Where O' Where
Where to put everything? I know there are more boxes of books in storage. Things that first were in these shelves have migrated to the top. Now that they're visible I see many that are ready for recycling. There are boxes of photos.
I found a lovely pine box that originally held three bottles wine and has many photos with no home right now. That stopped me. Some are really old, a picture of Mom actually smiling. She didn't like be photographed and would make faces. Myself at 11 or 12, long hair, stick thin.
Two pictures sent my day off in a different direction. One is my son's paternal grandfather Gerhard posed in his British Seaman's uniform. He was Norwegian but was out of the country when Germany invaded Norway. He spent time both in the British Navy and the merchant marine during WWll. The second was a treasured pre-war photo of my father's best friend Walt. Walter Alberty became a pilot in the Army with the 30th Photographic Squadron, 67th Reconnaissance Group. His first mission was in April 1944. He was killed in action over the French coast June 17, 1944. I started my web search.
The search turned up a forum with his name in it. There was a post from 2006 from Walt's brother's grandson Eric! With an email address. Hoping the address was still live after 8 years I wrote a note and sent it and received a reply back later in the day. I was delighted. He sent me some photos he had and a copy of touching letter he'd received from someone who had visited Walt's grave in the Brittany American Cemetery, Basse-Normandie, France. It made me cry.
Eric asked I could digitize the photo and send it to him. I took it over to my son Dave's and he did it for me. My printer is still packed away. I emailed it to Eric last night. I am hoping he will want the original. Dad gave it to me for safekeeping before he died and I think it properly belongs in Eric's family.
Dave also scanned the photo of his grandfather. In spite of being on ships that were torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic Gerhard made it home to his family. We're sending the picture to my son's Dad Asbjorn who has become the family historian. What a day.
posted by Celia | April 16, 2014
6 Comments:
It's always fascinating to look at old photos from our ancestors. They'll have to be stored in a special place for the future generations.
Glad your unpacking is progressing and that you are finding a space for everything.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
I spent several hours today sorting , scanning and updating a family tree for a distant relation that found me from a blog post back in January. I love doing so, but it does take time.
Grannymar
I wish you had the Name/URL option for comments, it makes life so much easier for me.
I have so many print photos that I must sort through and put in albums and maybe next winter. I really have to get so much stuff done before I die! ;-)
I love the old pictures and when the back story is there it is so very interesting. Thanks for a great story.
just think if we did not have the internet you would have had a hard time finding Eric! What a miracle- how wonderful! Good for you! Cheers!
the bad part about photos is I sort them and somehow the chaos gods come and it's all undone. I have the best luck with scanning and putting them in a folder on my computer
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