Wednesday, March 30, 2011

.a footlocker full of history.

A Footlocker of Family History
little darlings
two boys in a wagon pulled by a goat
a family gathered together
little characters
 A few weeks ago, while at my Grandfather's old home, I went up into the attic to clear it out what had been left up there for so many years.  It was while I was up there that I realized many of the things that should see the light of day more often are usually stored up there for safe keeping, like a footlocker that belonged to my Great-Grandmother Sylvia.  My Uncle had gone up there with me and was the one who pulled it out and opened it up.  I was busy sorting through other things when I heard him say, "Oh. . . wow. . . "  In this old piece of luggage, its metal hardware covered in rust, was a collection of old photos and letters, some of them dating back to the early 1800s.  We sat there on the dusty floorboards of a tiny attic gazing through some of these photos, trying to decipher who these faces were that stared back at us.  We recognized Grandma Sylvia easily.  She had a distinct look and from what we could tell, many of the photos were of her side of the family.  But then, we also came across a photo of two little boys sitting in an old wagon hitched to a goat.  The oldest boy's face looked familiar.  We turned the photo over and noticed the words "Bill and George," Bill being my Great-Grandfather.  Half of the photos had inscription on them, and the other half did not.  Some of them had black paper backing on it, as if they had been torn out of an old photo album.  And so, a new journey begins.

Well I was very honored that the family allowed me to have not only the footlocker, but a suitcase also filled with more family history, as well as old family albums.  My plan is to scan many of the photos to share with the family, but also, I really want to delve more into the history of this side of my family tree.  There was something so . . . I can't even find the right words . . . neat, interesting, intriguing about the people in these photos.  Their attire gradually changing over the years.  Grandma Sylvia was a character.  I still remember her from when I was a kid.  When I wanted a snack, I'm thinking candy, she'd come back with a plate full of celery sticks, peanut butter and raisins running down the center of them.  "Now this is what we had for snacks when I was a little girl."  My first response of course was Yuck!  And now, it's one of my favorites.  She loved Peanuts, Linus and Snoopy being her favorites, and Winnie-the-Pooh.  Her parents opened up one of the first theaters in the state of Iowa.  Her brother Lewis fought in General MacArthur's Army in WWII.  It was pretty neat finding a younger photo of her and her brother sitting against a backdrop of what looks like an earlier model airplane.  This would be my favorite, along with the "goat wagon" photo.  

What I found so comforting and amazing was the sheer amount of photographs that we found.  It was very obvious to me that the folks in my family loved to make photographs.  This has truly inspired me.  The main reason why I wanted to become a photographer in the first place rested right here in this box.  Photographs.  The evidence of time gone by.  My only heartbreak and regret was that the only person I knew who could definitively tell me about the faces in these photos had also been swept away with the tide of time.  Visit your attics, my friends.  Pull out those old photos.  And if you can, find out their history before it too quickly fades away.  


6 comments:

  1. what an amazing gift you now have in your hands.....

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  2. Of course a lovely blog once again Kat. I love reading them! BEAUTIFUL photos and story. I myself have been going through old family photos due to my move and am so happy to have found one of my Grandma with a camera in hand. Sad thing is, the photo is a little damaged so I'll have to do the same and scan it to hopefully edit and restore it. Thank you for sharing and always being such an encouragement to me, Kat!

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  3. a treasure trove!!! wow

    i'm sad to say i lost all of my valuable pictures in my move two years ago and need to beg from siblings to scan theirs.

    there is something though in holding the originals

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  4. As I read the first few lines my heart quickened...I was thinking..."Knock the uncle over the head, grab the locker and run!!!" These type of things make me so greedy...
    This is a wonderful story. I wonder about your grandma and the amazing things she must have seen...
    What a wonderful treasure you have .kat., your intriguing, amazing, flowing, foot locker and also your memories.
    I'm sure your family will appreciate your effort to share this treasure with them. I know I do....
    xo

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  5. oh how i love this for you Kat .. treasures that will be so special to you forever! You are doing a wonderful job working through all of the loss and responsibility .. it is not an easy time .. and it takes time to get over, be really kind to yourself my friend!

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  6. that is such a treasure! i'm kind of a lover of history, family, and things of the past. It's so cool that you got that suitcase passed down to you. It just so happens that I really like celery, peanut butter, and raisins. Of course, I had it presented to me as a child as a way to play with one's food. :)

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Just so you know. . . you've already brightened my day!