What a wonderful legacy indeed. Thank you for carrying on the work.
Given your youth (and thus, presumably, your niece's youth) you may want to
leave open the possibility that your niece may change her view at some point in
the future.
But aside from that, I recommend selecting a well-regarded genealogical
repository to which to give your accumulated data, either upon your death or at
some point in the future of your life when it seems appropriate. If you have
the resources, it would be spectacular to have it all duplicated (yes,
everything!) and thus deposited in two or more repositories. If you choose a
bequest, you can designate the disposition of the materials in your will (I hope
you have a will; every adult should, even if single and with no children or
other dependents) and even instruct that part of your monetary assets be used to
duplicate them for multiple repositories. And, if you are so inclined, giving a
monetary gift for the endowment of your chosen repository will help cover the
staff and material costs of cataloguing, binding, preserving, etc.
You would have a better idea than I of any local Washington County institutions
that fit the bill. But because so many people cannot or will not get to
Washington County, I would recommend choosing instead (if you don't duplicate)
or in addition, one of the major national repositiories. I am partial to the
New England Historic Genealogical Society, both because it widely acknowledged
as having THE most entensive collection and the highest academic credentials of
any genealogical society, and because it has the resources to put the collection
to the best and widest possible use. Another option would be the New York
Genealogical Biographical Society. It does not cover the entire state but does
cover the Hudson RIver counties and those between the River and the New England
state borders. Other possibilities are the D.A.R. Library in Washington, D.C.,
the New York State Library in Albany (which does a great job stewarding its
genealogical/local history collection), the American Antiquarian Society
(Worcester, Mass.) or the LDS Church.
Because your collection could be a major asset (it's a little hard to tell from
your description how extensive or how well-documented it is), don't make a
decision quickly. How you are treated by the Executive Director or chief
archivist of any of these will be a good indicator of how well they will steward
your collection. If you have ties to any of the above, set a meeting with the
appropriate person to tell her/him that you are beginning to think about the
fate of your collection and want to hear her/his thoughts about your options and
specifically about how that institution would make use of or benefit from it.
Take your time, talk to a couple places (even if you are predisposed to one,
just to see what others say), and make a decision only when you are fully
comforatble with it. Then, take steps, including your will, if appropriate, to
make sure it will happen as you want it when you want it. Notify your family so
that they are not surprised by your decision, and notify the beneficiary
institution so it can anticipate the addition to the collection and can
appropriately show their appreciation during the years until it somes their way.
You are wise to think ahead about this; too few researchers do, even if they
have children or grandchildren. If you want, I would be pleased to introduce
you to Ralph Crandall, the Executive Director of the NEHGS.
This may all sound a bit grander than you expected, but do not be modest about
what you have and thus the care to take in selecting a steward for it.
Andrew Searle
Groton, Massachusetts
73712.3451@compuserve.com