MICHIGAN FAMILY TRAILS : July 2024

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Heirloom Preservation ~ How do you preserve them? Here's one way .......

What qualifies as an heirloom?

Like "beauty" the definition of an heirloom is arguably somewhat subjective. Technically, a valuable object that has belonged to a family for one or more generations, is an heirloom.

I know that most of you probably have items that have been handed down to you from your parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Whether it’s a desk, a set of spoons, a ceramic rooster, a photo album or whatever, these items usually have sentimental meaning to us.

Enter today’s culture and the current thinking that if things aren’t new, they aren’t worth anything. This is what I’ve learned from talking to nieces, nephews, grandchildren and others of a younger generation.

Granted, when we were younger we too were anxious for the latest and greatest. We didn’t spend much time worrying about an item that might have been passed down from previous generations.

But, as we got older and perhaps wiser, our thinking changed. I have to admit though, that I’ve always been a fan of anything historic and was inclined to keep older items.

Do you have a plan for ensuring or at least trying to ensure that those historical family items aren’t thrown in the trash or given as donations?

My plan is to take photos of the items, enter the information about the item on an “Heirloom Card” and then create a digital scrapbook page. Then I will print the pages and have them included with my will/trust. I will also label the items as best I can so that someone might find out who they’d belonged to before me.

Here is the blank Heirloom Card created in a Word document. From here I change the colors of the background and add pertinent information, then crop the page as needed.

And here are 3 pages I’ve created so far. These are all items that came from my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould.

TIP - In order to add each item to that memory card, I wanted to remove any background and create a png image. I use a website called remove.bg for that purpose. Just a simple removal of the background and download of the item is free.

I have several more items from my maternal grandmother and even one item from a great grandmother.

What are your thoughts on this subject?
Do you have a plan? I’d love to hear about it.

Happy Hunting,

Michigan Girl

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch. Let’s exchange information.

Monday, July 1, 2024

TUESDAY'S TREASURES ~ What have I turned up during packing and unpacking?

There’s been a LOT of boxes packed and unpacked during our move from California to Montana.

We had lived in our home in CA for 28 years. There were boxes in the garage that had been moved from our previous home together, my previous home before our marriage and Ron’s previous home.

Items that hadn’t been seen in decades.

One of the very best things for me, is finding photos I either hadn’t seen or don’t remember.

Here’s a blast from the past – circa 1970s to early 1980s

Left - Florence Bowden Milne - my maternal grandmother
Right - from L-R - Patricia Milne-my mother, Florence Milne-my grandmother, me, Joan Milne-my Aunt

Left - Patricia Milne in the purple blouse and her sister Joan Milne in the sunglasses
Right - Me and My Mom at Disneyland

Left - Me playing my new piano Right - My grandmother, Florence Milne's desk

To my knowledge those are the only photos in existence with my mother, Patricia Milne Gould Cornelius and her sister Joan Milne Morrison, as adults. Sadly, they were never close and did not stay in touch after 1957. However, on this occasion I believe that my Aunt Joan traveled to Houston to visit their mother, Florence Milne (also shown in the photos).

I’m particularly pleased to have that shot of all four of us standing together. I had moved to Houston to live with my mother and stepfather in Dec 1972 and stayed until June 1974, when I returned to San Diego, CA.

I had always wanted to play the piano as a young girl. When I was about 10 years old my parents rented a piano for a short while and I began taking lessons. This photo of me is about 1980 when I purchased a beautiful Emerson upright grand piano and began taking lessons again.

The desk you see in the photo belonged to my maternal grandmother Florence Milne (shown in these photos) and is seen here in my mother’s home. That same desk sits directly behind me as I type this blog post. It is a treasured possession.

These are just a small sample of what’s turned up during this moving process. At this point I’m wondering if I will ever get through it all. Will I ever get everything scanned? It’s a big job, but I will try to tackle it a little at a time.

I’d love to hear about your finds if you’ve moved or acquired items from a loved one who’s gone now.