1950 census

[Momo]

Ancestry has been releasing the 1950 census the past month.  If you can't afford membership at Ancestry, I heard that Family Search will be providing data for free soon. I haven't found too much new yet  but I did see that my grandparents had separated at this point. 

[Becca_Anne]

It's really cool. I found my mom's family and my uncle living with his mom and stepdad after he came back from serving in WW2. I didn't know he came back to live with them afterwards at all as I was told he ran away at 14 to join the Navy so assumed he hadn't returned home. Waiting on the east coast states to be indexed so I can search for my great grandparents on my dad's side as they all lived in MD and it isn't indexed fully yet.

[kappydell]

My sister and I are trying to write up the family stories...how my great-great grandfather worked in the lead mines in Wisdonsin, how one great aunt became depressed during menopause and what happened to her, how my other granparents got their farm in a 3-way swap for their in-town brick house...to a duplex...to a farm....how my grandfather had 3 wives, one of which we suspect (but cant confirm yet) was a Native American named Lucy Lightfoot from Minnesota; and such things as are not on census rolls.  We want to pass it along to her children who have an interest in such family trivia.  I wish there was a website for inserting this info in case anyone goes looking for it, before it is lost forever.  Family histories are the coolest!  Time to go digging in Minnesota.

Edited May 17, 2022 by kappydell

[Momo]

Everyone needs to talk to the older folk in their families.  I know my Mom wouldn't say much but after she died my aunt (her baby sister) told me alot of things. I am so glad I talked to her a few times about the family because she died unexpectedly.  I am now the oldest one left in my family and I'm not that old yet!  We tend to die young on my Mom's side.

 

My dad's mom was kind of crazy but surprisingly everything she told me has checked out. I wish I had asked her more things but I was bashful back then.

[Snowmom]

Good morning everyone.  

I so agree with you Momo, the younger ones who are interested in genealogy really need to talk to us older ones.     I have one sister alive yet, she is the next to oldest and is 91 years old now.     I am the youngest one and well I'll just say I am about 12 years younger than she is.    We are the only ones left in our family and have been interested in genealogy for years. 

I will also say that from what I hear, most of the younger ones are not interested in genealogy.     That is to bad as there may come a day they will wish they had more information.      

A few years ago, I made a book for each of my kids and gave it to them for Christmas.    I have also made a book for three of my nieces and 1 of my great nieces.  Right now I have at least one nephew who has asked for all the information I will give him.    All of these are the older ones, I think the youngest one is almost 40.      But any of them younger have never seemed interested.       It really makes me sad that they don't seem to care.  

 

[Momo]

My son is starting to care some but he is too busy for it right now.  Maybe when he retires he will really pursue it. One of the grand daughters is a bit interested but the other 2 don't care at all.

 

  I found the only picture of my first MIL's wedding.  I was so happy to give it to my ex at a recent wedding since I knew he hadn't seen it. He barely looked at it.  Both of his parents are dead now. Oh well different strokes for different folks I guess.

[Jeepers]

One year at a family reunion, a cousin gave the rest of us cousins one of those little 5x7 type picture albums. It has pictures of our paternal great grandfather and great grandmother in it. Also our great aunts and uncles. Also our grand father who died before most of us were born. And our maternal great grandfather that we never knew. I loved that gift and I keep it in my cedar chest. Most of the other cousins could not have cared less. The thing is, the cousin spent a lot of time and expense putting those together and was holding each one of us close to her heart whole time she worked on them. There are almost 30 of us!

 

Sad, but as you said, we can't all have the same interests. But still, some of the generations to come might have really found value  in them. 

[Momo]

When my son turned 30 I made him a scrapbook of his life.  It included the yearly Santa Claus picture, his school pictures, his first hair cut, diaper pins, the Dr. appt card to verify my pregnancy etc.  When he opened it he said nice but didn't even open it.  At some point he put it on the shelf in his library and has never said another word about it.  I would have been crying if my Mom had ever done anything like that for me.

[Midnightmom]

7 minutes ago, Momo said:

When he opened it he said nice but didn't even open it.  At some point he put it on the shelf in his library and has never said another word about it.  I would have been crying if my Mom had ever done anything like that for me.

And that is the difference between boy and girls.  

You said he is 30. Is he still single, or is there a wife and children that might become interested? The next time you visit you could pull it off of the shelf and sit down with the grandkids and tell some stories. You never know who might become at least curious if you were able to do that. 

[Jeepers]

Midnightmom, you may be correct about the boy/girl thing. Or maybe an age thing too. I have a glass container of personal (to me) baby items from my g-son's first year. The first little bottle I fed him with, a sample diaper, A pacifier he used, a little pair of socks, the first toy I bought him. his first French fry box from a Happy Meal, first toothbrush, baby comb and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head. Everything in it are things he used that I bought for him. Will he appreciate it later. Who knows. But I have it proudly displayed in my family room.

 

When son was in high school he was into sports and won a lot of ribbons and awards. I kept them all. Even framed them to decorate his room with. He mentioned taking them with him every time he moved. I told him no that I would just hold on to them for him. It wasn't but about 6 months ago that he asked about the ribbons and trophies etc. Also about an Avon chess set, a plaque that was his grandpas, Joey (much loved stuffed dog) and a few other things. Yes mommy still has them all. Along with his graduation cap, gown and tassel and other gems. Last month, since his own son joined cub scouts, he mentioned about his own cub scout shirt. Got it. It all fits in a medium size tote and out of the way. No biggie. The things he did take with him are long gone. 

 

So don't give up Momo. He may come around yet.   

 

 

[Mother]

I made up boxes for all my kids.  Mementos and pictures I’d saved over the years.  I gave them to the kids (one daughter, three sons) for Christmas one year when we were all together.  Before I handed them to them I got them laughing over happenings from the past.  Some were fun like the boys trying to teach me to ride a small motorcycle which ended with them catching up with me just as I was about to hit the garden fence or when the fireplace in the daughter’s lovingly built Barbie house started smoking because of a short in the wiring of the Christmas lights we’d used in it.  She was seven at the time and was totally unconcerned.  She just said “someone forgot to open the damper”. Some were more serious like going through a tornado together, huddled in the basement until a neighbor came to check on us.  By the time we got to the boxes they were swapping other memories the things in the boxes brought up, listening to their birth stories, and teasing and laughing.  Sometimes a gift is only as good as the atmosphere it’s presented in.  
 

I don’t know what they did with them.  I don’t really care.  It was a gift, like all gifts, for them to do as they pleased with.  What was important was that I had such fun remembering as I made them up. They were a gift of memories for me as much as for them.  And now that Christmas is even a wonderful memory.  

[Jeepers]

Cute stories Mother. Especially the 'damper' one. Out of the mouth of babes. 

 

To be honest, g-sons memory box is more for my enjoyment than it probably will be for his. That's okay too because right now it does bring me enjoyment. I think every year or two I'm going to let him go through it, at my house, and let him see how little he used to be. Maybe in about 30 years from now, when I'm long gone, he will think about that container and wonder what grandma did with it. It's probably in that tote with his dad's treasures and his grandpa and my old love letters from his college days.