special meaning and tell stories about family members and their experiences. They can be almost anything, including jewelry, furniture, housewares, clothing and textiles, photographs, books and documents, tools, musical instruments, artwork, medals and awards, ephemera, etc.
The discussion will include how to identify family treasures, and how to inventory them, document them, and establish their provenance. Examples will be given of the use of oral history to identify treasures as well how to glean information about items that might have been stored together and/or have a similar source. The session will provide examples of creating a narrative for each treasure, and will include tips for researching treasures about which little is known.
A handout for the session will include resources for identifying and preserving family treasures. The public is invited and admission is free. For further information, email info@middlesexmuseum.com or call the Middlesex Museum at 804-758-3663.
