Aunt Naomi Saves History

Maude Crane Melville 1898

Maude Crane Melville was an amazing family historian and oral historian for her time. She interviewed not only family members but visitors as well. In fact, many of the histories at the Territorial Statehouse Museum in Fillmore, Utah were written by Maude. She had collected many photos and historical papers as well. She was instrumental in creating a Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum in Kanosh, Utah and placing the Territoral Statehouse Museum on the historical register.

However, much of her collection was located in drawers and boxes and unorganized. When Maude's descendants got together to go through her house and clean it out, these items didn't look like much. Her daughter Naomi wanted to keep it while her sisters wanted to just throw it away. Naomi took it home and sorted through the items. She had acquired quite a collection. Her daughter, Mary Lou, made a gorgeous scrapbook with all the photos. Naomi's sisters asked in surprise where she got all the photos and she retorted, "In the papers you wanted to throw away."

 Records at Risk

Oral histories and many memorabilia items can be unintentionally or purposefully thrown away, taken to the DI, or sold off. Sometimes descendants don't realize how valuable their family history can be. How many historical records are in landfills? We are empowered when we take measures to preserve our own history.

July 1897 at Pioneer Jubilee Celebration

 Empowering Measures

Here is one example of what can be done: Rand Staples transcribed and published Maude Melville's oral histories in book form. If one takes a book to The Family History Library in Salt Lake, the library will scan and return the book within a couple of days. Then the digitzed book is placed in their magnificent online book collection. They have more than 80,000 digitzed genealogy and family history publications. Click here to view Rand's book.

To search the Family History book collection go to the FamilySearch website, click on the computer icon, then up in the catagory bar is a collection called "books". Click on it and begin searching or just click here to go directly to the search box.