Today, I am so grateful, not only for the bright sunshine, but for the 52 degree temperature!
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So nice out that when I went out to get my mail, I walked on up for a visit with Pearl. No need for a coat. :-)
I just about went nutsy-cuckoo last night with NO Downton Abbey to watch. There was nothing else on TV. Too early to go to bed--even if the clocks said 11:00, my head said it was 10:00 and I was not sleepy. Sleep came this morning when the clock said 8:00, but I felt like 7:00. This too shall pass, not any too soon for me!!
I just about went nutsy-cuckoo last night with NO Downton Abbey to watch. There was nothing else on TV. Too early to go to bed--even if the clocks said 11:00, my head said it was 10:00 and I was not sleepy. Sleep came this morning when the clock said 8:00, but I felt like 7:00. This too shall pass, not any too soon for me!!
Got granddaughter Elise' slippers done.
She is almost 11 and wears a size 9 shoe--YIKES
Then I realized that I would forget, next Christmas
which pair belongs to who, so........
"Mom, it's time for supper."
I spent quite a bit of time yesterday, working on the family history story I am trying to write. I have the "lists" like this:
William Henry Bush
Born: April 9, 1838
Holly Michigan
Died. November 14, 1908
Holly, Michigan
on and on.....................I have all that nicely printed and set up in my big genealogy books, with their date of marriage, their wife's info, their kids.
What I am trying to get, is that information written in story form. I want the newspaper clippings, obituaries, armed services records--where they served and as much as I can about that person. I have pictures, but I have more text than pictures.
Let me tell you--back in the day, they sure knew how to write an obituary!! Like these a couple of greats back--
"At a full age, like a shock of corn in its season, Peter Walts, another of Shiawassee County's aged pioneers, passed to his reward at his home in Burns Township, on Saturday morning, May 13, after a severe and painful sickness of over nine months, bearing every trial patiently to the end."
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"Mr. Relyea entertained a great antipathy to secret societies. It is related to him that when casting his vote at an election, he would always make it a point to ascertain whom of the candidates belonged to secret organizations. He was a man of great force of character and integrity of manhood."
He's the man who at age 92, laid up with illness, hired a horse drawn wagon to come and get him to go to the polls to vote. They put a straw pallet in the back for him to lay down on, and carried him into the polling place so he could cast his ballot for Republican Benjamin Harrison, who was defeated by Grover Cleveland.
Interesting facts like that, I want in my book, so my kids can read and see if they have the same traits as their ancestors. I can see that my father did. I also found mushy love letters from my father to my mother before they were married. No one that knew my Daddy in his later years would think he ever had or especially ever expressed his feelings like that. WOW!!
I've heard the stories, seen the clippings on each individuals page in my big genealogy books, but to be putting them down in story form, is so much fun.
It's interesting that six generations back on my mother's side, were two brothers from Scotland who ran a slave ship. When Britian confiscated their ship, one went to Virginia and was one of the largest landowners and slave holders and the other brother (thank Heaven my direct ancestor) became a Methodist minister. We have had a Methodist minister on that branch, until my kids level. My cousin was the last minister in our family.
No horse thieves, nor murders in the family--I would think a slaver will shock my kids enough. Only two divorces, until my generation. Not a one of my ancestor's died from cancer--kind of reassuring. Most of them lived long lives and died of heart disease or stroke.
It is an interesting and fascinating "vocation" I am involved in right now. Gathering all the information and photos I have in several different places and putting them all into one story book.
I even have my title--"From There to Here." The legacy of our family.
I'm so glad you are enjoying this! A few years back I wrote a small book for my grandchildren about the first ten years of my life, the farm work, being so different than now, the everyday life we had, etc. It became more of a "hit" with the older people who knew my family back then. Hopefully it will mean more to the grands as they get older with families of their own. We didn't have a camera so there aren't many real pictures in the book. I posted a lot from the book on my blog under the label "Family".
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful project! You are skilled enough with words/writing that it will all fall in place as you go along. I love the way old obituaries where worded, too, and I think it enriches a family history book to use direct quotes from obituaries when you can. I read a funny as in odd obituary on Sunday. The woman who died wrote it herself. How odd to read, "I died on so-and-so date" and "my service will be at...."
ReplyDeleteWow, a slave ship owner! That really would be a shocker to find in a family tree.
That's a big accomplishment, Judy, and interesting. We have love letters that H's parents wrote to each other during WWII. She wrote beautifully. His letters were in the sweetheart category, very mushy, and you could feel how homesick he was. It's hard to think of them like that, but everyone was young at some point. So were we.
ReplyDeleteGosh, Bella, you've got material for another book in those letters!
DeleteI am doing what you are
ReplyDeletebut not as organized
just in a folder :)
So interesting
and wonder which of our children or grandchildren
will be this interested in their history.
Some of mine are
and others listen and smile...
So cool what you're doing. Instead of the cost of printing, maybe you can put the book on disk to give to your family members?
ReplyDeleteOnly 2 of my kids have computers. The other two live in the country and would you believe--very costly to get hook-up out there and only through phone. No cable at all.
DeleteWhat expressive obituaries. Expressive love letters your dad wrote, too, eh? Are you going to quote these letters in your story? (This reminds me - burn my diaries before I die. Do it next week)
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the descendants of the Virginia slave owner are an interesting lot. Since he was an entrepreneur of sorts (ugh),maybe there are other entrepreneurs down the line - in nicer businesses, of course.
ancestry research is very interesting - I got lucky and my dad found this site that went back to the 1800's and then a group on fb of our last name posted something that gave me back to 1669 when they emigrated from France to America to escape religious persecution - neat!
ReplyDelete