You know...when i was born all my greatgrands were alive. I'm 37, and the last one just passed away at 102, in October this year. I knew them all, except 2 who passed when i was a child, as well as most people know their grandparents. I used to think that was normal. I realize now that i'm pretty lucky.
Yes, rare and blessed, indeed!
I had all four great-grandmas up until I was in my early teens (and one great-grandpa.) I was very close to one of them on Mom's side and spent countless hours at her house since she lived within walking distance of me. She told me so many stories and much family history and we looked through boxes and boxes of old photos all the time and she would tell me funny stories of things my grandpa (her only son) had done as a child. She had many doting boyfriends when she was young and still kept jewelry that a couple of them had given her and even left one silver bracelet to me and a ring that was set with a small Mexican gold coin in the center. My DD6 sleeps in the wrought iron bed with the original bouncy coil springs that she left to me that I used to sleep in as often as I stayed the night with her. DH refinished it for me and it is so pretty!
I wish now I had written down all the things she told me! (And had interviewed those other great-grandparents, had I had the forethought as a young person to do that.)
By shear luck, my MIL came across an old 1920's high school yearbook that chronicled the sophomore year of my great-grandma's sister and a couple of other relatives on her husband's side. The lady she was caregiver for let me have it because it had belonged to her deceased husband and she didn't have any relatives of her own in there. My great-grandma never progressed past 8th grade because she had to drop out and go to work during the Great Depression. I have a 1922 18-kt gold class ring that my great-grandma left me, but I never did figure out who had graduated with it. Maybe one of her sisters. I didn't purchase my own class ring...I wore that one instead.
I also have my great-grandma's wedding ring. Her husband was older than she and left her widowed at age 45. She wore that ring until the day she died, never remarrying. The center of the band is worn completely through after she wore it for 65 years. I wore that for my "something old" when I was married. I will not have a jeweler repair it, since that is what makes it so special to me.
For Christmas DH bought me a combo shelf/quilt rack to display 2 of my great-great-grandmother's (on Dad's side) quilts that she had made. She must have made hundreds of them in her day, because all of the children/grand/great's on that side of the family have at least 2 apiece. I also have several perennials that were starts off of what she had planted so long ago (on the family farm) and the Egyptian walking onions that were starts off of her daughter's (another of my great-grandmothers.)
I love these old things and I love having something I can touch and handle that makes me feel linked to that family history.
I have bits and pieces of genealogical information and old photos acquired on both sides. I need to sit down sometime and assemble it all together or join one those genealogy websites that help you search out the gaps.
ETA: Almost forgot, I also have the wicker bassinet my Dad slept in as an infant. My daughters both slept in it for awhile before they got too big and wiggly.
If I think on it long enough, there's probably a few more things around here with family history. I'm lucky this house has so much storage space, ha.
People we are involuntarily related to can be so awful.
