Inventorying & Cataloging Home Sources

The home sources album is good for insurance purposes as well as for preserving background information. It provides a photographic record for the identification of possessions and can help to manage an otherwise overwhelming collection of artifacts or written materials. The amount of organizing and the system you employ will depend on how many home sources you have. Small collections can be grouped by type: artifacts, wearables, or photographs. If you have a Bible, two diaries, several letters, and a journal, the category might be "communication or written." Larger collections of a single category can be subdivided chronologically. Regardless of the type or amount of material you possess or the system you adopt, organizing possessions makes good sense and enables you to effectively use the information without excessive handling of the objects. Substituting photographs of home sources (especially those most often referred to for research purposes) allows you to place the originals in a safe location.

After the collection is divided into categories, the inventory begins. Design a simple inventory form that has headings for inventory date, person or persons conducting the inventory, category of home source, and its ultimate destination. List each item, provide a description, note its condition, context (where it was found or is usually kept), any genealogically relevant information it contains, and whatever is known or surmised about its origin.

Computer database programs provide an excellent way to organize such information. A carefully designed database will allow you to print a list of holdings in a variety of ways: by type of object, by date or origin, by name of original possessor, or by present or future caretaker, for example. The database can be enhanced by adding similar information on all family holdings-even those that some family members may refuse to share or exchange. Family members who cannot bear to part with objects may permit photographs or written summaries to be made. They are more likely to do so if, in exchange, they receive similar information from other holders of home sources.