Carol's Corner

I sat at the table with my husband’s great aunt and listened to her tell stories for hours about past generations in England, those who came to settle on the prairies of Canada and the life they established in this new land. She looked at me and said, “Are you tired of hearing all these stories yet? It’s not even your family.”

My reply came quickly, “I love to hear all you have learned and the stories that bring these people to life. Besides, it is part of my children’s story.”

We also looked through many items this family had kept. I do not think they ever through much away. I held a waxy linen paper. Carefully unfolding the elaborately creased document, I discovered a will dated in the 1700’s. The intricate script, the wax seal and the details gave me a glimpse into life in England, centuries ago.
I read letters sent from one sister who remained in England to her sister living in Southern Saskatchewan. For
sixty years they corresponded to keep alive the family connection.

Letters from this family archive gave a glimpse into life on the Southern coast of England during WWI. Information in one letter talked about a German aeroplane and how the writer wondered if this machine would amount to anything in a war effort. Oh how things changed when I read another letter dated during WWII. This letter expressed the fear of blackouts and air raids, the rationing of food and the devastation years of war had already caused.

Reading from the history books never allows such personal glimpses of war, everyday life and reasons for immigration that family archives of letters, birth certificates, death notices or cards from various occasions. What a wealth of resources to share with family and those of us married into the family.

Not every family has such an archive of information. Sometimes the logistics of storing so much becomes too difficult. My oldest daughter enjoys this treasure trove of items from the past which means in this family there is at least one more generation willing to be the keeper of the items. We are facing the dilemma of how to make these many pieces available while not allowing the ravages of time to destroy them.

Do you have old letters, paperwork, statistical information to paint a picture of generations that have gone before and helped make our lives what they are today? How do you store the information.

Here is part of one letter dated in March 1915,

Dear Lulu,
I know that winter is still hanging on for you over there, but it is finally spring here in England. The flowers are beginning to bloom, my crocuses and daffodils are adding wonderful colour to the gardens – and we are seeing the sun again after months of rain, rain, rain. It’s good to have the rain stop for awhile.
Yet even though spring has come, life is STILL ALL WAR over here. We cannot escape the fact that we are at war. The reminders are everywhere. We still have 1400 soldiers billeted in our little town. It does make the town quite lively with their presence. The lads are working hard to get efficient in drilling, shooting, marching and trench digging. They have improved greatly since their training started.
After an outdoor church service in the park last Sunday we watched as the King’s Own Liverpool Rifles Regiment paraded around the area and then past THE GENERAL for an inspection of the troops. There was all the marching tunes played on the drums while they marched. It was really quite splendid. Then a few days later the Kent Mounted Rifles were through town on a recruiting march. The horses were so lovely – so fresh. The trained troops marching and riding through are quite a sight in their uniforms.