Archive for Family History
Apparently these family-letters posts are all I’m using my blog for these days. Some day I’ll get back to posting other things too. This week in my family history project: A letter from my father (about birthday presents and parapsychology), a letter from my mother (about Marmite and winter clothes), and a postcard “from” me […]
I’m posting four cards and letters this week instead of the usual three; this week covers the rest of our family’s 1971 trip to Philadelphia to see my mother’s mother. It also features the first two letters “from” me—at least one of them includes at least one direct quote from me, but I’m otherwise uncertain […]
This week in my family history project: A letter and two postcards from mid-1971. The letter is a Mother’s Day thank-you letter; the postcards were from a trip to see Marcy’s mother in Philadelphia. mid-May, 1971 A Mother’s-Day thank you, a couple of poems, and an update on Jay’s weaning status. “How can a respectful […]
Letters from both of my parents, from late 1970 and early 1971, about what the family had been up to, and about Christmas and materialism and such. November and December, 1970 In which Marcy writes about the war in Vietnam, the materialism of Christmas, and the importance of staying connected with family. Also includes unusually […]
Thank-you letters from my parents to various people, plus assorted updates about education and business and money and us kids, plus some odd what-appears-to-be-sniping at George and Helen that I don’t have context for. August 2, 1970 In which Marcy thanks a cousin of Helen’s for a gift of Canadian money. And then tells her […]
A brief letter and two postcards from my mother, with assorted quick news and thank-yous. March 29, 1970 In which Marcy sends photos of Jay, and some thank-yous, and assorted other news. “Jed was absolutely delighted with the card – he just latched on to it & kept holding it & we had to read […]
Including the first announcement of my brother’s birth! January 26, 1970 In which Marcy asks for baby clothes and advice about using a wringer washer, and writes about food, and rehabilitation, and sundry other things. “How is it that we never have any time? If wishes were horses, if turnips were watches, if sitting down […]
I don’t seem to be posting anything other than family letters here lately. September 23, 1969 (postcard) In which we move again. “[Jed is] fully weaned & very happy, got his own trike this weekend, but can’t quite reach the pedals yet.” December 29, 1969 In which Peter is really interested in the idea of […]
I knew that we had moved around a fair bit when I was a kid, but until I looked at these family letters, I hadn’t realized quite how often: We moved at least five times before I was 18 months old. (And to a different town/city each time.) I’ve started mapping our moves; so far […]
This week in my family history project: Three letters from my father to his parents from early 1969, in which my parents become members of a Japanese church. But before I link to those letters, I feel like I should give some context that I left out last time. (Content warning for parental death.) Those […]
As I mentioned in a recent post, my brother Jay gave me an amazing cache of family history earlier this week. A bin full of all sorts of stuff about our father, Peter, and some stuff about our grandparents, George and Helen, and various other family items. A bunch of photos; I already have copies […]
Here’s the second installment of my childhood-stories project. I intended to post this yesterday, but the day got away from me, so here I am again with #TBT on a Friday. If I don’t manage to switch to Thursday by next time, then maybe I’ll just make it always on Fridays. In 1972, after graduating […]