As time goes by, we lose more and more family members, and each one leaves some kind of legacy. It is our job as genealogists to help ensure that this legacy is passed on. There are many ways to do this — by sharing a story, a date, or a photo.
My husband’s family is very good about visiting cemeteries to honor those passed. I am trying to do my part by sharing stories and photos. This has been a hard year, as we have lost many friends and family in untimely deaths. It has brought to mind the importance of passing on what we know and have while we have the opportunity.
Family Searcher – By Nina Brawn
Some of my grandchildren and those of my siblings have begun to show a stronger interest in learning more about the family history. This is very rewarding to us, as we have spent a lot of time gathering all our bits and pieces. Cindy’s 7-year-old grandson, Sebastian, wrote an essay about the Mayflower Pilgrims. How exciting to be able to tell him that one of our ancestors came over on the second ship and to share the – now out of print – children’s book which talks about the Pilgrims fearing pirates as that ship drew near Plymouth.
It seems like every child at one point; (usually after discipline) fears that they were adopted and unloved. One grandchild was quite relieved to see in a cherished photograph, her strong resemblance to a great-grandmother. This sparked her interest in learning more about the woman’s life, and the great-granddaughter is now an avid genealogist.
As I look around, I see bits of our history and it makes me happy to see them. When I visit my daughter, I see the amethyst glass compote which belonged to grandmother, Irene Briggs. I never knew her, but as holidays draw near, my own granddaughter and I laugh as I share some of its history. My, now deceased, sister Sandy related that Nana would make a “plum pudding kind of thing” every Thanksgiving and serve it in that dish. She said it tasted terrible but she always pretended to like it.
One of the pieces of family history I had let slip and not thought about until recently is tracking artifacts. This year’s losses have made me realize that some sort of accounting should be done, and done soon. Our Aunt Margie had the original photograph of our notorious great-grandmother Kittie Gallagher. Margie passed it on to her daughter, who died recently, and no one seems to know what became of this treasured family heirloom. Other family bibles and treasures have disappeared over time.
Hoping to counter this trend, I will begin by making a list of what I know has been passed down, who it came from originally, what hands it has passed through and where it now rests. We do not have many pieces with monetary value, but the sentiment and history is even more important. If any of you have a system you have used I would love to hear about it. As always, your comments, questions and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Editor’s note: Columnist Nina Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft, who has been doing genealogy for over 30 years, is a freelance genealogy researcher, speaker and teacher. Reader e-mails are welcome at ninabrawn@gmail.com. The Aroostook County Genealogical Society meets the fourth Monday of the month except in July and December at the Cary Medical Center’s Chan Education Center, 163 Van Buren Road, Caribou, at 6:30 p.m. Guests and prospective members are always welcome. FMI contact Edwin “J” Bullard at 492-5501.
