Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Before my time

I've been thinking agout my recent trip to my Grandfathers old farm. I remember where there were three huge oak trees, there was only one. Two were gone without a trace. My Grandmother always wanted to call the farm, "Three Oaks Farm".
I remember when I was a little kid, there were those three oaks, also I remember there was a dead tree, way in the other direction, on the edge of a far field. It reminded me of the Statue of Liberty.

I was thinking back, before my time, when that tree was still alive, did my Grandfather remember it? Who was there when that tree was still alive? Who was there when that tree (and the other three) were little? My Grandfather was born in 1885, I wonder who he bought his farm from? I have a lot of questions I wish I'd asked when I was younger.

I've been thinking about the same things around here, on this island. I have asked some people who remember some old stuff, like the first car to drive up to West Bay, and when the road to East End was two tracks, one for each wagon wheel, instead of a paved road.
Human history is very fragile. Easily forgotten.

3 Comments:

Blogger Teri said...

You can always find out who owned the land before him from census information, tax records, etc. from the county where he lived.

Could be an interesting hunt.


Stop by every so often from Froggie Mom's link.

September 05, 2007 7:58 PM  
Blogger Kelli said...

For reasons like these, I have begun to record my grandmother telling stories of when she was younger and stories about my mom and her siblings as they grew up. My G-ma thinks it's a silly thing to do but...once that knowledge has passed on...it is hard to get it back. And it's never really the same as it would have been to come straight from the source.

Stories like her running away from the farm where she lived with her parents and 21 siblings (don't worry 1 was adopted and there were 3 sets of twins)...ran away to be a cab driver in a big city, thing is she lied about knowing how to drive. Her first fare had to drive himself!!! The same man later taught her how to drive...I call him grandpa. They were wonderful bootleggers together...

Things like this would be lost in history. Because these things can't be looked up in public records...unless she was arrested!!!! lol Not to mention...it's too colorful to make up!!!

September 06, 2007 1:15 AM  
Blogger Cindy N. said...

There are a lot of unanswered questions that I would like to ask my Grandfathers and grandmothers. Even my Mom and Dad. I guess that is one good reason for keeping that blog o' mine.....it's there for anyone of my descendents that would like to know what was going on in my life and theirs from 2005 on.

September 06, 2007 10:49 PM  

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