Thieves Steal Family History

The thieves who broke into a storage locker in Auburn, Washington, last month did more than cut a lock and steal two trunks and antique chairs. They also broke the heart of a 94-year-old woman.

In one of those beat-up old trunks lay the riches of Juanita Adkinson's family: a detailed genealogy of births, deaths, and marriages dating to 1650, all pieced together by Adkinson during 60 years of patient, plodding research.

Gone is every photograph and scrap of information Adkinson could amass about her mother's side of the family. Gone, too, are her mother's and maternal grandmother's marriage certificates, her own marriage and birth certificates, her wedding pictures and the only photograph she had of her paternal grandfather.

The full story can be read at http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/214429

Comments

[nukular]

That is just terrible. Stories like this remind me of why there is safety in numbers.

[Judith]

I agree with what has been said by other viewers. What a terrible loss and what a terrible thing to do to someone. I too have done a lot of research on my own family roots back to 1650. I have saved hard copies of my work and have a back up of all my genealogy that is posted on line on cd's and on floppy disks. It only re-inforces the fact the importance to have a carbon copy of all the work you do.I think it is wise to have copies of all written or typed work on a cd or dvd. The photo's can be saved on a disk too. Unfortunately the valued artifacts, like this dear woman's chairs and other priceless artifacts, what do you do?? You would think a storage locker would be a safe place to store those things.Indeed my heart goes out to her and her family. Blessings, Judith, a fellow researcher

[Bob]

That is a terrible thing. However, it could just as easily been a fire or flood. It's a heart breaking way to learn about the need for backup either hard copy, or digital, or both. Photos can be scanned, copied, etc. so as not to be lost. Same for documents. My heart goes out to the unfortunate woman.