Memories of Grandparents

What kind of things do you remember doing with your grandparents or great-grandparents?

Were you fortunate enough to get to spend time with your grandparents or great-grandparents?  You may not have spent much time with your grandparents because they lived a great distance from you.  You may not have had much time with them because they passed away before you were very old.  Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, so I never even met them.  One of my grandmothers passed away when I was about six years old.  I only have a few memories of her.  My other grandmother lived to be in her nineties.  I have many memories of her.  I never knew my great-grandparents since they all died before I was born.  Three of my children met their great-grandmother, but she was ill and they didn't get to spend much time with her.  People are living longer now, so knowing grandparents and great-grandparents is more common now.

Writing some of your memories of your grandparents and great-grandparents if you knew them will preserve their legacy for your children.  When you went to your grandparents' house did they give you any treats?  My maternal grandmother had plum trees in her yard.  She often made plum-filled cookies as a treat.  One year my grandmother gave us corn that she had dried herself.  It was a surprisingly sweet treat.

How often did you get to visit your grandparents?  We usually saw my grandmother every week.  We raised chickens and sold the eggs to many people in the city she lived in.  We would take a dozen eggs to her each week, and we usually visited for a little while.  One winter when our van we used to deliver the eggs with didn't have a working heater, we would plan to stop in at grandma's and warm up midway through our delivery route.  Her coal-burning stove felt so warm.  I remember warming up too fast and how painful that was.

Did your grandparents have any special talents?  My grandmother sewed clothing, made quilts, and braided rugs.  I remember one Christmas, my grandmother gave me a bib apron she had sewn.  She made me a couple of pincushions which I still have.  My mother started a quilt top before she died.  My dad and stepmother asked my grandmother to finish the quilt top.  Then my stepmother added batting and a backing and quilted the quilt for me.  The quilt is so special to me since it was the work of three important women in my life.

Write down the memories of your grandparents and your great-grandparents if you were fortunate enough to know them.  Take photos of anything they gave to you or that once belonged to them.  Record your feelings about your grandparents.  The members of your family who didn't get to know your grandparents will appreciate what you have recorded.

https://www.zazzle.com/nature_photo_family_photo_tree_calendar-158741909937911606?startdate=1%2F1%2F2025&social=true

   

   

What Kind of Furniture Did Your Family Have?

What furniture do you remember while you were growing up?

All homes have furniture.  Sometimes there isn't a lot of furniture, but there had to be something to sit on, something to do work on and something to sleep on.  It could be possible that you only had a mat to sleep and sit on and to do your work on, but most people have more furniture than that.  Write about the furniture you had and include pictures if you have them in your story.

The dining room table that I remember growing up was a red Formica top table with silver metal trim.  There were matching chairs, but they wore out relatively quickly.  My dad gave me the table after I had a home of my own.  Eventually, I gave it to my brother. We had many meals around the table and played games around the table and did homework there.  It was a family gathering place.

I remember when we got new living room furniture.  We got a vinyl sofa bed with two recliners.   I still remember a party at our house when a couple of the kids my age jumped onto one of the recliners and broke it.  We hadn't had it very long before it was broken.  We also had a grandfather clock replica with bookshelves.  That was where books for the whole family were kept.  We also had a large console television.

In my sister's and my bedroom, we had a double bed to both sleep in.  When my sister became ill and it wasn't known yet for sure what caused her illness, I had to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room to protect from me from catching something from my sister.  Then our parents purchased a set of bunk beds so that we each had our own bed to sleep in.  My sister and I had an old treadle sewing machine table that we used as a dressing table.  I remember when my dad was too busy to build a bookshelf, my mother had me help her select some boards and help her build a bookcase for me.oRemembering the furniture that your family had will probably bring up some memories for you of what happened with that furniture.  Try writing down all of the furniture you can remember having in your home.  Then write down what things you remember happening with that furniture.  Did you play games around a certain table?  Did you share a bed with a sibling?  Did you have a special desk to do your homework at?  Did you have a favorite chair that you liked to sit in?  Did you or someone in your family build a piece of furniture for your home?  Do you remember shopping for furniture?  Did you inherit a piece of furniture?  Writing about the furniture you had in your home will probably trigger many other memories that you can add to your story.

Photo by Manlake Gabriel on Unsplash

Treadle Sewing Machine & Kittens Journal
by BestAmericana

What Games Did Your Family Play?

What kind of games did your family play? What kind of games do you remember playing with friends?

Playing games was a common occurrence in families before television, computers, video games, and other electronic devices came into being.  Families still may play games together, but a lot of other things may take up our free time now.

What kind of games do you remember playing?  Did you play active games like Hide and Seek or Tag.  Did you play games like baseball, football, volleyball or other sports?  Did you play board or card games?  Was your family very competitive or was it more relaxed and just to have a fun time?  What games were you best at?  Did you do well in physically active games or did you do better in games that challenged your mind?  Did you prefer games of chance like spinning a wheel or rolling dice?  Did you play with your family or did you play with your friends?

I mostly enjoyed board games.  My mother like to play board games with us and I played with my brother and sister.  Some games taught math skills.  Some games taught spelling skills.  Some games taught strategy.  We did play to win, but it wasn't a cut-throat competition.   I like games where I learn something from the game.  Games of chance are boring to me.  Recently our church had a Bingo night.  I found myself getting bored because it was just covering up the numbers that were called out.  At another gathering we played a version of Bingo that involved words from scriptures.  That was so much more fun as we would see who could recite the scripture with that word in it.

Recently I found games that help teach family history.  If you have an account on familysearch.org you can find these games by clicking these links and signing into your account.  The games will access your family tree information and create a customized game for your family.  If you don't have an account at familysearch.org you can create one for free and enter your family information and then you can create a customized game for your family.  These games are a fun way to get to know your family.
Wheel of Family Fortune
Geneopardy

I found this Bingo Game and thought what a great idea it would be to get to know family members at a family reunion.

Family Reunion Bingo Game 1
by CountryPatch

Write about the games you and your family played when you were young and what games you play now to add fun to your story.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash