As I sort through things I wonder why they were kept. I ran into one such item that was a mystery.
Well as it turns out it was kept by my Maternal Great Grandmother, my Maternal Grandparents and my Mother. And now I have it over 100 years later...well...114 years later. Now what do I do with it?
It is a sweet card. Turns out it came from a teacher Esther Strout, who in 1910 was a 19 year old teacher and she boarded with the relatives (August and Elizabeth Anderson) who raised my Grandmother.
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Freddie is on the left and my grandfather (Albert) on the right. The brothers were born in 1901 and 1903 they were 1 year and 7 months apart in age.
Sadly Freddie died of Scarlet Fever on Sept 20 1911.
My Grandfather never spoke of his brother to me. I wonder if my Grandfather got Scarlet Fever also, but he was luckier than his brother. My grandfather also had other siblings a sister born in 1905 and brothers born in 1907 and 1912.
Well now after a bit of research I know why this card was kept. It must have been a remnant that comforted my Great Grandmother Hattie. Something she could just not throw away.
For Not Whispering.
Far Side
Oh my, what a poignant piece of family hisstory. That's definitely something that needs to be kept.
ReplyDeleteThat card is neat. I would think it is a keeper for those very words from a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI kept some of my kids writing assignments from years ago and my brother sent me a writing assignment from my childhood age.
Those things can be a bit eye opening years later.
What to do with items like that. You cannot throw them away, yet the need to keep them is not really there. It does make it more interesting with the added story line though!
ReplyDeleteA heart warming story. You are probably right about why this was kept. You may have to keep the photo and the card together, along with the story - for the next generations.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of similar items. My solution thus far has been to digitize them first and if appropriate, attach them to online family trees for future genealogists to discover and appreciate someday. I then have a plastic tote for each major branch of my family where I store such things, hopefully to be discovered by my kids someday and mused upon.
ReplyDeleteI think I would frame the card. I can see why it has been kept.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that the not whispering earns a merit award.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot. Keep this certificate but put some information with it.
ReplyDeleteFor Not Whispering! So special.
ReplyDeleteWhat neat things. I could not trash those sweet kitties. Someone else would have to do that deed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with lots of other comments. You definitely need to keep those together with an explanation. I'm sure that she kept the merit for the reason you found.
ReplyDeleteI also kept lots of things like that for all of our kids. They each had a computer paper box full when they moved out. Now they can do with them what they wish. We just had to go through all of Mom's stuff when we moved her from the house. Also a very few of my parents things that were rescued when my step-mom died. She had burned most of our family memorabilia a few weeks after my mom died. It's a long story but suffice it to say she wasn't a nice person and moved in with my dad just 2 days after Mom died. They waited for her divorce to become final and then got married. That lady and my dad caused lots of heartbreak for my siblings and myself.
I'm glad you still have so many pieces of your family left to go through.
Blessings,
Betsy
Oh. I think you have to keep it, with a little written explanation of why it has been kept all of these years.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. That's why that sweet little card was kept. How lovely that you're discovering old memories as you sift through your mom's things. You are blessed by the goodness of those who went before you.
ReplyDeleteit's certainly a cute card!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a music teacher, and I swear, he's kept every scrap of paper his students have given him over the years. One day, someone is going to be going through his stuff, saying "What the heck?"
So you will keep the card and one day your children and grandchildren will wonder why you have it. It is a nice card with a story attached
ReplyDeleteThere is so much we hang on to!
ReplyDeleteWe did a dump run yesterday.
There is so much we save, and we owe it to family to identify it!
Oh my! That is the best reason to hang on to that precious piece of paper.
ReplyDeleteSo many things like that we all have without explanations or stories. Glad you are finding out some of them. :)
A treasure. As I work on my family history, there are so many young lives lost to things we take for granted in these times. Antibiotics, vaccinations, so many lives saved. How hard to lose your big brother like that.
ReplyDeleteMy great grandfather died of a ruptured appendix. The daily paper in our teeny tiny town gave it a week play by play from Monday to Thursday when it finally burst. What a different life my grampa would have had. He was 18 months old at the time. And ten years later lost him mother in the influenza epidemic.
I love genealogy and figuring out things that relatives did in the past. What was important to them, what life was like for them and all about siblings and other relatives. You definitely have to keep the card. Such a sweet find.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful piece of history. The illustrations are perfect examples of the era
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read the children's book The Velveteen Rabbit? It was about a little girl who got Scarlet Fever. Is that even around anymore?
ReplyDeleteAll the things of my daughter that I kept until she left home at 18, I put in a scrap book. I gave it to her last Christmas- she said it brought tears to her eyes. Precious memories to me, and to her.
I try not to keep things except old photos.
What a moving story behind that photo and card. I hope there's someone of the next generation that will keep those items and their story safe.
ReplyDeleteThat's very special. Glad it's still around.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful card and a poignant history. I agree with some of your commenters that the card should be kept with a copy of the history you just blogged about. One never knows who will treasure this after we are all gone.
ReplyDeleteYou have such great history passed down in your family.
ReplyDelete