Published: June 16, 2008 11:59 pm         

Genealogy Society gives hints on salvaging water-damaged documents

TERRE HAUTE — To assist residents and businesses across the valley who are suffering from flood damage, The Wabash Valley Genealogy Society is passing on advice on how to preserve and minimize flood damage to documents and photographs.

State archivist Jim Corridan has set up special phone lines to assist the local government offices needing to salvage official government records and has provided the following information for residents in the area.

It’s best to deal with the items immediately by carefully rinsing silt and mud off the item with clean water, when possible. If not possible, gently brush sediment off items. It is crucial to completely dry or to freeze items as quickly as possible to avoid the growth of mold. Photographs should be removed from frames or frozen in frames.

Books, papers and homemade printouts of digital photographs can be safely dried in a place where air is circulating and not in a tightly closed room. You should place plain paper towels in between approximately every 15 pages or less and change out with dry paper towels as they become saturated. To dry photographs that have been professionally developed, place wax paper in between each photograph as they are drying, or lay the photographs out individually. Be aware that photographs may curl if dried in this manner, but can be flattened later. Smaller books can be stood on end on a flat surface with the pages fanned open to air dry.

Only use this method if the book is strong enough to stand open in this manner. Books and magazines with glossy paper must be opened so that every page remains separated while drying to avoid the pages becoming stuck together.

When items cannot be dealt with immediately, you should wrap each book in plastic or stack papers no more than an inch high and freeze. Professionally printed photographs should be isolated between layers of wax paper before freezing. Freezing inhibits the growth of mold. Items can be thawed at your convenience until the pages or photographs can be separated without tearing and then dried in the above manner. Continue to dry items in your preferred method at least 24 hours beyond the point at which they seem dry to touch. If items are affected by mold, do not try to clean them yourself as the mold can be a health hazard; consult a conservation professional.

The Wabash Valley Genealogy Society is concerned about Vigo County’s official records and what is being done to preserve and protect them from natural disasters, as well as from environmental situations, where they are being stored. A committee from the society is hoping to work more closely with the clerk’s office and the council to make certain Vigo County records are kept safe. For more information on the society, visit the Web site at www.inwvgs.org or contact Jennifer Cruse, Wabash Valley Genealogy Society president, (812) 877-2940.