Do you know or remember your grandparents

[logcabinmama]

Just how far back can you remember, do you know or remember your grandparents, great-grandparents or some maybe great-great-grandparents?

 

 

[Linda]

i remember all four of my grandparents. I was the first born grandchild on my dad's side and the second grandchild on my mothers side by two weeks.

both my grandmothers lived into their 90's. and grandfathers lived in to their 70's

 

i was close to my dad's mother, she helped raised us kids. she didn't have any health problems til she reached her mid 60's.

 

my grandpa on my mother's side loved to play board games.my other grandpa raise the best sweet corn and watermelon around.

 

i know that they had a big influance in my life... even my great grandmother that i had never met but heared lots of stories about she lived to be 99.

 

 

 

[gardnmom]

I was blessed to know both sets of my grandparents. My mom's parents: My grandpa died when I was 16 and Grandma Jeffers when my second daughter was 2. Grandpa Jeffers married at the age of 34, to his cousin Henretta Jones when her parents died , she was 17 and they raised 5 of her brother and sisters and 13 children of their own. 4 still living. My Mom was # 6

My Dad's parents: Grandma died when I was 13 and Grandpa when I was 22. They raised 7 children they are all gone now. My great-grandmother Lehman was a native American, who died young in an accident during a log jam.

[Homesteader]

(POSTED BY MOMO)

 

I only met 2 grandparents, they were both my grandmothers. One Grandmother I only saw twice and she died when I was 10(I was not allowed to go to funeral) and the other Grandma lived until I was 36. I saw her weekly after I had grown up and moved near her.

 

Only after doing my genealogy did I discover that both of my Grandfathers and a Great Grandma were alive during my youth. I had been led to believe that they were dead by my parents. One Grandfather died when I was 4 and the other when I was 29. My Great Grandma died when I was 14. I never got to meet any of them. My parents were strange. I don't understand why they did this. What's funny to me is that some of my cousins were also told these tales.

 

Maybe my folks are anti-grandparent or something. My son was their first grandchild (out of 2) and they never took any interest in him either. That's the main reason I moved away from them. I didn't want his feelings hurt by living in the same town and them never trying to see him. I finally gave up taking him over once a week for a visit too. They really didn't care. Very sad.

[redhenfarm]

I only met my birth mother about 6 years ago when she was 70 and my grandparents were long gone. I am fortunate to have been given pictures of my grandparents and both sets of great grandparents. I met a cousin who lived with my grandparents but she didn't tell me things I would love to hear like did they have any favorite sayings? What did they do for fun? What was their home like? I do have medical information which is helpful. Don't know about my father's family at all. He was a bit of a scoundrel and I'm hesitant to go deeper into that but the curiosity sure is there.

Snowy: Where do you look on the internet for this info? Does it cost?

 

[Guest Guest]

(POSTED BY CAT)

 

On my maternal side, my grandma died before Mom married. I never knew her, except through stories and a few pictures. She was a rather shy, unassuming woman who allowed Grandpa to run the family. Mom said that when Grandma was a few years into their marriage, she would get hungry for fried green tomatoes, and would fix them for lunches when Grandpa wasn’t home. Sometime later, Grandpa told her he had a hunger for fried green tomatoes; had she ever had them? She had been afraid he’d laugh at her for such a "poor folks" lunch.

 

She came from one of the poorer families, and was slightly older than Grandpa, but he fell in love with her despite his family's warnings and protestations. I guess he was never sent to war because he already had a family, or was important to the war by whatever he was doing. That would've been the first World War, I believe. Originally he was too young to go, had his choice of the local ladies because of it, and got married young.

 

Grandpa came from a nice family and enjoyed building a rather comfortable life by hard work and smart investing. He had a sawmill in western Pennsylvania, farm with hired hands, bought properties and kept the "gas rights" (from which my mother and the other relatives still enjoy checks!), once owned the largest Belgian workhorse in America, and was just one of those men that people liked and respected.

 

He lived until just after his 80th birthday. We had been out there for his birthday, and I have great memories of a 12-year-old's view of a family celebration. (It helps that we still have a few 9mm movies that we've watched over the years since then.) Soon afterward we returned for his funeral, but within the sadness was still a celebration of the man he was and the life he lived.

 

 

 

 

[logcabinmama]

Sorry, about that, Peacefulhome, but, I think I pm'ed you didn't I???? Or I just thought I had.

[angelbaby0930]

PeacefulHome, your story sounds similar to my sweetie's background. He was raised by his single mother, but didn't know his father's family at all. The father [now deceased] was considered a jerk and a tomcat by the 3 wives who divorced him, and by one of the sons [DH's half-brother] who even now refers to him only as "the sperm donor".

 

Alie Jo

[Synn]

Well lets see.

My Mom's Parents were 71 and 72 by the time she had me when she was 42. I remember little things about my Granddad he was bald.. He liked to drink whiskey, he'd hide his bottles in the well, or underneath his seat in the old International Scout he drove. I was 8 when he died. He was 79. The farm he bought when my mom was in highschool in 45 was the one I grew up on. We moved in when they moved to town. His Daddy was a bootlegger, we have letters that he wrote to Great Grandma from jail. That's history and I am not ashamed of it. Papa was a quiet man and though I was young I loved him. Mama I remember the best. I remember going to there house after they had moved to town. Gunsmoke and Lawerence Welk.. I remember her piano and the davenport. She died when I was 13. She used to stay with us sometimes after she went to the nursing home after Papa died. She made a humming noise constantly. It bothered me. She was a school teacher before she married Papa. One of my sisters still has the bell she rang that sat on her desk. I remember crying with my head on my mom's lap at her funeral and my Mom telling me I was selfish and that she was better off. Two years ago Mike and I got some old lumber out of a house in town, to help redo some of our house and build our chicken run. He took me into town one day and showed me the pile of lumber. And when we started loading it up I said "Mike this was my Mama and Papa's house.. Those memories came flooding back, the bran flakes the davenport, the front porch rails where we used to sit..LOL. Good memories.

I don't remember my dad's parents that well they were Easterners. And lived 12 hours away. She'd send us things at Christmas and birthdays and such. I met her on a few occasions. She died in 1996.. My twins were 6 and had never met her. My Dad's dad killed himself in 1981 when I was 10. I don't remember him very well either.

I never met my Great Grandparents. But I know a great deal of them from my mom. I know where they are buried, and where they lived. They lived in a place called Cornbread Bottom which is now under water..

Wow I wrote alot. But I had a lot to say on this subject. Because they are a part of me and although I didn't know them well I am proud of who I am because of them..

[Bamboo]

I was very fortunate to have known all my grandparents and a great-grandma.

 

My dad's dad was a wonderful man. I remember he and my dad looked so much alike, the only difference being white hair and black hair. He came and spent a summer with us when I was about 5. After he returned home to St. Louis,MO, he had a severe stroke. He was never able to speak again and the aunts and uncles down there put him in a nursing home. We used to go every year to see him. I remember the last time we went, I walked ahead of everyone else.... he recognized me, smiled, and began searching the room for my dad. They were very close. It was a sad day when he died. I was 16.

 

My grandma on that side was a trip. I was born on her 60th birthday. When I was little I thought she was the most wonderful woman... she bought me a full make up kit when I was only about 9...awesome. She died when I was 10 and I was sad then too. Later (when I was an adult) I found out some very distasteful things about her. I'm saddened that my memories are now clouded by those things.

 

On my mom's side, my great-grandma was the neatest lady. She was about 4'10" and just about as wide (we all blame her still for our hips). She always had this candy (nobody liked it) and her house always smelled like it. She could do anything such as sewing, knitting, crocheting. She taught my mom to do those things and mom taught us. I also remember that whenever we got a sore throat, we would have to have grandma "paint" our throat. I think that was mercurocrom (sp)... something, horrible tasting, yuk. But she was sweet. We all got Christmas presents every year.... she had 3 children, a couple of dozen grandchildren, more great-grandchildren, and her first great-great-grandchild was born a couple days before she died. Her son was my grandpa.

 

My mom's mom was a little lady who was sick most of my life. She was kind of sneaky and could be kind of mean. I loved her dearly, but... One thing we had in common was our love of family history.

 

Now my Grandpa... the sun rose and set at his feet. When we were little he would take us to the market for Hershey's Kisses... see, it's really not my fault that I love chocolate. He was the best grandpa. It still makes me sad to think about him.

 

Because mom and I have an interest in our family history, I do have stories of all of my other grandparents back to my GG-grandparents. I'm truly thankful for all my memories of my grandparents and all the wisdom and character they have left to me.

[Cat]

Bumping this up...

 

Wanna share???

 

 

 

[Stephanie]

I knew my great grandparents (two sets of them) very well.

 

My grandmother is still living now (89) and I just finished writing her a long letter...she doesn't care for these new fangled ways of communicating, although we do enjoy phone calls. She is one of my best friends! She helped raise me and has been a wonderful Godly influence in my life to this day.

 

Her daddy, was a big gentle man who always wore Liberty overalls. Grandma loved him dearly, so did my mom (her daughter) and so did I. He told me lots of stories about driving mule teams and taught me how to shuffle cards. He faced lots of hardship in his life, lost three children in one disastrous moment when the school explosion occurred in 1937 in New London Texas.

 

His wife, my great grandmother, was a frail petite woman who sufferred from epilectic seizures in a time when they were not completely understood. She made huge 'cats head biscuits' and filled them with real molasses.

 

My grandfathers parents are also vivid parts of my childhood memories. Especially my great grandmother who actually gave me a wedding gift of a gorgeous crocheted rose afghan, that I naturally cherish to this day. I remember this HUMONGOUS moose head mounted that my great grandfather had killed...it always creeped me out as a kid.

 

 

[Jingles]

I knew all 4 of my grandparents very well. I also was close with my step grandpa on my Mom's side. I also knew both of my great grandmothers on my Dad's side. One was a 102 when she passed and the other was 89. My Dad's Dad is still alive and kicking (like a 30 year old!), but all the rest are gone now. I was the first born of two first borns so I was lucky enough to have lots of time with my family.

[Momo]

Yeah..the post that says Homesteader is really me. One of the many posts that got messed up during the change!!

[Snowmom]

 

I have a feeling I was the one who started this thread, as I know a LOT of my posts have Logcabinmama on them. This is what happened in the move that one time.

 

OK, I do see if it was me who started this thread, I didn't say that I only remember one of my grandparents and one step grandparent. The others were all gone by the time I was born.

 

It is really interesting to work on genealogy and you learn so much about who, when, where and sometimes why.

 

Edited May 18, 2009 by Snowmom

[blestmomof4]

On my mom's side I only had grandma until I was 18. My mom really didn't know how to be a mother so grandma lived with us alot when I was growing up and I am so very thankful to have had her.

 

On dad's side I had my dad's parents(Mama Mease & Papa Bob), my grandmother's parents(Memaw & PawPaw), and my great grandmother's mom(Granny). My avatar is Granny's mother and her sister on motorbikes. I have wonderful memories holidays with them and wish I had heard more of their stories and spent more time with them. I only now can appreciate all that I could have learned. I am lucky to have alot of their things in my house so I am constantly reminded of them.

 

BB

Edited May 18, 2009 by blestmomof4

[Crazy4Canning]

I have to post here really fast.

 

I had both sets of grandparents around when I was small. My dad's parents never really got along with my mother for a number of reasons, so I never saw too much of them. As I was growing up as a child, they did favor the other 2 grandkids more - the first girl (a year older than me) and the only boy (ten years younger than me). However, as an adult, after I moved out of the house, I realized I had a set of grandparents I never really knew and took time once a month or so to go meet with them and get to know them. I'm so glad I did because some fences got mended that I didn't even know were broken. My grandparents accepted me as an individual and I was so grateful I got to know my grandpa for a few years before he died in 1998.

 

This Grandma was the one who gave me her pressure canners and whose pantry I saw the sunlight glinting off the pretty preserves and fruit, heard the angels sing and KNEW I had to learn canning. This Grandma is the only one still living - she is 90. Unfortunately there is ugly family stuff going on around her 'estate'.

 

My mom's parents were pivotal in my life. Grandpa died in 1998 and Grandma died in July of 2001. As children, my sister and I were over there constantly. After my dad got back from Vietnam and out of the Service, I understand we lived there for a while with them until they got a house somewhere. I barely remember this, for my sister was about 6 months old and I was about 2.5.

 

All the time, my sister, cousins and I were over at Grandma and Grandpa's. Grandpa liked to garden, she cooked, planted flowers, canned, and enjoying her grandchildren. I barely remember her mom, my great-grandmother. I recall her as a white haired old lady who kept calling me by my mother's name. She had false teeth and would sometimes click them which I found scary and creepy. She died when I was about 3. I love listening to my mother's stories because my mom and her grandma shared the same birthday.

 

I'm so glad I had grandparents in my life. My husband doesn't know what this is like because he wasn't around his grandparents all that much, due to his parents divorcing. He would stay with them once in a while, but not regularly.

 

I do so hope that when I have children, they get the same wonderful experiences I had.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Crazy4Canning

[Suz]

Just how far back can you remember, do you know or remember your grandparents, great-grandparents or some maybe great-great-grandparents?

 

All the greats were deceased by the time I came around

 

The only one left is my maternal grandmother who will be 102 in December and is in perfect health. Nearly stone deaf but otherwise amazingly healthy!

[pinkroses]

I remember my grandmother's Mom some.

I remember both sets of grandparents.

I was really close to my Mom's mother

She taught me many things.

like crocheting , hand embrodiering.

quilting ,

Mom helped too.

I took more after my Grand mother as Mom always liked to do other things.

Gran's daughters most of them never liked to sew or quilt.

Mom did them ; but she really didn't like to.

My dad's Mom taught me the love of nature and to respect wild life.

she loved to garden

Everything she grew flourished.

She loved canning.

( I don't can though)

she lived on a small farm.

I did too not far from my Dad's Mom

until I was in the 2nd grade

In a 4 room cabin without running water ; or indoor plumbing

I still miss my grand partents.

My dad passed almost 6 years ago and I still miss him.

I miss My Mom's Mom too so much as we had much in common.

hugs sheila

[The MacKinnon]

I never knew my paternal grandparents; he died in 1946, long before I was born and she died when I was very young. He was born in 1870 and was 52 when my dad, the youngest of 5 and only surviving son, was born.

 

My mom's dad was killed (RR accident) when she was a year old (he was buried on her 1st birthday). I was very close to my grandmother, though. She lived with us until I was about 9 and then she lived on her own for a long time. She was 95 when she passed. It's been over 30 years now and I still miss her. Her parents died before she turned 8, so she was an orphan.

[Vic303]

Nope. Mine all died before I was born.

[HippyChick]

I was blessed growing up with 2 great-grandmother's, 2 grandma's, 2 grandpa's, and one aunt Wilma who had never married.

 

My parents were so lucky, my sister and I stayed with great-grandma Niekamp and Aunt Wilma til we went to kindergarten.

 

They are all gone now. My last two grandmother's died about 5 years ago.

[lovinthislife]

I remember my great grandpa on my dad's side. Grandpa Weaver was his name. He had 16 kids with my great grandma, then after she died in '68 he married her sister. That blows my mind. I can't imagine marrying my bil. Gross. haha Anyway, he always said he was going to live to be 100. He made it to 96, when he was in the hospital before he died, he would pinch the nurses butts when they came by his bed. He wa a pistol. My paternal grandparents were wonderful to me. Grandpa Hooley was a small, quiet man. He looked a lot like Walter Brennan from the real mccoy's tv show. He raised chickens for a living and sold eggs. Grandma died in 72 and he died in 70. My maternal great grandmothers I remember both of them, not very well though. My maternal grandma died in 1988 and Grandpa followed in 94. I still miss them very much. I remember a lot about them. I can take all the memories I have and try to be that kind of grandparent to my own grandkids. My maternal grandpa loved to tell us silly stories that would scare the pants off ya. He was fun.

[Shreela]

I had 4 living great-grandparents when I was little -- one was a step, but since he helped raise my grandmother, he's my great-grandfather w/o shared DNA.

 

My first GG passed when I was in grade school from a series of small mini-strokes that caused him to need to live in a nursing home. His wife, my great-grandmother lived next door to my grandparents, and lived as a widow until she passed at 90 when I was a young adult.

 

My grandfather's father passed fairly soon to when my 90 ggrandmother passed. My step ggrandfather was similar in age to the others, but survived longer until demential combined with a broken hip set things downhill for him.

 

My three grandparents lived until their mid 80s, and all passed within a few years of each other about 5 years ago.

 

Since starting the internet in '97, I've occasionally looked up my family names, but never found anyone in my family. After my grandfather passed, a man sent me a PDF file with our family name beyond my great-grandfather (I think I had posted my grandfather and ggrandfather's names on an ancestry forum).

 

So finally, sometime last year, I finally found stuff online hooking up with my family line, thanks to the man that sent me the PDF with my family names beyond my ggrandfather.

 

If what I've found through others' posted documents is correct, and if I put the info together correctly, it looks like it's possible my ancestors go back to the Revolutionary War and Founding Fathers

 

I emailed a local DAR chapter earlier with questions about how to get the starting 3 certificates (myself, parent, grandparent I guess), and they sent me a form to fill out, and now I need to setup a meeting with a DAR membership representative that can help me find out if the info I found online is correct. I don't know if her helping me will cost anything, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to pay for the required documents of the 1st three generations thing. I think we might meet this weekend!!

[Momo]

I am making darn sure that my Princesses will NEVER forget me! We drive to town for every recital, ball game, awards ceremony etc. We also have them spend the weekend with us as much as possible. My DH tells them that "There are no rules in the country". They just love that. We do so much with them. I guess DH and I do everything that we wish we had done growing up. Neither one of us had grandparents around.