10/15/2026
October is and Family History Month too. Archives hold the stories of people, families, communities, and more. Archives connect people—to their past—to their present—and to their future and to each other. Archival materials are the documentary evidence of lives and events, and the facts used to interpret those lives and events. They don’t have to be big and fancy. They are the things created during the everyday lives and actions of everyday people and organizations. They offer direct insights into the events as lived—and can be as simple as a recipe for a favorite family soup or even a text witnessing a memorable event. Often, it is family photographs or home movies, an old ledger, scrapbooks, cookbooks and yearbooks, or that special letter from a loved friend that still makes you laugh. Exploring the story of your family and your community is fun. Saving your story today makes a difference What is your story?
Archival records, like the kinds of things that are saved, preserved and made available to all in the Meekins community archives and local history collection, help to strengthen our collective memory and protect people’s rights, property, and identity and more. This month we celebrate the stories and collections that connect us to each other.
The Society of American Archivists shares that “historians and genealogists rely on archival sources to analyze past events and reconstruct family histories; businesses use the records to improve their public relations and promote new products; medical researchers utilize records to study patterns of diseases; Native Americans may use archival records to establish legal claims to land and privileges guaranteed by federal and state governments; and authors use archives to acquire a feel for the people and times about which they are writing. In short, archives benefit nearly everyone—even those who have not used them directly.”
The Meekins has many collections that can connect you with our community to explore in the library or virtually from this link:
https://meekins-library.org/local-history/. Some favorites are:
Williamsburg High School Yearbooks, “The Tattler”:
https://meekins-library.org/williamsburg-massachusetts-high-school-yearbooks/
Stereographs of the 1874 (May 16) Mill River Disaster:
https://meekins-library.org/1874-may-16-mill-river-disaster-flood-stereographs/
Williamsburg (Massachusetts) Annual Reports of the Town Officers:
https://meekins-library.org/williamsburg-massachusetts-annual-reports-of-the-town-officers/
And information about whole slew of people, places, maps, events, objects and more in our About Haydenville and Williamsburg collection:
https://meekins-library.org/about-haydenville-williamsburg/
This October, for American Archives Month, visit Meekins in person or link in to connect, and see what Meekins has to offer you. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist and photographer. ; .
