What to do with all my diaries...
 

It's about time for me to start cleaning up and clearing out--but just don't know what to do with my many years' worth of diaries. I suppose I should just toss them because my kids don't seem interested. My only hesitation is that maybe someday my grandchildren would feel differently. Although many of the entries related to my everyday activities--such as school events, dating, family problems, I also included my opinions of what was going in the world--politics, fashion, religion, trends, etc. I thought I would put this question out there to see if anyone has any solutions or suggestions. Thank you!

Toss them.

Many ideas here....
what to do with old diaries - Bing

#13. Like #6, put a file in it and take it to Coleman.



:icon_wink:

Samuel Pepys gave us the fabric of his time by his diary --it worked out well for him and historians.

My father kept a daily diary for 15 years (when I was a kid) until his death. Eventually (when I retired) I scanned all the pages so I have them electronically, and I read them. It was interesting to see his view of me as a child. Also, major events in his life (death of a close friend, him seeing a friend weekly after that person's stroke) that he did not discuss with me as a kid. The relationship with his wife (my mother) change over time. I now see something in the news about a past event and will look up what he thought of that event. In my case he typed his diary so I was able to scan them and turn them into searchable Word documents.

So I suggest you save them by scanning them (or you re-type them so there is no issue of reading your handwriting). You can then email the documents to your kids and grandkids to save on their computers. Someday one or more of them will read them and enjoy the story of your life. I have also started a diary, typed, which I will pass onto my kids and grandkids (unfortunately after my kids were grown). Scanning is easy, I purchased the cheapest scanner/printer, about $30 at Walmart. Most computer systems have a scanning software built in, but the printer/scanner came with its own. Scan each page into a PDF document, not one PDF document per page though, the scanning software will let you scan multiple pages into a single document. Break up into separate files by month or by year depending upon the number of pages you have per period. Label the documents by date and year, usually "year-month" file name so they sort in order as files on a computer.

Wow! Scanning is easy, but very time consuming. You have a lot more patience and free time than most people I know.

Thank you, CT. So nice to hear others have kept diaries like I did. And great idea to type them up and "file" them on the computer. Unfortunately I have way too many diaries and not enough time to even read them. But thanks so much for your response!

Of course that's the most practical...

Yes, that's probably what's in the back of my mind as I wrestle with this decision... Wouldn't my great grandchildren like to read what life was like for a person back in the day?? And maybe I'd even become famous like Samuel Pepys!

I'd love to have them and I would not throw them away on you. I find a persons history to be extremely interesting. What you did and experienced, made you who you are.

My father passed away last year at 94. He was a pilot both military (30 years) and civilian for another 10. A few weeks before he passed I asked if I could have his log books. He had thrown them away a few months prior to me asking. 3 wars and 6 years of being a 4 star generals personal pilot and best friend.
I was, and still am devastated. All I can think was that he knew somewhere in one of them, there were things he just wanted to take with him.

perhaps you might consider condensing the essence of your life learnings and what brought you happiness into a legacy for your grandchildren

trash them

OMG, that must have been devastating to you. Just imagine reading all he had written with such a career!

Yes, that's a great idea. Thank you.

My great aunt kept diary for 60 years, there are 15 of them. Her children didn’t want them. Since she wrote about my great grands, grands, my parents, and me I offered to take them.

For those who think they would be waste of time, I beg to differ. So much history, so many facts about years gone by. Then clippings from newspaper articles. It’s like she was still here telling me stories and little known facts about the past generations. Directions To cemetery where great grands were, and horse burial plots.

Sometimes We laugh so hard, and sometimes shed a tear. For us it’s so much history.

I kept work diary and sports diary for probably 35 years of my 40 years service. can pretty much account for every plane, engine which (numbered in thousands) I Built or worked on, and most tennis tournaments I played in .

One day I remember well when my crew ran 6 Engines across test cell. my shift started at 6AM and ended at 11pm and was back to work at 6am. I was the only one that worked double shift from crew of 5, Operation, recorder, and ground man, it took three people minimum to test Jet engine on test stand by regulation at time (before computer programs). Most got lost from the many moves. I still from time to time reread some. For me very satisfying That I earned my pay. At time it was important to me to log what when on in day, which pretty much matched shift turnover logs, which on occasions some how got misplaced when problems arise.

Diaries
 

I have kept journals for about 20 years. I am 74. When I am 75, I will read them, probably cry quite a bit, beat my drum, play my flute, and burn them with my personal ritual in my firepit. It is like my pickleball medals, which I have not taken for years when I win one, I do not think anyone in my family would care for either the journals nor the medals as I have. Onward and forward!

Got a smart phone?
 

Use your phone to take pictures of the pages. Much faster than scanning. I take pictures of old photos too. Much easier to organize and share.

You can be creative and publish your own book with the diaries. Ie Ann Frank. Or send them to a business to be scanned or do it yourself for future generations enjoyment.
K

Has anyone done any genealogy work related to your family? If so, and you know them, I’m sure they would like to have them. If you don’t know anyone personally who has, you might check with some of the libraries that have genealogical holdings... if none with a history of your family specifically - even if a few generations back - then maybe one in the area you are from originally. A genealogical society in your home of origin or the area where you spent most of your life. People often don’t become interested in their family history until they are getting closer to become a part of it. Then they WISH they had something like this. Annette Lyttle, who is a professional genealogist, lives here in TV and is very involved in all the genealogy groups here. I’m sure she could give you some ideas and possibly help you get in contact with some places with whom you could check. Her email is annette@heritagedetective.com. Please contact her before you do away with them. Good luck!

Call the Lady Lake historical society

Don't, please don't throw out your history. Maybe your children have no interest, but your grandchildren may and I can assure you that future generations would love to have a family history of your life.

My Father had a government job which came under the Secrets Act, we would all love to know what he did in life.

I used to go to antique sales in NH and many times diaries would come up for auction, I could never understand a family not being interested in their family history.

My great grandmother wrote a diary and generations later it was found and printed piece by piece in the local newspaper as a weekly event. Another great granddaughter got possession of them and I have asked for a copy and offered to pay all costs. She never replied and I know it was sent to the correct address, so all I have is bits and pieces. My mother was adopted and this was her blood grandmother she never got to know. How wonderful it would have been to read the words to her when my mother’s eyesight failed. Mom had spent most of her life trying to find her blood family.

You never know who in the future would benefit from your words. I would not trash them.

What to do with all my diaries
 

I haven't read all of the replies, so this may be a duplicate: Bury them in a Time Capsule!

I would definitely pack them in plastic containers. Talk to your children & grandchildren about what significance they are to you. I would love to have dairies from my Mother/Grandma. KEEP them & keep them in the original form. Let them worry about what they will do with them when the time comes. They may think differently when you are no longer here. Your time, hand writing & thoughts are worth keeping.

If you really can't throw them away, why bother to digitize them? It's time consuming and expensive. My guess is that nobody is ever going to read them regardless. So, just store them somewhere.

I have been journaling for 20 years, and occasionally spend a few hours reading through them. Both happy and sad memories and many stories about my grandchildren. I have my journals labeled with the years written. I loved my mother & grandmother dearly, I would give anything to have their journals to read. Their thoughts & written words would bring them back for a short time & I would embrace them. My daughters would be upset with me if I threw mine away, they enjoy the stories I read to them from several years ago. My advice to you would be to keep them. They could be a true treasure for your grandchildren.

Your grandkids may not seem interested, but they may not have room to store/keep them yet. Maybe spread the diaries out among your youngest family members and extended family. Some may toss them, but you might be surprised that these might become prized posessions for your grandkids.

Please do not throw them away! I wish so much the mother I never got to know or any of my family prior would have left me a part of them , a part of your history is the reason that your great great great granddaughter will choose some of the choices she does. Your children will change their mind also once you are gone.

Please don’t throw them out. While your kids don’t seem interested now, they may feel very different when you are gone. If you have grandkids they may want them. My mom used to write poetry. She developed dementia and in the early stages she threw them out. My heart is still broken. How I wish I had them.

I always make time for meaningful things. Yes. I have done it too.

Donate them to a genealogy/historian society.

There may be an aspiring writer that would write a story of your life using the diaries. Perhaps a school or college English teacher or librarian can help you find someone?

If your children don't toss them, they could be valuable to someone down the line. I know I enjoy learning about ancestors that died before my time but I don't think I would sit down and read all of that. I could see someone with a talent for writing books using them if they are interesting. Personally I would toss them though. Prefer not to have extra stuff lying around anymore.

I have a few letters sent by some ancestors. The most interesting are from soldiers written during the Civil War (Union side) and WWI. First hand accounts of what they experienced were fascinating.

Perhaps if the OP scans just observations and interesting topics it would leave a good and worthwhile read.

I agree with you that someday people may be fascinated by your diaries. I have a journal my grandmother kept now and then when she was a teenager, and I treasure it. The current excellent TV series “Gentleman Jack” is based on a two MILLION word diary written in a secret code by an amazing woman in England in the 1830s. James Boswell and Samuel Pepys wrote important journals, too.

I’ve just published the journal I kept from 1974-75, when I worked in the operating room of a bush hospital in Rwanda. Have a look! It’s called “They Don’t Eat Missionaries Anymore.” Lots of photos.
Robot Check

Take pictures of the pages, then store them on an external hard drive.

Here is a "very" rough estimate to hire a company to scan 10 years of diaries.

10 years x 365 days x $.08 per page = $292.