May I expand on this topic, yet again?

Putting aside photos of people you don't know for future generations to have... Why? If you don't know them, they certainly won't. And there's no way to find out who those people are. Anyone who might have had even an inkling of their names or their stories is most likely dead.

Don't burden future generations with stuff. Stuff they don't need. Stuff they don't want. Stuff that will only cause generational guilt and will continue to be passed along to the next person. But for what? It's just taking up space for no reason.

I highly recommend Marie Kondo's book on getting rid of clutter. I understand that photos have a way of tugging at our hearts - but seriously - there is no love from the photograph's subject for you - you were probably born after they died and they'd have no idea who you are.

There is no "love" in those photos. They're just pieces of paper with images. Throwing them away or burning them - or even selling them to antique vendors or on eBay - is fine. There's truly no need to keep them, especially if you're only "hoping" a relative will want them.

The same goes with ANYTHING that's left behind. I am an only child. My mother was an only child. Her mother's siblings had no children, so EVERYTHING that could be "passed down" went to my mom and then to me. At one time I had five sets of china and silver, and three sets of crystal. I had eight sets of everyday dinnerware. It was ridiculous.

When my dad died (my mom had died years prior), we had a 6-hour estate sale and got rid of EVERYTHING. What didn't sell went straight to Goodwill.

The burden of survivorship is hard enough without the expectation that someone's "wishes" or "expectations" will have to be honored.

Yes, this is a soapbox topic for me.