General Chat

Sadly, my mother threw away most of the family photographs and gave away nearly everything that had belonged to my father. This happened in the mid 1950s. All I have of his is a silver watch and silver/gilt locket that went on his watch chain.

About two years ago I was reading his seamans record on FMP and scrolled down the page. What a shock! A photo of him taken when he was about 16 years old and about to go to sea for the first time.

Similarly, I have seen a photo of my gt.grandfather on Ancestry, this had been posted on a family tree.

Never give up hope of finding lost treasures - some kind person may just have another copy - just as long as we all keep sharing.

Absolutely Huia, I agree with you.

Last year, my aunty who has helped me a lot, sent a box by special delivery to me containing family photos and certs etc.

I scanned them all and then returned the box to her.

So now at least, I have a great collection of all the families connected to us not just one side.

I have photos of my grandmother's(mums side) grandfather! Born in the new forest, hampshire.Never seen him before until Aunty's box came.

The rest of my family are simply not bothered. Even my own mum, although has some photos which will come to me, hasnt the slightest interest in fam history.

She just lives for today.

That old expression"can't or won't" remember along with "selective" hearing often rears it's head when i ask questions!

Bob also agree with you..Yes we must write our wills. Having worked in a bank for many years a while ago, I often had to deal with families of deceased clients who hadnt written a will.

Complete nightmare especially when they had millions of stocks and shares. Applying for probate took ages and sometimes several months to get things sorted. many people think just because you are married you automatically get everything straight away. That's simply not true.

Although ,a will isn't a legal document,it is only a request and can be challenged by anyone but it certainly helps and speed up the process.

Really interesting reading all your replies.

Florence
in the hebrides

:-)

I cannot understand the miserable misers who refuse to share their photos with other relatives. Do they not realise that if their house burnt down then nobody would have any photos? If they dont have a scanner (or computer?) then they could get the local photography shop to scan the best photos onto a disc so that others could get copies printed. Anybody wanting copies could share the cost of the scanning. I have scanned all mine and printed off many photos to give to others, or put them on FB. If I lose the originals I know I could always get copies back.

Dear Florence

Hello

Very pleased for you; the sharing of memories among family members is a very has a very special bond.

It is very sad though when other family members deliberately choose to withhold photos or lose them.

I would dearly love a couple of pictures but the family member who has them would not share them at all.


Take gentle care all
Sent with love
Elizabeth,
xx

An elderly cousin of my mother died a few years ago, intestate. It fell to me as Administrator of his estate to sort it all out. At his funeral, which went from his isolated farmhouse, most of the relatives were only interested in anything of value and ignored everything else. (it all had to go through probate anyway). I was left with a couple of hat boxes full of old family stuff which has been invaluable. Photos, some on glass plates, but mostly un-named. Funeral cards were also very useful, there were dozens of them, funeral receipts, even a Will of about 150 years ago who I can find no connection to the family. (Any descendants of John Pringle out there?) And PLEASE, write a Will if you haven't already done so, if you only knew the work involved... Bob

I have very few photos of my ancestors, as my stepmother threw out the family album - because nobody wants that old stuff!! My sister was furious!

OH is luckier. He inherited a suitcase of stuff when his great aunt died, but, unlike Florence's, none of it was labelled. He split the photos into 3 lots - Those where he recognised the people, those that looked like family and those where he hadn't a clue. He has labelled all the ones he can and doesn't know what to do with the rest.

As an only child, I inherited old photos from both sides of the family. Unfortunately I combined them into one box to save space. Now I've no idea which side they are from :-|

A cousin, the daugher of the eldest daughter, has many of the family phots from my mother's side 'somewhere in the loft' but she's too old and incapacitated to go digging around up there. I'm hoping they won't disappear off to NZ to her eldest when the time comes until I've had the chance to copy those of interest.

My father's cousin has the originals from his side. She did offer them to me, but not knowing her very well, I didn't want to deprive her at that stage. Her Executor has an interest in FH - even though I may not be given them, they'll probably be kept within the extended family. It would be nice if the cousin leaves a note with them giving my contact details, but I'm not holding my breath!

Florence, you're really fortunate that your uncles family are happy to appoint you custodian of the archives :-)

I have lots if photos from my Dads side and my Gran was very good at writing on the back, who and where, which was just as well as it was usually somewhere abroad, as they lived in India, France and Switzerland.

When my mum's dad died my grandmother burned most photos including those of herself my grandad and my mum as children as well as wedding photos.i used to love looking through them.

Luckily, when I was about twelve I had been nosing through them and had " pinched " a few. So I have a couple if my grandparents wedding and one of my mum when she was about four as well as one of my great grandad, who left me his medals, so I do, at least, have them.

With no other family, aunts, uncles or cousins there is nobody else to ask that might have pictures of any of them.

As a result, I never throw a photo away, no matter how awful, just in case it is of use to someone in the future and all photos are now catalogued and explained.

A wonderful treasure Florence.

M.

Florence what a wonderful gift to receive. Lucklily my Dad was a bit of a photo buff and took photos in the 30s of family. Also, knowing my interest he passed on to me photos of older family members so i have Gt grandparents photos so I consider myself lucky. So pleased for you anyway. So sad when people burn photos and mementoes without contacting other family.

Thankyou for all your comments, very interesting.

I like some of you regard myself as a caretaker and will pass these heirlooms onto my children as it's part of their family history.

One of my aunts with whom im not really in contact with probably wont be that interested as when she moved home a few yrs ago, she"accidently" threw out her family albums!

So the 3 that I have, I havent told them about. As they have been put together beautifully, then that's how they are going to stay.

Forgot to mention, my uncle has also got WW2 medals all boxed. But the cousin who helped with all this, is hopefully coming to the uk this summer to visit me and give them to me personally as too risky bt post.

I never knew my uncle was a gunner or that he had medals, just so amazing.

Sorry for you Sylivia and LG ,so unfair to learn they were burnt, how dreadful.

I have scanned some so at least there are 2 copies.

Does anyone else have a treasure trove they were given or discovered?

Florence
in the hebrides :-)

You are so very lucky. All the photos etc are in my so called sister's keeping. She took the lot when Mother died and won't even let me borrow or even see them. She also took my own personal things such as my christening mug,bracelet and spoon. But hey she is 15 years older than me and hopefully I will be able to get them when she passes if her delightful son does not get rid of them, or indeed she has not already.

A lot of family stuff finished up in my care when mum went into a rest home. I have scanned all the photos so that they can be shared. Many were of my grandmother's English relatives from the late 19th century. There are even some of my gt gt grandparents. And I am no spring chicken. I do not regard these photos as 'mine', as I say, I am merely the caretaker. I hope nobody burns them when I die. I expect my son will care for them.

Florence ................


you are so lucky!!


w received a treasure trove from OH's mother ......... a small brown suitcase with family photos, obituary cards etc etc


BUT, in my own family


no such luck.


My mother was one of 4 children, the eldest and only girl.

One uncle died very young, in 1928. The youngest uncle was brain damaged at birth, was able to live alone but never married and died in 1990.

So only Mum and the third brother "Jack" married, and she was the only one to have children.


Jack died in 1991, one year after my brother. I was now the only member of the family still alive, and I was in Canada.

Jack had died suddenly, so I left it for about 6 months before asking my aunt about any family mementoes. I didn't want to upset her by seeming to be grave robbing.


Her reply??


"I burnt everything to do with that family after Jack died because I thought no-one was interested."



She never asked me!

Nor did she ask my brother's widow, who was in regular contact with her, and one of whose children was very interested in "the family"


Photos, some of Grandad in WW1, his medals, and who knows what else, all gone :-(

Wow Florence, that's wonderful.

What a thoughtful lady your aunt is........ if she hadn't sent these treasures to you, who knows where they would have gone.



My mother "rescued" some old photographs that her sister's husband was going to bin (after grandma died)......... and many years later her sisters were moaning about having no old photographs! When mum said she had them, they got a bit snarky.... why do YOU have them?

I think we're all dead jealous :-D

how fantastic :-D :-D :-D

Just wonderful Florence......

Enjoy your treasure trove.

That's wonderful! :-D

How fantastic is that. I like you would be so happy to have received such a gift. Enjoy them.

Thats brilliant you can put faces in your family tree .its very interesting seeing how they dressed & fashion`s of their day .I have a few old photo`s. .keep you busy for a while Florence .Take care Barbra :-)