The museum also receives a lot of older commencement programs .
“ We never know what we ’ re going to get ,” Richter said .
Somebody could be moving out of their home , so the museum gets a collection of history books . Out of those , the museum might not have one of them . The books the museum has , it will sell those . There were also some Bobby Short tapes in a donation .
Also , Richter said people ask how to preserve family items , such as documents . She said they can show people how to do it , encapsulate something , or the public can purchase acid-free bags . Laminating something can cause more deterioration . Something could be framed too with acidfree materials and non-glare glass . Locally , Gary Resh with his Resh Frame Shop and also Michael and Jane Holtz with Images Framing can help frame family heirlooms to save .
These framed items then could hang in a house and not just be stored in a closet .
Through the years , technology also
WEATHERFORDS ADOPT ANCESTORS AS PART OF COLLECTION
Many researchers not only collect information about their ancestors , but also maintain a collection of pictures , items and artifacts handed down through the generations .
Among those are Rhea and Larry Weatherford of Danville .
Larry says , “ We both come from families who must have been hoarders . They hung on to pictures and family items from generations ago . But we feel honored and blessed to have them .”
The Weatherfords have taken that one step further by “ adopting ” ancestors whose families have reached a generation that no longer wants to keep the memorabilia in the family .
Above , a late 1800 ’ s picture of Rhea ’ s greatgrandfather , Daniel F . Robertson , who was a Union soldier in the Civil War , serving in the 17th KY Cavalry . Rhea has the ring shown in the photo . Photo provided by the Weatherfords
Rhea says , “ These pieces of the past tell a story while the collection is together , but once they ’ re broken up , they ’ re just random items that end up on eBay or in a store , usually unidentified .”
The “ adopt an ancestor ” idea started around 30 years ago when they came across a collection of items from a Civil War soldier being sold separately in
Left , a letter from the Riebsame collection . Photo provided by the Weatherfords
10 ILLIANA MAGAZINE | SPRING 2023