Show and Tell # 10

Today, I'm joining in on the fun again for Friday's Show and Tell, hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home.

And I know ideally, the rules are to post pictures we've taken of items. But in this case, I am bending the rules just a tad, to show pictures that have recently been sent my way.


I don't know how many of you are fascinated with genealogy and learning about your own family trees... but I think I have been from the time I was a little girl.

I knew a lot about my mom's mom side of the family. We have old photos and tin types that go back 150 years!

And I know a little about my dad's mom (my special grandmother whom I called Gammee) and her side...not a lot, but a little.

But as for my father's dad's family? Only that my grandfather has two brothers, one being an extremely successful aviator engineer. Other than that- Nada.

Well, this week I got a little surprise when I received an e-mail from a gentleman I never even heard of- out of the blue- who said he was at the genealogy website where I had posted some family tree info.
I had almost forgotten I had done all that last year! But to make a long story short, this stranger turned out to be, indeed, related to me and in fact, we share the same great-grandmother!

This new-found cousin is related on my father's dad side, and within the past couple days has sent me numerous pages via e-mail of our family tree, photos, and documents!

He even included a photo he had of my own daddy at about age 12, standing with my grandparents. It was one I think I remember seeing before, but so amazing that it was in the possession of someone I hadn't known before!



But the great thing about this for me is that it has closed a big gap in my family tree. I was always so curious about this side of the family and knew virtually nothing.

When my dad was alive, he would sit down with me and say things like,

"You know, I really wish I could have my grandparents all back so I could ask them questions about how life was like. So, be sure to ask your Gammee lots of questions- and me, too- while we're here and can answer them."

But for some reason, not much was said about my dad's dad's family.

But now, I know names going back this line in several directions- including one line that goes back to a soldier in the Revolutionary War!
And more recently, of the great-grandmother, Jennie, whom just recently has become known to me.

I couldn't figure out how to copy the two close-up photos of her he has sent me for some reason.
But here's a sampling of what I received this week...


A photo of a store my great-grandparents owned in 1914 (when my grandfather would have still been a boy) :
My great-grandparents, I believe, are posing in front... and notice the advertisement on the side "CocaCola relieves Fatigue"... :)

And with the scanned, typed letter that my great-grandmother wrote to her sister in law in 1939, I get a tiny glimpse of who she was....and of the pre-war fears - especially of mothers- that prevailed at the time...
(I'm showing just the last page here.)


I'll quote a small part, starting on page 1:
(She is widowed by this time, and living with one of her sons- my grandfather's brother.)

"...he wants to get to back into designing and building, but I'm afraid this war will spoil a lot of things for us. Surely hope the U.S. can't get in it, it would take the best we love. I would like to get a chance at H*tler- it would be worth one's life to save our boys.
I have three of war age, God spare them.
Seems that we no more than get a new crop of boys, then along comes a nasty war to take them off."

It was amazing to read this piece of history- and from my very own great-grandmother's heart.

As we all know, just two years later we would be attacked at Pearl Harbor- on our very own soil- and the patriotism that prevailed was inspiring.
And as it happens, today is the anniversary of that day which will live in infamy.

I don't know about you, but it's fascinating for me to think about the fact that our ancestors- everyone who came before us- were real people with real feelings- not just black and white images in gilded frames. It's interesting to wonder who they all really were...what they were like...

And to sort of get to know one of them for the very first time.