Family Moment Monday--WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE???

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?????

Motherhood for Dummies sponsors Family Moment Monday.  check out her site for other great  ideas for family activities, lessons, projects, etc.

(First, an apology to those whose blogs I usually read and comment on.  I haven't been blogging!  I am so up to my neck trying to get my father's house empty that I've done little else! But I will still write quick posts and read as I can for the next few weeks.

OK.  I've been reminded of a very good family lesson as I've gone through memorabilia at my parents' house.

LABEL YOUR PICTURES!!!!!  

The photos pictured above have been in my family for a good hundred years, I believe.  The album itself is crumbling.  And here and there I believe is a photo of my grandmother as a little girl, and she would be over a hundred years old if she were alive today.

Surely one of these women is my great-grandmother and grandfather, maybe great-great.  

We will keep these pictures until we have gone through them all to see if identities can be established by cross referencing other albums.

We have lovely formal portraits of women and men whom we don't know.  But we know they are significant in our family history or we wouldn't have them!!!  My grandmother had a brother-in-law who had a portrait studio so some of them are lovely and very old portraits.

  AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why is this important?  Because these people are part of our family identity.  Children love to know about their ancestry and their heritage.  My children love to hear about where their ancestors were from.  For those readers who are not American, this is an American thing.  Since our country is only a few hundred years old many of us actually know what countries our families originally immigrated from.  For instance, I am 1/2 Irish, 1/4 French, and 1/4 Scotch and German. (approximately-- the Scotch/German line dates back to the American Revolution so that one's a little more sketchy.)

My children love to look at our family tree.  They know the names of many of their ancestors who were the original immigrants to the United States.  When there are pictures and stories too, this family history comes alive.  As Americans, we have a special affection for those countries from which we know our family lines have come.

I think the more we know about our family past the more connected we feel as a family.  As Catholics we pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed before us.  Old family stories enrich our sense of identity and unity as a group.  And PICTURES make it all come alive!

SO LABEL THOSE PICTURES.  If you're like me, you may have way too many pictures to start labeling them now.  But at least label the formal portraits or a few really good snapshots so your grandchildren or great-grandchildren can figure it all out.  Right now it seems like there would never be a time that no one on Earth would know who that darling photo of Michael is.  The time will come soon enough-- in the twinkling of an eye.  So give your descendants the gift of information about who is who.  They will love you for it.  Who knows?  Your portrait or that of your child may grace the mantle of a great-great grandchild a hundred years after you're gone.  Maybe they will even send a little prayer your way...

P.S.  I can hear my mother protesting, "But I DID label all our pictures."  And she did.  I remember very clearly her bemoaning the lack of information when she brought these same albums and photos from my grandmother's house.  It was then that she instructed me to label your pictures!!  And she labeled all of hers.  In fact, some of the older pictures are labeled in my mother's handwriting even though the people are from the other side of the family.  She passed on to us all the information she had.