Oct 19, 2017 Orange County Review
I have asked, pleaded and fussed at folks for years to look in their attics, basements and old boxes that grandma may have left behind for treasures of immeasurable value. No, I have little expectation of a pirate’s cache of gold and jewels. I am thinking of things worth a much higher valuation: photos, letters, journals and documents. Items that tell the tale of someone’s life. It could be those of my ancestors, yours or even some stranger’s.
Someone long ago decided that it might be important one day to keep mementos for my family. There are photo albums, miscellaneous photos from the 1800s (regrettably, many of those depicted are not identified) and postcards of days gone by regaling a trip to an exotic place or to visit family. All pieces of a puzzle. In this collection is my grandmother’s wedding dress and shoes. I had the good fortune to know my grandmother and having her dress makes the life I did not share with her all that more tangible.
For decades all I knew about was my father’s side of the family. It was good but left a large void—that is until I began to search for my mother’s family. It was quite the challenge as she had died when I was 3 years old.
I won’t go into the whole story, at least not today, but several years ago I set out to find my mother’s only sibling, a brother who also was raised in Los Angeles, CA. After eight years of sporadic digging, I found him living in Oxnard, CA with wife and three cousins residing nearby.
None too soon, I visited with them twice before he passed away. Though he was suffering from dementia, we enjoyed time together and I was so very grateful for his few lucid moments. Meeting and spending time with my new-found relatives was a memorable and enlightening experience, but the story did not end there.
I had been told previously that there were no letters, photos or anything of that nature about my mom or for that matter my uncle or grandparents. One of the cousins inspired by my quest decided to have a look in her parents’ closets. What she discovered was simply amazing.
There were two “baby” albums: one each for both children. They began with the child’s birth noting all ancestors and family friends and continued through their high school years. It was more than an “aha!” moment; I was dumbstruck. But that was not all.
There were two other albums: one that detailed my grandfather’s retirement party after some 30-plus years as an engineer with the City of Los Angeles Highway Department and the other was a collection of postcards written from him to his future wife, my mother’s mother. But wait, there was more.
My grandfather graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in engineering in about 1908 and his first job shortly after graduation was with the U.S. government as an engineer posted to the Philippines. From the day he set sail until near the day of his passing in the 1970s, he kept a daily journal. It is a prized possession in my collection of cherished family artifacts.
I have enjoyed the fruits of finding just who my ancestors were, the lives they led and their trials and tribulations. I am now committed to assisting others find that same joy and knowledge.
I ask you to join me in this pursuit of hidden treasures. If you find something, please consider sharing.
There is a family in Orange who has recently done just that. Stay tuned to learn of their remarkable discoveries.
Until next week, be well.
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