Do you have boxes of old letters, diaries and memorabilia cluttering your closets? Maybe you've dreamed of transforming them into a book, or perhaps you're tempted to toss them in the recycle bin. 

These records may hold important clues to your family history -- or someone else's. They may shed light on what life was like in our town, state and nation at a time that feels vastly different from the current day.

Join novelist Cynthia "Cindy" Elder on Monday, February 9 at 6:30 pm for an interactive workshop on working with family history records. Bring examples of your own historical documents if you have them. Participants will learn methods of organization, research and archival preservation, while you explore your next steps for transforming these treasures into something that can be shared with future generations.

Free and open to adults. Registration is required.

About Cynthia Elder

Cynthia Elder is the author of the Tales of the Sea historical fiction series (The Journey Begins and The Drumbeats of War), based on hundreds of pages of unpublished letters, ship's logs and personal journals from her husband's seafaring family in the 1800s. Elder is also executive director of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust.

For more information on Elder's work as an author, visit www.cynthiaelder.com

This program is sponsored by The Barrington 250 Committee.