There is nothing damning about it? Half of HN would immediately start throwing paper into the BBQ if the city requested access to personal documents.

But ALL family photos too? That smells rotten.

It's not an uncommon occurrence after a nasty divorce or a death. It smells less rotten when you learn that people generally regret doing it to some extent. Box full of memories into the fire in a fit of rage/grief.

Why burn photos of yourself, though, at an advanced age?

I do genealogy. Of the family members that were born that long ago, we have pictures of maybe 1/4. It's not at all certain that "all family photos" amounted to much.

I'm just imagining having to turn over my google photos or emails to a government archivist, and I would for sure tell someone to sanitize it before giving it over.

If my records are over a hundred years old already, I hope I'll be far enough past embarrassment that I'm able to say "Take it, it belongs in a museum"

It doesn't damn her as a person, but if you're gonna claim to have won the lottery twice in a row, I think you had better have the receipts or people can safely assume you're either lying or confused.