In a change to our previously advertised programme, the July meeting of the Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group with be a talk by Janet Few entitled Presenting and preserving the past”.
As family historians, we are the current custodians of family memory. With each generation that passes, some of that information leaches away. We owe it to those who follow to halt that erosion and preserve as much as possible of our family heritage. Family anecdotes and memories, photographs and our own reminiscences are part of that legacy, as well as the stories behind heirlooms and artefacts of family significance. These may not be items of monetary worth but their value in our shared past can be incalculable. This talk does not focus on scientific preservation and conservation techniques but on the importance of being a custodian of memory, with a duty to hand that down, giving suggestions as to how that might be achieved.
Dr. Janet Few is a British historian, genealogist, and author specialising in 17th-century social history. Best known for her educational books, living history interpretations as Mistress Agnes, and award-winning historical fiction, she is the president of the Family History Federation.