How Does Your Family Collection Connect to America’s 250th Birthday?

By Client Executive Marcia Spicer A National Milestone Meets Personal History The 250th anniversary of American independence invites big public reflection, but it also creates space for quieter, deeply personal questions. How did your family experience the sweep of American history? What did they save, record, pass down, or leave behind? A box of photographs, […]
Roots of Resilience: Why Family History Matters More Than You Think

By Christopher Morton, Archival Operations Coordinator The Stories That Shape Us One thing every family we work with at Anderson Archival has in common is a deep respect for their history. Their intention in partnering with us is clear: to preserve and share their stories with current and future generations. Too often, this understanding of […]
Anderson Archival’s Holiday Gift Guide (Updated for 2025)

For the family historian to give or receive We’re well into the holiday season this year. Are you still searching for the perfect gift for your loved ones? For those with a passion for uncovering and preserving family history, the right history-minded gift can be both meaningful and inspiring. Whether you are shopping for an […]
The Regan Miranda Hockenberry Collected Papers

“I was thrilled to find you and I was even more thrilled to realize that there actually was a compassionate institution on the other end. That’s what I’m interested in showcasing.” —John Hockenberry on why he agreed to an interview about this project. Preserving the creative legacy of a daughter John reached out to Anderson […]
Everlasting Ti Amo: A New Chapter in the Pasetti Family Archive

This post continues the story we began in one of our most popular blogs, Italian Love Letters Preserved—a tribute to the enduring love between Armando and Evelina Pasetti, captured in hundreds of handwritten letters. We recently sat down to catch up with Carla Pasetti. In our conversation, we explored how this archival journey has evolved into […]
Legacy As the Backbone of Your Family Business

By Archival Specialist Chris K. Morton At Anderson Archival, legacy is lived daily. As a family-owned business, our values are passed on not through policy, but through close collaboration with both founders and second-generation leadership. In family enterprises, legacy isn’t just sentimental, it’s a strategic asset. This isn’t unique to us. Across industries, legacy plays […]
Ways Your Collection Can Bite the Dust

Preserving history is valuable, especially for a company over 100 years old owned by the same family. MLC, formerly known as Mississippi Lime Company, embarked on a journey to safeguard its corporate archives earlier this year. The story begins with MLC’s decision to expand their headquarters office in St. Louis. In the process, they had […]
Preserving a Personal FBI History

Heirloom books capture family legacy for the future James Fletcher Thompson, an attorney in South Carolina, was looking for a solution. He and his sisters knew what the end result should look like: heirloom books they could spend time with and pass on to future generations. But how to get there? Last month, he sat […]
Honoring Multi-Generational Family Businesses – Celebrating Mothers and Fathers

Preserving the Legacy and Impact of Past Family Members Every successful family business carries a rich tapestry of history, woven together by the dedication, vision, and hard work of its founders and subsequent generations. These enterprises are not just commercial entities, but living stories of legacy, resilience, and familial bonds. At Anderson Archival, a family […]
Sarah Gibson’s Journey of Healing Through Archival Preservation – An Interview, Part 2

Sally Johnston Reid with baby Sarah. Image provided by Sarah Gibson and used with permission. In Part 1 of our interview with Sarah Gibson, we discussed finding a digitization solution that takes a different approach. In Part 2, we cover how that approach enhanced Sarah’s experience with the collection, and how digitized collections can facilitate […]