Family Scerets and Old Photos
May 27th, 2019
Recently something happened in my life that made me shift my priorities a lot.
I was looking for something stupid, I don’t even remember what it was now, and suddenly I found a very old photo album in my grand-ma’s closet. I didn’t even know it existed!
This old album is unlike any I have ever seen – its time-worn cover is made of fine leather with some beautiful drawings. Inside every sheet is thick and unbendable, cream white with special pocket-like holes for photographs. The photographs are all cabinet cards, also thick and unbendable, with logos and advertisement of the photographer’s services on the reverse side. Beautiful people in old-fashioned clothes are on these photos, fleeting seconds of their lives frozen in time and preserved on paper.
I was thrilled. It felt like holding an incredible treasure, a message from the past, like having a glimpse into someone’s life. Of course, I wanted to know who these people were. So my little quest has begun.
I discovered that the album was made in the late 1890s and given as a gift to my great-great-grand-mother. My mother and her sisters were able to identify only a couple of photos, so I had to broaden my search and go and see other relatives.
It became an exciting adventure that also allowed me to pay visits to family members whom I haven’t seen for a while ;-)
Guess what? My quest brought me all the way to California! I discovered that my auntie in California has a similar photo album that belonged to her grand-ma, my great-great-grand-ma’s sister!
It was amazing! Not only did I find out some awesome stories and secrets from my family’s history, but I also met all my American relatives and had a wonderful time!
So, old photos and family stories lead to breathtaking adventures in real life just as much as in books! I have discovered it through my own experience. And I feel this is just a beginning, for so many stories are still waiting to be discovered and told, stories of all those who built my family and who deserve to be remembered.
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Categories: Miscellaneous