This is mostly because , when my grandmother passed away in 1949, my uncle Joe, who was still living with grandma, carted everything [ and I do mean EVERYTHING ] out into the backyard and set fire to it. By the time his brothers and sister managed the drive down to Lorne from Melbourne they were greeted by the sight of a huge bonfire blazing away - furniture, books, family silver, school prizes, the lot.
Some photos survived the purge but only because they were safely in the albums of other family members and they are few and precious
Imagine my surprise and delight then to find this hitherto unknown [ well, unknown to me anyway ] photo of Grandma Bat
tucked inside an old map of Hobart that I unfolded for the first time last week when I was looking for ephemera for my collages.I never met Emily Hyams Batterham because she died before my parents married, but now at least I know one more thing about her - she was a knitter !
10 comments:
How wonderful that you found this picture - and more particularly, that grandma is knitting! Hurrah.
But boo to Uncle Joe for burning everything - my goodness, what a shame!
So knitting runs in the family...
Isn't it amazing what some people do with the deceased's possessions?
What a treasure for you! Will you get it enlarged?
And you also know that she carried her knitting with her, and wasn't afraid to knit in public. She handed her genes on to you.
What a treasure. When my last living grandparent died, my uncle and a cousin went to their home and also destroyed unbelieveable amounts of things. No one else was able to travel there so he decided to get rid of family treasures, heirlooms and photos! Seeing that knitting connection is awesome, so that photo is extra special!!!
What a fabulous photo. I know that feeling of everything being lost to your history too, as my grandmother passed from leukemia before I was born and when she died my mother and her sister were allowed to choose 1 single photo. My stupid grandfather went out and burnt everything else that reminded him of her. I remember feeling so angry about it afterwards when I was told, but then thought about how much he loved her and the unbearable pain he must have felt after losing her. I always try and take photos of my family so the kids can have memories when they have their own kids. I hope you find some other treasured pics amongst your books too.
(Insert expletive here) What on earth was he thinking?! Was he carrying out your grandmother's wishes, in some bizarre grief state due to her death, or simply acting jerky?
Regardless, I'm glad you found this photo of your grandmother, a lost and treasured piece of your personal history.
Burning everything? Wow. I can't imagine what would possess someone to do that...
But how cool that you found such a perfect photo! And with knitting, no less! I guess the fact that those remembrances are scarce makes it all the more precious.
And she knitted in public - ooh ma!!
What a treasured find that will be.
I know you don't know me, but I've been "following" you for a while. I feel your pain over the loss of family items. My sister sold my childhood home and did God only know what with all the items inside. I snagged the photos (some of them, she'd already done away with the 8mm movies years ago) and a few sewing items that Mom gave me before she died. But most of the stuff is just gone. She's holding the dress form hostage. (We don't talk much anymore).
It is great when you find a new photo like the one of your grandmother doing something you can relate to.
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