Scrap Paper and Orphan Documents in Archives by Melissa Barker (PDF Edition)

Genealogists collect mounds of documents about their family history. Many times, these genealogical documents are handed down or inherited from other family members. Among these mounds of documents could be scrap paper with information that doesn’t make sense to you right now, but might in the future. There could also be documents tucked in those boxes that don’t seem to belong to anything else; these are referred to as orphan documents. As genealogists, keeping these scrap pieces of paper and orphan documents is important because we never know when they will help us tear down a brick wall or help with other genealogical mysteries. So, they are filed for the future when they will come into focus for us and our genealogy research. Archives and archivists also have scrap paper and orphan documents. They too understand that these records will one day help a researcher and they are important to keep and archive. Genealogists should be looking for these scrap pieces of paper and orphan documents in archives.

The Scrap Paper and Orphan Documents in Archives Legacy QuickGuide™ contains useful information including case studies and success stories using these types of records as well as how to locate scrap paper and orphan documents at archives and repositories. Also included are links to websites and resources covering terminology, resources, books, articles and more. This handy 4-page PDF guide can be used on your computer or mobile device for anytime access.