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 His topic was the continuing restoration and
cataloging of the Shew Collection of the 19th century Lincoln Herald
newspapers.
When MKS Jewelers closed, a large stash of The Lincoln Heralds were
found in a closed room on the second floor. Donath was notified and
he gratefully accepted the donation of almost seven-hundred Herald
editions, a weekly newspaper in Lincoln in the 19th century.
The original condition of the Shew Collection of The Lincoln Herald when it
first came to LCGHS. Bill Donath is transforming this jumble into a well
cataloged and usable research tool.
The papers were in poor condition, some in flat
condition, some rolled up in “logs” that would have to be unrolled
and returned to a flat condition.
Bill Donath’s presentation on Monday evening was to
bring the LCGHS membership up to date on where he was in the
restoration process. The flat papers and posters had to be cleaned,
sanitized, and preserved before being digitized. “We have to
digitize these papers to make them easier to use in research
projects. There is so much history here,” said Donath.
The rolls of newspaper and posters have to be unrolled, humidified
to make them capable of being flattened out, and then preserved.
This is a time consuming process. Bill has cleaned 200 pages so far
out of the thousands that are included in the 700 papers. The
everyday news of Lincoln and Logan County is included in every
edition, a treasure trove of history. Something as mundane as a
wedding announcement can relate the complete family of the wedding
couple, which can provide a rich source for genealogy research.
The collection also includes political and advertising posters, the
printing of which was a source of income for the owner of the
Herald, again a wonderful window into 19th century Lincoln.
Donath is working hard on the long term project of
preserving, cataloging, and digitizing this amazing resource. “I
have had some help with this project, both members lending me a hand
in the preserving process and financial contributions to help defray
the cost of the project,” he said.
Donath welcomes anyone willing to help to stop by the
LCGHS to speak to him. “A high quality digital camera would be very
helpful,” he remarked.
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Some of the tools of the trade for the preservationist include protective
gloves, simple pink erasures, breathing protection, and a gentle vacuum.
Before cleaning on the left and after a partial cleaning on the right, the paper
went from not being legible to easy to read. This is the February 12, 1880
edition of The Lincoln Herald. “Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln,” said Bill Donath.
Donath has been a member of LCGHS for 15 years. In that time he
has been able to indulge his fascination with history in many ways. He has
served as an officer and board member of LCGHS. He has written several books
about how Logan County was affected by some of the most momentous events in
American history such as the Civil War, World War I, and the Spanish flu
epidemic. He has added preserving and cataloging the Shew Collection of The
Lincoln Herald to this eclectic mix of projects.
Donath has also preserved his own family’s history for a photo wall in his home.
“This is just what I love to do,” he said.
The Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society has its monthly meeting on
the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. They always have an interesting
speaker and the public is invited to attend. The October speaker will discuss
the Lincoln Chautauqua.
[Curtis Fox]
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