Have you inherited family heirlooms that are a mystery? We might inherit Grandma’s china or Grandpa’s stopwatch and know something about their use and importance. Other items might challenge us to research them in an effort to understand more about our ancestors. I recently took Gena Philbert Ortega’s institute course, “Material Culture” and am now inspired to use the physical objects I’ve inherited to further my knowledge and understanding of their past. At the end...
Do you have a large collection of heirlooms that you’ve inherited? Have you considered a plan for passing those on to your posterity? Heirlooms have a great potential to connect our children and grandchildren to their ancestors. There is something special about trying on the dress your grandmother wore for her wedding or serving dessert out of your great-grandmother’s compote. Add a story to the object or experience, and the heirloom becomes even more memorable....
We had the best time yesterday doing this inter-generational heirloom activity. What objects from the past have you kept because they have special meaning to you? What has been passed down in your family? Do your children know about them? Kids and families can work together on this heirloom hunt to learn about the heirlooms in their family. My son recently interviewed his grandparents over video chat to fill out his inherited traits chart. We...
Do you have any heirloom holiday decorations? My mother, sister and I were all married in December and have kept the ornaments used to decorate the trees at our wedding receptions. I also have a special advent calendar that my grandmother cross-stitched for me. Every year we tie candy or activity ideas to the advent calendar, just like my mother did when I was a little girl. My husband’s stocking was lovingly created by his Grandmother....
This month for our kid’s book club we are reading Homeplace, by Anne Shelby, with illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin. This out of print gem was published in 1995 and teaches about ancestors, generations, farm life, and the feeling of connectedness we receive by physically being in a place special to our family history. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change...
Do you have family heirlooms hiding away in a trunk or cupboard? Do you know the stories behind each keepsake and have you recorded those stories? One small artifact might be an important key to understanding an ancestor’s life. Here are some simple steps you can take now to preserve the memories behind each heirloom. I am the daughter of a keeper of heirlooms. My mother has kept jewelry, clothes, dishes, books, pillows, quilts, and...
Family history and serendipity go together. Talk to any genealogist or family historian and you’ll hear stories of amazing finds – cousins who email with just the information needed, family bibles that turn up in unusual places, the headstone you find in the cemetery when you’ve almost given up searching. I’ve had my fair share of serendipitous moments, but today I’ll share just one: revisiting the house that William H. Kelsey built. As a young...
How do you help a child who has lost a beloved parent or grandparent? In our own grief do we sometimes dismiss that of our children? This week I wrote about dealing with the loss of loved ones by creating forget-me-nots, memorials to help keep our loved ones present in our lives. I thought of my sister, Nancy, and her son, Ty. He was just twelve when his grandpa died and he really suffered from the...
Losing a loved one is part of life. Living without that loved one is also a part of life, but how can you keep their memory alive in a meaningful and appropriate way? Allison Gilbert, author shows us how in her new book “Passed and Present.” (This is an affiliate link. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission). We love the book so much, we want to give...
Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Allison Gilbert’s new book, Passed and Present, about celebrating the lives of relatives we’ve lost. Enter our giveaway of the book here! Remembering loved ones who have passed away is a unique kind of challenge. We want to celebrate their lives, yet sometimes sharing memories can be difficult. We may wonder if our family members (children, teens, etc.) are even interested. As family historians, we have many stories...