A Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) post
titled Address book is a family history,
bound by tradition,
by Will Kenny, caught my eye and opened my eyes!
Unknown
to me, I had, in a way, been keeping a mini family history in my address book. See, I am one of those people, who, though
uses the “contacts” element of Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, still keeps an
old-fashioned address book at Christmas time.
Every
since I have been doing Christmas cards, I’ve used my address book. Or, I
should say books. I think I’m on my 3rd
one now (started December 1998 as noticed on the flyleaf) and I have put the
others into “memory boxes” over the years. Basically, after about 15 years, the typical
address book has so many cross-outs and white outs and a run on list of years
where cards were sent/received as to become a bit unworkable.
I’ve
often hoped that maybe in the future, a descendant will open the saved boxes
and check out my scribbles, including those of the old address books!
When
I read Will’s article, a light bulb went off! When I look through my current address book
(not the electronic kind) you can see where I have noted those who died, those
who were born, those who have moved and
those whom I’ve stopped sending Christmas cards to.
It’s
kind of nice to know that one of my habit’s actually benefits my genealogical
and family history research!
Do you have some gems of information
hidden in your or an ancestors “print” address book?
Is your address book, whether print
or electronic, a form of mini family history?
Editor’s Note: All pictured entries
are for those who are deceased relatives. I’ve done this in order to protect the privacy
of those who are still living and listed in my address book.
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My grandmother kept lots of birth and death dates in her address book. I even found she had written her third husband's birthplace in Italy inside the front cover. Since he'd changed his name, that clue broke open his Italian lineage and helped me identify several descendants. You never know what you'll find.
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat to hear. I kick myself that I didn't snag my mother's address book when she died ... as, unfortunately, a few months later all of her personal papers and photos disappeared!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely keep old family address books. I have my mother's book and have connected to a distant cousin by sending a Christmas card to an elderly relative and heard back from their neighbor that she and her husband were deceased. But, the neighbor was their Executor, and wondered if I would like a box of family photos as their grandchildren did not want them.
ReplyDeleteWell, YES, I want them. Received large box of their family photos and much information. So tracked down a cousin using the information.