Ephemera: something of
no lasting significance –usually used in plural
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. (http://www.m-w.com : accessed 8 January 2014).
Ephemeron takes on numerous forms:
posters, business cards, letters, tokens, advertising and postcards. Some
pieces carry the memory of our grandparents. Other pieces carry the
recollections of the business down the street. If we destroy the ephemera, we
may destroy the memory tied to that tangible item for ourselves and the nugget
of existence for those to follow. When this ephemeron is gathered, what do we
call this pile? Perhaps we call it a collection of memories or an archive for
the future? How about a cemetery of ephemera? This blog is intended to
help those of us who desire to build and grow upon the ephemera in our lives.
We can preserve the past in the present, for the future. We can assist others to
create something worthwhile.
So for those delving into research,
genealogical and historical, this is a place for you to learn and collaborate.
While the cemetery is a place of unanswered questions, so many people are
there, but they will not answer the questions you might inquire. Ephemera
provide vast answers to our questions, but at the same time may create even
more questions than the answers they provide. Ephemeron is quite unique. As you
have no doubt heard, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” as well as “a
picture is worth a thousand words”. Ephemeron was not produced to be saved for
a prolonged length of time, yet ephemeron is vastly faceted in what information
it can provide and an invaluable tool for historical research.
So, you ask, does this blog have to
do with ephemera or cemeteries? It deals with both! Ephemera Cemetery has two
historical applications; that of short lived ephemera and of the small
cemeteries abandoned and soon nonexistent. The ephemera in our lives may be such
that some do not care what becomes of it all, yet others feel the need to cling
to these remnants. They are carried away by the nostalgic reminiscence
and desire to preserve this history for future generations.