by Sandra H.
Member since:
September 21, 2008

"Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it!"

January 08, 2013 08:07 PM UTC
views: 0 | 24 people recommend this | comments: 54

That quote was brought home to me quite early this morning when the following was delivered to our home.....http://media-files.gather.com/images/d345/d558/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d344/d558/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d343/d558/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d342/d558/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

We were expecting two boxes, at the most, we got fifteen!  This started six months ago when by brother-in-law was placed in a nursing home with a fairly advanced case of Alzheimer's disease.  When we were contacted about this, the only things we asked for from his home were family photos and my mother-in-law's Bible. My mother-in-law lived with them for three months before she passed away.  We knew that she had all her family photos with her and those were really what we wanted.

As you can see, we got much more than we expected!  They had no idea what belonged to us so they gave us everything they found in the house that had some kind of family connection.  It is going to be a long process of sorting through everything but it will definitely be an interesting one!

So far we have found portraits of my husband's paternal great-grandparents.  We also found my mother-in-law's high school diploma from 1926 and my father-in-law's high school and college diplomas.

It is so much fun to look at all this family history! I am enjoying the treasure hunt!

Comments: 54

Nora D. Jan 8, 2013, 8:20pm UTC
Wow, Sandy.............what very beautiful photos!!!!! OMG, that will be quite a job, going through all those boxes.......but, I'm sure it will be fun as well......just never know what you might find!!!!! There could be real treasures in those boxes!!!
David W. Jan 8, 2013, 8:22pm UTC
My sister passed last March. She was a hoarder and as we tried to separate the wheat from the chaff we came upon a grey plastic storage box. Inside we discovered all of our family photos dating back to the eighteen hundreds. I know exactly what you are going through. Thanks for giving me a flash from the past.
Sandra H. Jan 8, 2013, 8:40pm UTC
The large portraits are from the late 1800's and we have found some smaller ones from that time period also.....We just found a photo of my husband with his cub scout troop, a really fun memory for him!
Kevin E. Jan 8, 2013, 8:24pm UTC
You have a great deal of treasures to go through.
Pamela Marks Jan 8, 2013, 8:48pm UTC
what a wonderful bounty of family history you have keep us updated as you go through the items
Heidi S. Jan 8, 2013, 9:04pm UTC
I'm so sorry about your brother-in-law... but how exciting! Love those photos!

I hope everything is marked. I inherited a bunch of photos from my grandmother, but most of them don't have anything written on them to let me know who they are or where they were taken.
Carrie Marie P. Jan 8, 2013, 9:23pm UTC
Wow.. you are lucky to rec'v the items.
Ann K. Jan 8, 2013, 9:27pm UTC
What a cool delivery! Enjoy your treasures.
Beth J. Jan 8, 2013, 9:57pm UTC
Thank you for sharing on Helping Out One Another
Betty S. Jan 8, 2013, 10:12pm UTC
That is wonderful that you got all those family treasures.
Janet "Jax" B. Jan 8, 2013, 10:20pm UTC
Have fun going through everything.....
phil w. Jan 8, 2013, 10:32pm UTC
Yes , but this chore will be a labor of love !
mary v. Jan 8, 2013, 10:38pm UTC
Have fun.
Bernard C. Jan 9, 2013, 2:16am UTC
Wow! What a good find - best of luck with your searches and tree-building as well :-)
Karen E. Jan 9, 2013, 2:18am UTC
Overwhelming but wonderful at the same time!
Kim B. Jan 9, 2013, 7:58am UTC
Yikes!
William M. Jan 9, 2013, 10:06am UTC
You hit the jackpot.
Debbie W. Jan 9, 2013, 10:42am UTC
What great photos to have
Sonia M. Jan 9, 2013, 12:51pm UTC
It might be overwhelming at first, but just take it one box at a time...This is a treasure trove!

When we had to go over our parents' homes (2!!!) anything that was of this nature was packed and my sister took home with her so she could go through them little by little...She has been finding so many interesting treasures of information and photos and every once in a while I will get an e-mail with photos or something she has found... Makes me wish I lived closer so I could help her.
Sandra H. Jan 9, 2013, 1:14pm UTC
We are doing exactly what you said, one box at a time. This morning I found two handwritten diaries that belonged to my mother-in-law's uncle. He was a pastor and the diaries are from 1897 and 1898. I also discovered that he passed away in 1899.....They are fascinating to read. He also had an accounting of his income and expenses for every month. That was so interesting to see!
Sonia M. Jan 9, 2013, 1:23pm UTC
To have those journals/diaries is priceless, Sandy!

I forgot to mention, but you probably are doing it anyway ... that as you find items of interest, place them in different boxes by category or family branch or by person/relationship and by dates. It will be easier later to catalog what you have and decide how you're going to save, display or share them with the rest of the family.
Pam S. Jan 9, 2013, 5:05pm UTC
Wow, that is quite a collection, have fun going through all of it.
Sherrie H. Jan 9, 2013, 5:07pm UTC
Wow! It looks a little overwhelming, but very fun, too. A treasure hunt is right!
Richard Thuss Jan 9, 2013, 5:55pm UTC
Sounds to me like you got exactly what you wished for: and that is a good thing
SF girls c. Jan 9, 2013, 7:33pm UTC
wow alot of stuff
Ms Lee P. Jan 13, 2013, 5:46pm UTC
I do believe you have your work cut out for you. I'm happy that the surprise is turning out to be a nice surprise. Family history and photos are always nice. I have some pictures of old old family members that people didn't write on the back who they are and the people who would know are now dead. Hope you know who everyone is in the photos.
Sandra H. Jan 13, 2013, 8:16pm UTC
We don't know all of them but have a pretty good idea who most of them are. My MIL was good about writing down who was in the photo.....We are finding some very cool things including diaries and journals and lots of diplomas.....It fun going through everything.
Ms Lee P. Jan 13, 2013, 9:08pm UTC
Oh Wow, Wow, Wow! Read the diary's, read the journals and put them all together into one wonderful book. Make it fiction so you can play with the characters. Ordinary people and their lives can make a most extraordinary story. I'm green with envy.
Amber C. Jan 14, 2013, 5:50am UTC
It's always nice to find treasures!
Elizabeth S. Jan 17, 2013, 11:28am UTC
They sent it to someone who would treasure it.
ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Jan 17, 2013, 11:33am UTC
Good for you Sandy. I am trying to help at my sister's house but it is a slow and painful process.
Leah Christensen Jan 19, 2013, 6:59pm UTC
That sounds so cool! When were his great grandparents born?
Sandra H. Jan 19, 2013, 8:49pm UTC
We originally thought they were from the late 1800's but now we are pretty sure they are earlier. We are working on finding the exact dates of their birth. My SIL was working on the family history and has a lot of it written down, we just need to read it all.....We do know they were born in Germany. We have gone through five boxes so far, still have 10 more to do.
Leah Christensen Jan 19, 2013, 8:54pm UTC
Those family histories are always so NEAT!!! I learned the coolest bit of my own family history last weekend. I knew that my Great-Grandma (Grandma's Mom) had been married and widowed three times. I knew Grandma and sisters were the daughters of Hubby #2, and Uncle B (born 1932 10 years after Grandma) son of #3. The neat thing though is that #3 was born in 1872, was 25 years older than GG, and was 60 when Uncle B was born!!! Of course the family had to chuckle, when I turned to Walker (35 years older than me) and said "I guess I'm not the first member of the family to fall for an old guy!!!" :)
Sensational Sadie Sexy Senior Sitizen Jan 20, 2013, 12:40pm UTC
What fun you will have finding treasures in this lot.
Connie C. Jan 23, 2013, 9:10pm UTC
I am just stopping by once again to let you know that this post/photo is spotlighted in the

What Is Happening Today On Gather ~ Thursday January 24, 2013

I hope you have an opportunity to view the other spotlighted posts and photos. Have a wonderful night.
Sandra H. Jan 23, 2013, 10:10pm UTC
Thanks so much for the feature, Connie......I will check out the other posts and photos.
norene t. Jan 23, 2013, 9:18pm UTC
Wow that is neat!
Ryan Reid Jan 23, 2013, 9:27pm UTC
My great grandmother passed away recently and i have been helping clean out the house. I was about last in line to pick things, but i still got some really interesting things that will be great heirlooms from here on out. We have dedicated a curio cabinet to family stuff. Nothing valuable but nice little trinkets from both of our families. the kind of things you tell stories to the kids about.
Marsha C. Jan 23, 2013, 9:28pm UTC
yes, you are going to have a lot of fun and a lot of memories as you sort through all of the boxes!
Pam Brittain Jan 23, 2013, 9:29pm UTC
The pictures and the history is truly a treasure.
Jan S. Jan 24, 2013, 12:36am UTC
Sounds like lots of work, but you might find out something interesting. I would begin by sorting photos into boxes marked by years, then assemble them in order within each box and then all together. I did it this way once, but had only 3 boxes to sort. I really wished my relatives had written names on the backs of the pictures. I was able to get my dad to identify most of them, luckily.
Teresa W. Jan 24, 2013, 1:17am UTC
What a neat gift though. All those precious family memories.
JoAnn C. Jan 24, 2013, 8:38am UTC
It will be a lot of work to go through all the boxes but well worth it in the end.
Diane Huizenga Jan 24, 2013, 9:58am UTC
wow what a surprise have fun
Sandre M. Jan 24, 2013, 10:53am UTC
What a treasure trove! Looks as if they'll keep you busy for a while.
Rachel D. Jan 24, 2013, 12:53pm UTC
While I know it's a big job looking through all those boxes, I'm sure you'll really enjoy going down memory lane.
Priscilla P. Jan 24, 2013, 2:17pm UTC
That is what I call a treasure chest of pure gold.
Marilyn M. Jan 28, 2013, 3:22pm UTC
Oh my goodness!!! Who would have thought there would that many... but what a precious treasure trove of photographs! You're sure to find some very special memories packed inside those boxes. Happy sorting!
Marilyn (PaintsOnSlate) S. Feb 22, 2013, 8:54am UTC
My daughter is here visiting for a few days and someone on Facebook asked her which child of her famous 9th great grandfather she was related to and that started a project that has taken all week. She asked me and I pulled up the Family Tree which is now on Facebook shared with all the cousins. We found old photos and newer ones. Facebook is now more than just a family gossip space, it's our family tree....
Sandra H. Feb 22, 2013, 2:07pm UTC
Isn't it fun to go through all the old photos and documents, etc.? We are still working on our stuff, have a few more boxes to go through.
glenda j. Feb 28, 2013, 12:03pm UTC
wow have a good time
Renita P. Mar 3, 2013, 10:19pm UTC
This comment is to let you know that your content has reached 100 views and has been removed from "100 Views." Thanks for posting.
Karen Irene B. May 8, 2013, 6:15pm UTC
I wish I could get that much information and pictures of my family. Been doing the tree for over five years and hardly have anything to show. Orphans and disinheritances make it difficult. Have fun going through it all.

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