Cleaning out his mom's house, Boston man finds his ancestor's freedom papers

[AllaN01Bear]

[irisblue]

1. This is so freaking cool

[chowder66]

2. That had to be pretty damn emotional.

Bittersweet, I bet.

[Lovie777]

3. WOW....................

[Deuxcents]

4. Fantastic! PBS has Finding your Roots and this would be a great guest for the show. What a treasure he has

[llmart]

10. I love that show!

So fascinating and I learn something new every week about history in addition to the great stories.

[progressoid]

5. Wow.

[mysteryowl]

6. The pride of having "A relative's freedom papers."

So very cool! I feel the pride.

The family kept it because it's so treasured and honored.



Thank you for sharing it!

[Buddyzbuddy]

7. Wow! Try erasing that from history, America.

[Figarosmom]

8. Now that is something to hand down

generation to generation. Surprised his Mom didn't show him where they were.

[Melon]

9. Wow. That's great piece of history to preserve.

[JMCKUSICK]

11. Wow!

[appalachiablue]

12. Wonderful, what a treasure! Thanks for posting.

[ShazzieB]

13. How amazing!

I hope he has that thing framed (using archival quality materials), so it can be hung on the wall and carefully preserved for posterity.

[Wednesdays]

14. Indeed,

heat, humidity, light, air pollution, and even regular air can deteriorate old documents like that.

It's why the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are sealed with argon gas.

[electric_blue68]

18. Oh! Didn't know that!

🤔 Let's see if I have this right from memory.

Argon is a ? very inert gas. So it rarely, or in very incremental amounts over a very long period of time interacts with other materials thst might damage them.

[electric_blue68]

17. Some quick info...

"For framing old paperwork, the primary archival clear materials used are UV-filtering acrylic (Plexiglass) or specialty museum glass, which protect against light damage while being inert and acid-free. For direct, close-contact encapsulationpolyester film (such as Mylar or Melinex) is the standard for long-term, stable protection.".

This was from Lineco. A bookmarking supplies company (I've bought their stuff).

Also acid-free paper like 100% cotton rag, same for the backing, any mats, etc.

As an artist on rare occasion I've read about this stuff.

And, yes, away from any sunlight coming through windows I'd guess even with protective materials!

[MustLoveBeagles]

15. Very cool

Thanks for posting

[NBachers]

16. Wow, that's a goosebumps moment. I find myself wondering about the printing process that produced the form.

[electric_blue68]

19. Wow! So meaningful! TY.

I was commenting earlier elsewhere here on DU about seeing the Woolworth "sit in" lunch counter at the Smithsonian .
How I felt History wafting around me.

I can feel it here, too, watching this.
History! What a treasure, even with it's bittersweet legacy.

And what an interesting organization!