Our Ancestors were real people!

[Margarett]

I had an interesting day yesterday. I was helping my Mum to rearrange some stuff in her cupboards, to make things that she uses a lot more easily accessible. In one cupboard was a bag of cards, which included her engagement and wedding day cards, from nearly 60 years ago, as well as cards sent to her and my dad when I was born. Lots of them. I couldn't resist going through them all, one by one (which made the job a very long one!!), but it was wonderful to see cards written by aunts and uncles, grannies and cousins, long dead, who I have never known, except as names on my tree. It's so easy to forget that they were ALL real people, with real lives, not just names, dates and occupations on a census, or certificate, and seeing their handwriting, on those old cards, really brought that home to me.
And, yes, we did get those cupboards rearranged. Eventually!

[Antie Em]

What a wonderful inheritance

[Annie]

I would have enjoyed reading all those things Maragaret, I have a string of beads that belong to mt great grandma and I never thought much about them till I started my family tree, I often take them out now for a look at them .

Annie

[linell]

Absolutely agree Margaret, I have photo's, letters, postcards, some jewellery going back over 100 years, feel very privileged, some of the letters mention Cradley Heath people, I must get around to finding them on the Census, they may connect to someone on the BCC Tree. Happy days from Linell.

[snoopysue]

I'm so envious!

I know what you mean though. I'd always been told negative things about my great grandfather by my nan. But the more I've researched into him and the times he lived in, the more I've come to realise that he was more complicated than he seems. I'll never know the true story, but I can form my own impression of him - and it now differs from the one my nan told.

[Antie Em]

And you can love him xxxxx

[Margarett]

I think it was one card in particular that made me feel like this. It was one to my Mum and Dad on their engagement, from my Dad's Uncle Stanley and Aunty Abbie( Stanley Adams and Abigail nee Lowe, both on BCC tree) . I never knew them, and seeing a card written by one of them really affected me.
Another thing I noticed, was how little choice there must have been in the card shops in those days! There were so many the same, but the pictures are beautiful, and the cards, which I don't remember seeing before, are all in lovely condition. The paper and card is quite thin too, but of course, some things were still rationed.

[Antie Em]

You are sooooo lucky

[snoopysue]

And you can love him xxxxx

Yes!