A Trip Down Memory Lane

I love old photographs, I could literally spent hours flicking through an old album, and the older the better. I also love finding out about my family history, and luckily for me, my mum had traced both sides of the family back a very long way.

I was pleased therefore, when Mia's half-term homework project was to compile her "family tree". The children were allowed to make it as thorough or as simple as they wished, and could present it whichever way those chose.

My mum was also in her element, and delighted in teaching Mia all about her ancestors, and browsing through the old albums, and I enjoyed this too.

We really went to town, and are thrilled with the result;

I hope this little project has made Mia more aware of her family, and appreciate that although many of them, perhaps just people in photographs to her, if they had not existed, then neither would she or I. I hate the thought of these late family members being forgotten, their idetities not passed on down through the generations, and lost forever. I have really enjoyed getting to "know" our relatives, and plan to display many of these beautiful photographs, so they will become part of our home.

This is my Great-Grandmother Bertha, taken in the mid to late 1890's;

Her wedding to my Great Grandfather William in 1902, I love the beautiful dresses, and even the family dog attended!;

Her sister's wedding in 1904; her mother, my Great-Great Grandmother Julia is the lady standing on the right (as we look at the photo) in the nice hat behind the sitting bridesmaids;

And this is her mother, (Mia's Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother) Elizabeth; taken before both weddings, as she passed away before 1900. This photo was taken in the early to mid 1890's. Just think she was born almost 200 years ago! Mia found that facinating! Also a little hard to imagine I think;

This is Bertha's younger sister Martha, taken in the mid/late 1890's, isn't she pretty, I love to study the beautiful outfits and how they wore their hair;

My Great Grandparents on my Nanna's side, with my Nanna as a little girl, this would be around 1916;

Nanna with her own little baby (my mum!) in 1939/1940. My mum was born just before War broke out, and her most earliest memory as a little girl, was hiding in the Anderson Shelter in the back garden while the bombs were being dropped on Birmingham; (very close by!!)

My Nanna as a young woman, before she was married, in the mid 1930's

With my Grandpa; this was probably just after they were married, It always strikes me how "young" they look, and makes me a little nostalgic and sad - as of course I only knew them in their 80's and 90's.

And a family hoilday in the late 1940's; with my mum and her younger sister Sue, my mum loved the donkeys, (as of course do I!)

An older Nanna & Grandpa, some time during the 1960's;

Bertha as an old lady, just before she died in 1962;

And finally...ME as a 5 year old bridesmaid in 1986 with my Nan, outside their family home. They lived there for the rest of their lives from the day they were married (it was a wedding present from Bertha and William, my Grandpa's mum & dad), until my Nan passed away in 2007, age 96. It was very sad to have to clear the house and see it sold, but were were happy that it went to a young family, with two little boys..hopefully they will spend a long, happy life there too, just as Nanna & Grandpa did!

They may be all gone now, but at least we still have these lovely memories and some beautiful photographs to cherish. Now I must find a nice way of displaying them!

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me; Marina x