Journal Preservation with a Digital Camera or Scanner

Carl Cook's Journal beginning in 1911 was rebound in 1989

  While visiting my grandmother I started reading my great grandfather's journal and I did not want to put it down.

My great grandfather's life in 1911 was busy, filled with daily tasks.  He farmed grains and grew gardens.  He gathered wild berries for jams and pie.  Hunted for game and raised some cattle on their Wyoming homestead.

He helped tend his children when they were ill, built caskets for others and for his own children when they died.  One of their babies died of whooping cough.   

He attended to others needs as a Bishop and concerned neighbor.
He travelled for meetings.

He took care of his civic duties by encouraging others to vote by providing wagon rides to the polls.
He was a good hardworking man. 

Fostering genealogical interest in family members begins with the stories. 

Later his stomping grounds came closer to my current home.

He hunted and camped just off of my back door step where I roamed with my children during youth conference a few years ago.

He slept in his automobile in the canyon.

Then in 1943 his travels took him to Ogden to work at the Depot.

 

His journal entries were simple and brief in earlier entries, but as he got older his writing developed beyond quick daily happenings and entries that resemble a weather almanac. 

What a treasure!  His example is so helpful! 

His example encourages me to write even if my entry is only a line or two.

How could I give this back to my grandmother without making a copy to preserve it?

The pages can be viewed easily using a photo viewer on your computer.

 I set myself up rather simply.

 

My set up consisted of a large fluffy towel to support the book, a black lawn chair and a nice sunny day under our covered porch.  I got out fresh batteries and set to work.

I took about 360 images of the book.

In places where the ink was faded or the writing was small I took two images of the page, one upper and one lower.

The pictures can easily be viewed with a photo viewer program.

I have not cropped them or adjusted them at all, but that could be done if needed.

 

Now the journal is ready for transcription.

My goal is to transcribe the journal, but for now it is preserved.

I plan to share the journal with others in my family by copying the images onto disks.

What a blessing it is that he took the time each day to write a few words.

 



 

 

Pigs in the Garden

Did your mother teach you that it is best to avoid a fight if you can? 

Mine did.

Apparently my grandfather understood this too.

Share what you find.

It does not have to be complicated. 

Now that this is preserved I can share it simply by copying a disk or I can post it online to be shared.

Isn't technology wonderful!