ONE HUNDRED YEARS HENCE

[Maz]

I also think paper is probably the way to go (and maybe also stored on some sort of computer program). I have letters that my grandfather wrote from the front in WW1 to his then girlfriend (later his wife) and from the hospital after he was wounded - unfortunately they were written in pencil and are slowly fading away. I have typed a copy of them so they won't be lost altogether but holding these letters gives me a very special feeling.

Lucky for me my great grandparents also wrote a few letters from Scotland to the family in Australia - usually to tell of someone dying or getting married (which helps with the genealogy) - some of these I still have and they are nearing 100 years in age.

But I think another good way (which is probably now lost) is listening to the older folk talk about family. As I have said in a previous topic I lived with my grandparents and was the recipient of many stories of the 'home' country. Sunday afternoon usually consisted of some friends from the the old country coming over and playing cards and talking about Scotland (these afternoons also consisted of tea drinking and later in the night whiskey drinking which lead to some 'special' stories which I probably should not have known about at my age but have been a great help in tracing my genealogy). Unfortunately our lives have got too busy nowadays and people don't have time just to sit and listen.

[trish1]

Further on to this topic, we were discussing at home, what are the 3 biggest inprovements in your life time.
We had a variety of answers, one of mine was online searching, so therefore computer technology.
What do othere see as the 3 biggest improvements in their life time?

wini

1. the pill
2. air travel affordable to all
3. digitisation of information

In regard to the original question
I still have every personal email I have been sent since we got out first home computer capable of same 1998. When my mother passed away, to my regret I realised I have destoyed all her snail mail letters. She taught me well to answer a letter and then destroy it!

I have so much more family information on my computer than I would ever have on paper. When new media becomes available, I make new backups on the new media. If others want to continue when I die - they will have the option.

Trish