Saying Goodbye to the Past...

Clang! Clang! Clang! I imagine my Dad pounding on the sickle section using the anvil as a brace or my Grandfather practicing his blacksmithing skills on this very old, heavy anvil. After our family auction, the anvil would become part of another’s history. 

As genealogists, we tend to focus much of our time on capturing dates and data about our ancestors. While all these facts help us learn more about our ancestor, sometimes it is the “stuff” that triggers the best memories. 

Whether you grew up in a home in town or a family farm, moving is an impactful change. As my family gathered and sorted in preparation for the auction and move, items conjured up memories. My Grandma’s White Sewing Machine stood among the boxes of sale items with its mission style cabinet encasing a beautiful machine.  The golden embellishments worn from years of Grandma sewing for her eleven children. My aunts told how they became proficient sewers on that treadle machine and I know they continued to make their own clothing well into their eighties. 

Are you starting to think about your own family heirlooms? What will happen to them when you move? Perhaps a sixty-pound anvil might not make the move but think of the many treasures that have already survived decades: sepia photographs, a floral tea kettle, a battered trunk or even Grandma’s sewing machine. These objects are great memory triggers when capturing your family’s history. Take time to collect, document and capture mini-histories, fun stories and events that tie them back to your family history. 
Here’s your challenge:

• Identify objects that have meaning to you and/or your family.
• Take pictures of them and document what they are and why they are important to your family.
• Ask family members what they remember. 
• Incorporate stories about how these items were significant to your own family histories.
• Create a Book – perhaps a digital book or a photo book to share with your family.
• Have fun! 

Heirlooms often do not have any monetary value but intrinsically they are a treasure trove. While we may leave the past as we say goodbye to a significant place and objects in our lives, we have the power to bring stories and memories forward with us for ourselves and future generations.

p.s. Yes I did keep Grandma’s sewing machine but sadly could not keep the sixty pound anvil. But I do have the pictures and stories and memories to take with me.

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