Heritage Album

What to do with heirlooms when no one cares?

I am 60 years old with two grown children who don't want any of the the things passed down in our family for 2 hundred years. What do I do with them and all their history ? My grandmother's hand crochet wedding dress . A hand stitched quilt that used to belong to her mother in-law and made from the dresses of women in the town. My daughter's don't care about these things and others. They don't want them. Breaks my heart. That's history gone. What do I do with these things ?

Public Comments

1. Contact your local historical society and see whether these items are of interest to them. You may get a nice tax deduction.
2. if you have grandchildren or think that you might have some someday, you can always place these things in a safe deposit box or some other type of storage for them. or you might gift these things to other family members--nieces and nephews, for example, who may want them. if all else fails, you can donate/sell them to an american history museum, or auction them off.
3. Please contact your local and state historical society and see if they would like them for their museum. Another course would be to contact a auction house that specializes in antiques of this type and put them up for bid so that people that do appreciate our past will give them good homes. Have you considered nephew or niece's that may want them that way their still in the family.
4. this is a very sad story but one that i can relate to.my grandfather and great aunt used to collect postage stamps and when they died in the 60's and 70's these collections passed to my mother.when she died in the 90's nobody in my family wanted these collections and they would have been thrown into the dustbin had i not intervened.these collections are now in my possession.i have no interest in them personally but i would not simply discard them or give them away.i keep them for posterity,i don't know how much they are worth and quite simply don't want to know.they may not be 200 years old like your items but they have as much sentimental value to me as your items have to you. i say keep them in your possession,do not give them away light heartedly,they are a part of your family just as much as your children and grandchildren and when your time is up leave them in your will to someone who will cherish them as much as you have
5. Try going to the next of kin. Grandchildren first if you have any old enough to take them. Nieces and nephews and maybe their children. Keep going to the next of kin - there is bound to be someone who will appreciate the family heirlooms and history. Just skip your kids and keep checking across and down the family tree.
6. Do you have grandchildren would want these heirlooms? My grandmother had three sons, so she gave her heirlooms (a bracelet and pearl necklace) to my mother. She wanted my mom to give them to me when I got older. My grandmother's two other daughter-in-laws had married into the family much earlier, but I think she knew they really wouldn't care about the heirlooms as much. I feel very honored to have these items. Otherwise, have you considered giving these heirlooms to a friend. Perhaps one of your friends' children would appreciate the history of the items. If not, do you have a local museum or historical society. I'm sure they would be happy to display the items and would certainly keep records of the history of them. Does your local library have a display of heirlooms? While I am sure that it is difficult to think of giving these heirlooms to someone who is not in the family, I think that you can find someone who will cherish their history as you do. I am 23 and a history major. I enjoy buying / looking at antiques, especially when I can know the history of the items. I'm sorry that your daughters do not what the heirlooms, but believe me, there are many other people who would be thrilled to have them.