Old Certificates

Birth, Marriage, Death

Moderator: Global Moderators

DavidWW
Posts: 5057
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by DavidWW » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:10 am

fmackay wrote:Hopefully this will be a temporary measure until I can get the "proper" ones.
In a couple of the episodes of "Digging Up Your Roots", starting 12 noon, Sunday 7th Jan, BBC Radio Scotland, there'll be contributions from experts on the preservation of photographs and documents. Each episode may be available for around a week after broadcast on the BBC website. Can't recall for the moment which of the 6 episodes are involved.

David
Last edited by DavidWW on Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Top
fmackay
Posts: 364
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 11:40 pm
Location: East Lothian

Post by fmackay » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:17 am

Cheers David - will definately be listening in!
Looking for
Mackay Morrison Manson - Sutherland
Bain Sinclair Gunn Henderson Levack Dunnet Lyall More Corner Miller-Caithness
Wylie Brown Louttit Banks Hourston Spence Drever Bews Irvine Whitelaw/Whitelay Linklater - Orkney
Top
AnneM
Global Moderator
Posts: 1587
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:51 pm
Location: Aberdeenshire

Post by AnneM » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:04 am

I must get onto that stuff as well as I have recently acquired some old newspapers, ration books, discharge papers and a rather nice baptismal certificate of a great aunt. Fortunately I have an ex colleague who has training in archiving but I'll listen in the the prog too. At the moment all is just piled into boxes just as it was found.

Anne

Unfortunately my aunt stuck some old postcards and letters from the 40s including Christmas menus from the forces bases into a scrap book. I could weep!!
Anne
Researching M(a)cKenzie, McCammond, McLachlan, Kerr, Assur, Renton, Redpath, Ferguson, Shedden, Also Oswald, Le/assels/Lascelles, Bonning just for starters
Top
Pandabean
Moderator
Posts: 874
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:34 pm
Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk

Post by Pandabean » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:31 am

David - Oh, I was planning to scan them into the computer today. I also have documents going back to the early 1900s upwards. Seems my family were good at keeping them and I could have saved a small fortune on SP. At what point is it safe to scan them?

As for the sellotape, it seems someone in the past has attempted this. It is quite old tape so it wasn't me :P The 1888 or 1891 one is in tatters but can sill be read.

Regarding the photographing, that may be easy enough done as I am a photographer. I wouldnt say professional but good. Hopefully getting a new camera.

Also what advice do you have for a WW2 soldiers service and pay book? I have already scanned it. I hope that wont damage it.
DavidWW wrote:I wouldn't even recommend photocopying such very old, fragile paper, as it is possible for the very bright light in a photocopier to lead to damage. The same applies with scanning.

The safest way of reproducing them is to get a professional photographer to make photographic copies.

BTW if it's necessary to repair tears, then don't ever use Sellotape (adhesive tape) but spend a few bawbees on archival quality repair tape, - you may find that conservators at your local library/archive will let you have a few inches.

Which leads into the general answer to the original query, - ask the professionals for advice!, - the conservators at your local library/archive; including their recommendations in terms of the ideal temperature, humidity and lighting conditions for storage, - daylight can damage your precious certificate, - it's that darned UV again !

David
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
Top
DavidWW
Posts: 5057
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by DavidWW » Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:06 pm

AnneM wrote:I must get onto that stuff as well as I have recently acquired some old newspapers, ration books, discharge papers and a rather nice baptismal certificate of a great aunt. Fortunately I have an ex colleague who has training in archiving but I'll listen in the the prog too. At the moment all is just piled into boxes just as it was found.

Anne

Unfortunately my aunt stuck some old postcards and letters from the 40s including Christmas menus from the forces bases into a scrap book. I could weep!!
How brown are the newspapers?, as these may be the most urgent.

David
Top
DavidWW
Posts: 5057
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by DavidWW » Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:13 pm

Pandabean wrote:David - Oh, I was planning to scan them into the computer today. I also have documents going back to the early 1900s upwards. Seems my family were good at keeping them and I could have saved a small fortune on SP. At what point is it safe to scan them?
New douments should be OK, but I believe that the jury's still out on older material.

The thing is, you're not looking for material to survive for just a few years, but decades .................
Pandabean wrote:As for the sellotape, it seems someone in the past has attempted this. It is quite old tape so it wasn't me :P The 1888 or 1891 one is in tatters but can sill be read.
That's a common thing to find, - best to have an expert look at this one, - or try phoning in to Digging Up Your Roots during the relevant programme.
Pandabean wrote:Regarding the photographing, that may be easy enough done as I am a photographer. I wouldnt say professional but good. Hopefully getting a new camera.
That sounds the route to go, then.
Pandabean wrote:Also what advice do you have for a WW2 soldiers service and pay book? I have already scanned it. I hope that wont damage it.
What's done is done. I'd be a bit concerned about these documents as it may have been the case that inexpensive paper was used, which deteriorates quicker. Any evidence of browning, especially on the edges?

David
Top
Pandabean
Moderator
Posts: 874
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:34 pm
Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk

Post by Pandabean » Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:22 pm

David the service book is in very good condition. See the image below. Not much browning to it.
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-963

There is however browning to the 100 year old certificates. One is badly browned.

My great grandfathers marriage certificate from 1915 is done on blue paper.
<image uploaded to gallery and link placed in post. LesleyB>
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
Top
DavidWW
Posts: 5057
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by DavidWW » Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:51 pm

Pandabean wrote:David the service book is in very good condition. See the image below. Not much browning to it.
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-963
The edges don't look to be in too good nick, - keep it closed, and out of light.
Pandabean wrote:There is however browning to the 100 year old certificates. One is badly browned.
Those need protection urgently.
Pandabean wrote:My great grandfathers marriage certificate from 1915 is done on blue paper.
That sounds in reasonable nick, but still needs protection, and proper storage.

David
Top
Muriel
Posts: 381
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:13 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Post by Muriel » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:29 am

Hi Andy & Happy New Year

I have an old rent book dating back into the 1700s, plus an army discharge certificate from 1792 & various other things. I took them to Rab Jackson, who's the expert on conservation at NLS. He gave me the name of a couple of restorers - I'll look them out (they're somewhere in the pile of papers & junk I call my office [drowning]) & pm them to you.

Muriel
Searching Ross - Lochwinnoch & Eaglesham, Renfrewshire; Glasgow; Glover - Paisley; Macadam - Glasgow.
Top
nelmit
Posts: 4002
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:49 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by nelmit » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:10 am

paddyscar wrote:Hi Andy:
snipped................
You may wish to photocopy the original documents, store them for safe keeping and use the photocopies for inclusion in your files or for display.

Frances
I photocopied all my original BMD certificates (oldest being an 1865 birth) and like Frances I work with the copies and the originals are safely stored away.

Kind regards,
Annette M
Top

Return to “Statutory Records”