10 September 2009

Re-read your files lately?

When was the last time you read through your old files?

I went through old correspondence (20 years and older) on my Sargent line and in there was a letter asking about someone who I now think may actually be my ancestor's sister. I replied to the letter writer, but am glad I kept her letter. It gave the name of the potential sister's husband, something I would not have had without the letter.

How many of us "really" keep old emails that might contain clues like these? How many of us actually scan or search them every so often for new names and leads that we encounter? I am starting to wonder how many really good clues are lurking in old emails. Maybe we should start searching what is on our hard drive a little more often.