Creating a piece of family history
By Anne18
@Anne18 (11029)
November 21, 2011 4:20pm CST
My daughter brought home her homework today.
The task............
To go on websites copy and paste a photo of a heirloom/item that has supposely been passed down your family from a past member and create its history.
My daughter has got as far as finding her object..... she has chose a hair slide with small different colour jewels studded in it.
Her notes read so far is that this hair slide was given to great great great Grandma who was a maid to a very wealthy family where she was a lady's maid just before the 1st World War and the daughter of the house to whom she was lady's maid gave it to her just because she liked it.
My daughter is then going to write the history of the hair slide from then to today,saying who inherited it, who wore it etc, its worth etc.
What item would you choose to create a piece of family history? What also would be the story of that item from the time you choose from to the present day?
Does that make sense? She has gone to bed so I can't get the correct wording for her homework piece, but hopefully you are following me.
Just think you can choose anything of any value, and your story could end up with you selling it in the present day andthen spending the money on a holiday/new house.
Or even its worth a lot of money you may not want to be parted from it and continue to pass it down the family for many more years.
Can't wait to see what item you choose and what family history you make up for that item.
2 people like this
13 responses
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
21 Nov 11
I think that would be difficult. But I do have three items that have been passed down - perhaps they are not really classified as "heirlooms." One is my great-grandmother's bracelet. I do not think it is worth anything but it's old and very pretty. I also have my grandmother's communion box that she took with her to minister to ill people in the hospital. And I have my great-grandfather's trunk. I would love it if the trunk could talk because it has traveled everywhere - possibly even on a stage coach or two! He traveled extensively as a minster in the early part of the 1900's...
@Anne18 (11029)
•
21 Nov 11
Tell us what you think the trunk would say knowing what you do about your great grandfather.... doesn't have to be all true, bits that you do know and fill in the bits you don't know with what you know about that period in history.
Share with us the story of the bracelet..... or what you want to believe about the bracelet..... who gave it to her, why she was given it etc.
This communion box.... what did the ill people in hospital feel about her taking this box round with her, if you don't know tell us what you think people would have thought or what you would have thought if you had been there in that time and place.
A very writing excersise this is.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63639)
• United States
22 Nov 11
This is a human hair broach made by my great grandmother, with the help of her sisters and cousins. It has the hair of 15 different members of the family in it and has been handed down to my grandmother, then my mother and now me. Since I do not have any children, I will hand it down to my niece.
(yes it human hair, yes it had the hair of 15 different people but that's all the truth in it http://www.hairworksociety.org/wreath/wreath.htm )
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63639)
• United States
22 Nov 11
I want you to know I spent almost an HOUR looking for something that might've actually have been IN my family, but ended up doing this because I really couldn't find anything old enough...
I can count one branch of the family back to the Mayflower, another part was settled in New Amsterdam and more came with William Penn... however, I also have a great grandmother from Ireland, another from Germany and a great grand father from England... go figure...
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
22 Nov 11
I would likely pick a pin, something pretty with an old fashioned design and perhaps clasp. I like to watch a show called "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS television, and some of the stories are fascinating, and some things are appraised at very high value!
1 person likes this
@rogue13xmen13 (14402)
• United States
23 Nov 11
I did a family history project over the summer, and I am glad that I did because I really found out who I was related to, and it was a major eye-opener. I also found out who my family members were friends with, and that was another major eye-opener. Of course, now it means that I have to start making a name for myself, and so far, I think I am on my way there.
@rogue13xmen13 (14402)
• United States
3 Dec 11
Well, write a book that is better than any other book ever written out there. I will also do things and accomplish things that other family members have not done and or accomplished.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
22 Nov 11
In fact we had a lot of priceless heirlooms that has been passed down to my mother. But carelessness or couldn't careless attitude of my parents have resulted all the precious heirlooms being carted away by people who sneaked into our semi abandoned house when we relocated to a new place. I was still young then and didn't really know that those stuffs in our storeroom were antiques and could have fetched a lot of money in today's market. 
1 person likes this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
22 Nov 11
Hmmm...it is a picture of a beautiful couple sitting on a porch swing with roses growing up behind them from an unseen flower bed. In the distance you see rolling hills with what could be a barn. Maybe it could be my great great grandparents when they were newly married and it was passed down to all the women. If it was a firstborn daughter, it would be hers. Hmm...I must add that it was surrounded by a unique frame with perhaps some kind of carvings...maybe roses like the ones growing behind them.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
23 Nov 11
I think it is great that she is being taught this and able to know/learn about her family histosry. These days...kids don't know anything about the past. The schools hardly teach American history at all! Mine in high school 10 years ago...had one semester of American History and that was required in their senior year! PRior, they had to take all kinds of other country histories. One semester to teach them all about this country they live in and has been so good to them etc...sad sad sad. WHen I was in high school, we took american history 3 of the 4 years. My GD in 6th grade has had hardly any american history.
I have nothing from my past to hand down. Guess my family wasn't the traditional type! I have a few things for my kids, they are not of any monetary value, just memories but at least they'll have something from their mom and grand mother!
@savypat (20216)
• United States
22 Nov 11
What a wonderful project. I wish I had done that in school, or even my kids. Keeping tract of the past is the only way to appreciate what we have today. The world is moving very fast, it's good to slow down and remember.
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
22 Nov 11
For me it is good she is creative way on his life so keep up the good work.
@Pushhyarag2000 (1416)
• India
22 Nov 11
My selection, by a pleasant coincidence is fairly quick & clear! Idols of family deity worshiped more than seven generations [or even earlier, but my logical guess doesn't agree to take it beyond] back, have been entrusted to successive generations to continue the tradition. These idols even today are well maintained and worshiped with due devotion by one of the many descendant families which is still perched in the ancestral village while a lot of other families have moved to bigger places, near & far. I learnt that our forefathers had moved down south from the north about seven generations back.
I visited the place about two years back with my family to offer obeisance on behalf of my parents. I discovered a genealogical tree of our ancestors of more than seven generations! I also had the pleasure of watching all the idols in full charm & attraction. We participated in a traditional ceremony celebrating the glory of gods and mingling with so many people from our lineage.
Since we stay in big city far away from the traditional village, we are not fortunate to keep the idols because there are certain set rules to be followed for daily rituals. I guess the noblest among the lineage will determine how they pass to the next generation.
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
23 Nov 11
This isn't to hard i don't know the names of all the people that have the cat eye ring there are other hand me down items. My great grate grandmother had it and gave it to my great grandmother as a birthday present when she was 9. My great grandmother was the only girl of her family so she was automatically the oldest girl. My grate grandmother had my grandmother was also the first born girl of her family as well and on he 9th birthday she received the ring as well. It skipped my mom she was the oldest child and the oldest girl. I was the only girl of my family and noe I get to hand it down to my daughter.
@davaome (1826)
• Philippines
22 Nov 11
a very interesting topic :D
o would chose a silver necklace that was owned by my great great great great grandfather. he was a knight of high rank in the spanish army. he was then given this silver necklace as a reward for his deeds. he then retired and lived a peaceful life at our province where he met my great great great great grandmother.
ha5 cant think of a better story :D
