LOL...and The Stationary Stones.
Random Thoughts 3
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My great-grandfather (Mr. Henry) wrote a letter to my great-grandmother (Essie) in September 1926 asking for her hand in marriage. I own the actual letter: four brittle, ivory pages from a Steno pad scrawled in pencil; his jaunty words tilting forward, as if in expectation. It's enclosed in the original faded sparrow's egg envelope and postmarked with ALABAMA in smudged black ink. He can't wait until the day he can "take the train into Birmingham" to see her and hold her, he writes, and he lovingly chides her for threatening to "stomp that girl" who was goading her into a fight at the river; he winks and throws her kisses. I can scarcely believe it's almost a century old.
(Anyone else own any old photographs or family letters? I'm fascinated by family history chronicled in diaries or letters.)
(Anyone else own any old photographs or family letters? I'm fascinated by family history chronicled in diaries or letters.)
We have lots of photos and letters. I love family history as well.
When were teenagers, my uncle and I found a letter to my Grandma from some guy named Shorty, who had been in love with her forever. He wanted her to run away with him, but she loved my grandpa and her nine children, and told him No.
Once when my uncle got mad at grandpa, he showed me the letters and said he bet that he and my youngest aunt were really Shorty's kids because they both have blue eyes and light hair....the rest of us have brown eyes and dark hair. I laughed and laughed, because not only does my uncle look just like grandpa, grandpa's eyes were the most beautiful blue-gray color I've ever seen.
That's so funny. Do you still own the letter? Most of the fun and excitement comes from figuring out who all the different names are (and whether they are kin) and using photos and additional information to piece together the puzzle or some kind of narrative. Interview any living ancestors whenever possible. Many of them hold a critical clue and don't even know it.
Yes, my uncle still has the letter. He has all of them and most of the photos. Since he was the baby of the nine, the house and everything in it was willed to him.
Since I'm the favorite, (not bragging, just stating the fact), I'll inherit them along with whatever else he tells me to take. I only want the photos. letters, and the few little items that only have meaning for us when we were kids. He has a shelf of things he's told his wife to give me when it's time.
On another note, my Mom recently gave me a document that my grandma's sister gave her showing that side of the family tree. The interesting thing I found there was the name, Dillinger. I can't wait to do the research on that!
Oh wow, you never know! (Didn't King write a story about Dillinger?)
Glad you have evidence for tracking your maternal heritage...that can get tricky. Keep me posted on what you find. US Census records can be very helpful, I've found.
My grandfather once received a typed letter and signed by Adolf Hitler. When Germany basically took control of Slovakia they were looking for people who emigrated to the US and worked in various industries. He said my grandfather’s loyalty was to support the Fatherland now and he was expected to come back to the old country and provide his knowledge learned in the steel industry. This was before the US entered the war. My grandfather ultimately responded by sending his only son over to fight Hitler on D-Day. After my grandfather’s passing my one cousin got the letter... I got a gold watch he received as payment for some carpentry work he did during the Depression, that I still have.
Incredible! You're not joking? Maybe you can at least get a copy from your cousin. I should create a thread for this subject; it'd be cool to have a 'show and tell', especially for items such as your gold watch. What a treasure. Sometimes journals and old letters in an ancestor's voice can be worth more than gold.
My wife’s father is the current keeper of the ‘Family Bible’ (I never knew what a Family Bible was). The thing is massive and must weigh around 20-30 lbs. It’s from the 1700’s and is written in German. The wife will become the keeper of the Family Bible after her father and it will become her responsibility to record subsequent information of family generations in it, until she passes it on to someone else.
My dad is making a scrapbook of old photos I guess we own. We have a picture of some man and woman on our wall, I guess it's maybe a great grandparents on some side.
One of my cousins got my grandmother's recipe box after she passed away. She was looking through it not long ago and found a letter that our great-grandmother wrote to Pillsbury about having a secret ingredient she always added to their angel food cake mix that everyone raved about. She got a letter back (along with her original handwritten letter) saying they were glad she enjoyed their cakes but were not taking recipe suggestions at that time.
My aunt said they should have taken the suggestion because they were good cakes. I don't know what the secret was, it was never written down and my great-grandmother said in her letter she never told anyone what it was!
That's staggering, Dio. Are each previous family member's name recorded inside? I can't imagine owning a book that old, let alone a bible trickled down through hundreds of years.
LOL...dang it, I also want to know what the secret was. How cool is that?One of my cousins got my grandmother's recipe box after she passed away. She was looking through it not long ago and found a letter that our great-grandmother wrote to Pillsbury about having a secret ingredient she always added to their angel food cake mix that everyone raved about. She got a letter back (along with her original handwritten letter) saying they were glad she enjoyed their cakes but were not taking recipe suggestions at that time.
My aunt said they should have taken the suggestion because they were good cakes. I don't know what the secret was, it was never written down and my great-grandmother said in her letter she never told anyone what it was!
I don't even know where he lives. Haven't talked to him in over 10 years.
My father was part of the military contingent on a Liberty ship during WW2 in the European theater and he was a Gunner's mate for the big rear deck gun. After delivering supplies to Europe, avoiding U-Boats, the ship would bring back German prisoners to the US. Most prisoners were just happy to get out of the war and have food to eat. My father was always kind to the prisoners and often provided them with candy and cigarettes. But the German soldiers were too proud to just accept the gifts. They demanded they somehow pay for them. Since they didn’t have anything my father accepted the only thing they could offer… insignias and metals from their uniforms. I still have them all. He was part of the famous trip where several ships brought SS soldiers back to the US. There was great fear as these were considered the fiercest soldiers of all so they tripled the military contingent on the ships. My father said they ended up being the most well mannered, pleasant and disciplined prisoners he saw during the war. I still have the SS and the Skull collar uniform patches and an Iron Cross from that trip.
Yes all family up to her Grandmother and Grandfather and some of there children is recorded. She'll add the names and birthdays from there but she doesn't know baptism and confirmation dates. I guess that was a big thing in the past.
Dude, that's amazing. Your father must have kept most of those stories close to the vest. Glad he shared some of his experiences with you.
I bet it was less than 10 times he ever talked to me about the war and only when I asked him questions. Although the only action he was in was from attacking aircraft, ships and U-boats he didn't like to talk much about the war. I also have a Type I Japanese rifle (made in Italy for the Japanese navy because their army used up all domestic small arms manufacturing) from the war, that he got out of an armory in a massive cave that housed kamikaze mini subs. That rifle is long. I'd say it was a foot taller than the average Japanese soldier. I also have some pre-war Japanese and French paper money. It really is something how colorful and beautiful their currency was even back then.