Family Heirlooms and Decluttering

Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash

​Perhaps it is our unseasonably warm winter weather, but I find myself thinking about decluttering and organizing. I’ve recently started watching an interesting television program “Legacy List” with Matt Paxton. As keepers of so many genealogy items, do you wonder about how and what you should save and value? Let’s look at some of their ideas.

The concept behind this program is to assist people who are undergoing a change: downsizing, moving, dealing with inherited home and contents, or trying to get a handle on their possessions. I feel like we all need help with that whether we do family history or not. Anyway, the person is asked to make a Legacy List which is a list of 3-5 items that they want to find and keep because of the personal meaning and importance of the item. Think of Grandma’s love letters to Grandpa, Dad’s war medals, a special photo album or some other item that brings back great memories. I’ve thought about this a lot since watching this show and must admit that I struggle with whittling the list to five items.
 
Matt Paxton has authored a book to help people think about decluttering and choosing what to keep as well as how to dispose of items. It’s called “Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff.”  I haven’t read it yet, but it is on my list. You can learn more
MLL (mylegacylist.com)  I do like that they have ideas and resources available on their website.
 
While this won’t solve how we will deal with our plethora of genealogical papers, photos, and memorabilia, it might help us to think a little bit differently about how we plan to pass on our legacy of stories, research, and items.
 
Here are a few more articles related to family heirlooms/decluttering.
Letting Go of Other People's Stuff: How to Declutter Family Heirlooms | Organize & Declutter (unclutteredsimplicity.com)
17 Family Heirloom Ideas to Pass on to Your Children | Cake Blog (joincake.com)
Passing Down Family Heirlooms: 25+ Items to Save For Your Kids - FamilyEducation
What to do with Unwanted Family Heirlooms - SAGE ORGANIZING CO., ORGANIZING + LUXURY MOVE MANAGEMENT
 
I hope this topic gives you some ideas related to your genealogy and family heirlooms or even decluttering non-geno items in your home. Enjoy the process.