It's All Trew: Modern red tape outgrew family Bibles, tin boxes

Once upon a time, family records of births, deaths and marriages were kept on a page in the family Bible. Expenditures and income were kept written on the back of a feed store calendar hanging on the wall or in the Farmer's Almanac. None of these entries required more than a few lines of space to be clear and precise. If you were fortunate enough to own land, you might have a few pages of abstracts or deeds denoting your ownership. Since most bills were paid by cash or barter with few receipts involved, most people had few "important papers" to protect and secure. This usually involved placing all in a big manila envelope and storing in a closet. The Crash of '29 came along with the Depression, the Dust Bowl and the New Deal programs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which required all types of forms to fill out and keep in order to participate. The New Deal forever changed the way America did business. The "dole" was not free. Most government checks, loans and assistance had to be paid back or at least accounted for. Almost overnight, important papers multiplied. Taxes due were based on the amounts of income and operational expenditures which required good bookkeeping and receipts. These papers were best kept for years in case of audit. Social Security arrived, making more papers. Banks began requiring financial statements before making loans. Suddenly, the storage of important papers grew. Penalties and laws put teeth into the need for secure storage...Amarillo Globe-News