If you don’t recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are. ~ Madeleine L’Engle
Janis Johnston Richardson
Family story seeker
I remember sitting at the breakfast room table with my Granny, listening to stories about our family. I was just a little girl but took it all in, fascinated to hear about good times and bad - like fitting Paw's collar around her corseted waist and the death of her big sister Rosa - and amazed when she told me about the first time she used a telephone.
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I loved sitting there with Granny, and with so many other members of my family on other days and at other kitchen tables – hearing stories of their lives. What I didn’t know then is that we weren’t just passing the time together. My Granny and other family members were giving me precious gifts that no one else in the world could give – gifts that came together over time as our family story.
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I have heard people say that they aren’t interested in knowing more about their relatives, that they are just people from the past and that they prefer to keep looking forward. What I don’t understand is how you can look forward without feeling grounded in your family’s journey. It’s possible to pretend that we begin our lives as unique individuals and that family is nothing more than shared DNA. Yes, I could do that but I can’t imagine wanting to. When I look back now at what I know of family members from time together, stories that were shared, and information that I have gleaned from things that I have been passed down or family research that I have done, I feel strength, wisdom, love and perseverance pouring in.
I am inspired by stories of hardships endured, dreams achieved, and both bittersweet and happy endings. I am thrilled to catch glimpses of special talents and personality quirks that breathe life back into the stories of people from the past. It gives me faith in the importance of family bonds when I see family circles pulled apart by distance, death and even disagreements, only to be followed by times of reinvention, healing and new bonds forming as generations unfold. I am saddened when I see how quickly loved ones fade from our collective memories after they die, and even family photo albums that are passed down become just a collection of old photos of nameless people.
The stories I am sharing here is my way of building some bridges between the past and the future through family stories. These stories are my way of thanking those who came before me for instilling in me such a strong sense of family, and hoping that someone in the future will share that as well and build on what I am beginning.
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The facts that I am sharing in these stories are true as far as I know. In some cases they are verified via official documents (birth, death and marriage certificates, census information, etc). Some facts have not been verified but have been passed down so consistently in family stories and documents that I am relatively confident that they represent the truth (or almost). As I write, I am trying to be clear when I am sharing theories or assumptions or "I wonder if" information. The memories I am sharing are mine or those of others I have talked with.
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If you have information to add, correct, or enhance the stories I am sharing, please, please, please get in touch! I hope that you enjoy and are enriched by these stories. and are inspired to think about stories you have to share.
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With love and gratitude,
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