Monday, March 23, 2015

A to Z April Challenge: Theme Reveal




This week as I was looking through some of my genealogy research and deciding where to store it all, I came across a large zippered pouch courtesy of Foster Funeral Home in Portsmouth, Virginia. Inside was my grandparents’ funeral “stuff”:  Guest books.  Sympathy cards.  Cards attached to floral remembrances.  Even a warranty from the casket company. Yeah, that’s a keeper.

I opened each wrinkled and torn envelope, and held lovely old cards of vellum. Messages penned in blue expressed sadness and also memories of good times. Cards once attached to sprays described the gladiolas, mums, carnations, and other flowers sent to remind us that we were not alone in our grief. Suddenly I was smiling. 

Nostalgia? Perhaps. But I realize the names are also clues that might advance my family research. Names grouped together indicate a possible family connection. One person signing for another practically guarantees to seal the deal. What’s a family historian to do? Start digging!



“Who came to the funeral?” will be my contribution to the A to Z April Challenge.


© 2015, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.  

21 comments:

  1. ...very clever... and just a tad mysterious. Sounds like it'll be an interesting month.
    Another Wendy here, popping clicking around from Australia to check out some other themes.Wendy at Wendy of The Rock

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  2. A Funeral Parlor AtoZ...now that is an original idea which promises to reveal some interesting information....warranty included. Wonder how that works...warranty on a casket. Who would know if it was faulty? You may become a Paranormal Genealogist. This will be fun...eral topic to dis..re..member. Yikes...I gotta stop with the word play...sorry, I apologize. I can't wait to sign the Guest Book on every Letter.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal
    AtoZ 2015 Challenge
    AJ's wHooligans

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    1. I hope I can make some of it a bit interesting.

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  3. I have the same unusual collections of items from my parents and my maternal grandmother. I look forward to reading about what you uncover as you closely research those items & the people associated with them. Of course, I always enjoy reading your posts!

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    1. So far it has been fun figuring out who people were.

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  4. I will look forward to your series!

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  5. What a wonderful find, and it makes an original theme for this year's challenge. I look forward to reading more.

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  6. This sounds really good to me! Thanks for putting the "Fun" in Funerals.

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  7. Gosh Wendy, you got all the good stuff! When it comes to hand-me-downs, my genealogical cupboard is bare. I can't wait to see what you figure out and reveal over the next little while.

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    1. I fear the stories won't be that exciting but it does fascinate me to see which cousins remained close over the years.

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  8. Okay that sounds good! I'm in because I too, recently found my grandparents burial information. I also found my grandmother's birth certificate and discovered that she'd been born in Florida and where and, and, well yes, that got me wondering and set me off on an adventure that I'm not done with either. So I'll be happy to read your experiences that might closely resemble my own...Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting! Lisa co-host AtoZ2015 lisabuiecollard.com

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    1. Hi Lisa, Family research was a good excuse to go to Florida -- exploring the area was a must. Enjoying it was a bonus.

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  9. Great idea! You just made me think that I could do something similar with my parents' wedding guest list.

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  10. What a neat project! And, I'll have to read about the A to Z project. I haven't heard of it. But, guess I'll have to skip this year.

    Thanks for your comment on this busy time in my life... I'll be back as soon as I can!

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  11. What a unique theme!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...

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  12. What a very interesting theme! Have fun with it!

    betty

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