Treasure Chest Thursday - A Voice From the Past Part 1

I don't ask for presents for my birthday, anniversary or Christmas, for the simple fact that the price of being a genealogist can get pretty spendy.  And luckily I have a pretty awesome husband, who lets me chase all my leads no matter the cost.  We take trips to visit family so I can do more research, or to go to some obscure archive.  There are ways to do this "job" cheaper but I find that for the amount of work I do (as I help anyone who needs it) it is worth the cost.  And it brings me fountains of joy, so he gladly pays the cost.  What a man!!

The days when I open the mailbox to find something I have ordered...like a death certificate, how morbid right!?, it's like Christmas to me. I look forward to days like that...makes me feel like a kid again. :)

But two days ago I got the BEST gift ever!  I have gotten a lot of things that have brought me to tears and made me extremely happy but nothing compares to the present I got the other day.

My Grandma Helen (Burrows) Timbrel started writing some stories of times that meant a lot to her, in March of 1979.  My Aunt Tina found this notebook, made copies and put them into the mail for me.

One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't write down any of my Grandma & Grandpa's stories.  Every visit to see them we got at least one story if not two or three.  I loved it!! But being as young as I was, it never occurred to me that someday I would get old and start forgetting all those stories.  I am going to take time this weekend and start writing down the ones I remember....they are few.

But what a great thing it was to sit and read these stories that were written in my Grandma's own handwriting and in her own words.  I cried through almost all of them, even the funny ones.  Not sad tears but tears of joy, longing and love.  I may not be able to remember the sound of my Grandma's voice but I sure could her telling her stories.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to put her stories here for all to love and enjoy.  Hope they mean as much to you, as they do to me.

"Life in U.S."

"I sometimes think we have lost something fine and good, when it comes to pride in our county and flag.  I remember my Dad taking me down to the train depot, one cold winter evening.  There were hundred's of people there.  We couldn't get any where near the depot.  We could hear a train coming, and all the people started yelling.  I was eight years old and couldn't understand what was happening.  My Dad picked me up and put me on his shoulders.  I could just see a man standing on the platform of the train.  When my Dad put me down, he said with tears in his eyes. Now remember you have seen the president of the United States.  There are a lot of us who can never say that.  For he himself could not see because of all the people.  So to this day, I say with pride, I saw Franklin Delano Roosevelt the president of the United States.
March 2, 1979"