We've just returned from my husband's family reunion. It's held every two years in the New Mexico town where we were both born, and where his mom's family has lived since the early 1900's. The above picture is my mom-in-law's parents wedding picture taken in 1903. At 86 and 91, my mom-in-law and her sister are the only ones living of the 9 siblings in the family.
It was our turn to host the reunion this, so we spent the last few weeks cooking, sewing, crafting and working on genealogy. It's been interesting finding out about his ancestors-Ancestry.com makes everything so much easier. (When my dad was alive he was a genealogist, and I am finding myself wishing that he was still here. I would love for him to see everything that's online now. He had to do all of his research by hand spending hours looking at microfilm, writing letters and making phone calls).
We made the 12 hour trip to New Mexico last Wednesday with our daughter and three of our grandchildren. The kids did amazingly well considering that the girls are just 7 and 4 years old and our grandson is 11 months. Our son and daughter in law met us there with our other grandson who is almost 7 months old. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins and doing activities at the kid's table. They also surprised us by spending a lot of time talking with their older aunts and uncles. They made a great impression with everyone and we were very proud of them! Of course the babies made the rounds of all the aunties, because after all, who can resist a cute baby?
It was a great day of visiting, eating, domino and card playing and genealogy and was topped off by a "white elephant" auction. Everyone brought things they had made or funny old flea market items and even an antique or two. The funds raised helped to pay for the building and food. It wasn't as well attended as it was 2 years ago, and the time was a little bittersweet since my father in law, and one of my mom in law's sisters passed away just a few months after the last reunion. We made the long trip back yesterday and today we are vegging and sharing pictures and comments on Facebook with the cousins. They're already talking about the next reunion!
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69 years ago today, I was born at 1:27 am. My mom got to the hospital at 1 am. Cutting it a little close! Today, my sweet husband took me ...
That's a fabulous photo! I love family history but have very few pictures from my father's side of the family. Jx
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've enjoyed the old pictures we have collected from both my husband's family and mine. Unfortunately, I have some of my mother's pictures with no names on them and there's now no one alive who could tell me who they are. I've thought about posting them on the internet to see if any distant relatives might see them and get in touch.
DeleteJan, what a wonderful post! It sounds like a great reunion - although sad for those who were not there. The photograph is amazing. I love old photographs and seeing their clothing and the styles of the day. Somewhere, I had heard that they were told "back then" not to smile but don't know if that's true.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Dianne
I have heard that they didn't smile because the old cameras took a minute or more to take a picture. During that time, they couldn't move or it would be blurry. If they smiled their faces got tired and they were more likely to move their mouths. It is a very interesting photo with a more interesting story. She was 16 and had taken up with a gambler. Her parents were afraid she was going to run off with him, so they arranged a more suitable marriage for her. They soon fell deeply in love with each other and had many happy years together!
DeleteWhat an amazing family photo....I love working with Ancestry.com.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely time you have had, unfortunately these days our family tends to only get together at funerals. I like the idea of a reunion though....now you have got e thinking xxx
ReplyDeleteMy husband's family is much better about it than mine. I have a brother, but I seldom see him. I keep up with some cousins on facebook and email an aunt and uncle, but that's about it. We got together more when my parents were alive.
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