Unpacking the Genealogy Treasures

These are a few of the items found in the first box I unpacked. Mother's Pilot Log Book was a suprise, I don't think any of us knew she had kept it. She took her pilot's licence in 1982 at the age of 66 in preparation for building and flying her own ultralight aircraft.

Finding her log book helped me firmly establish another date in her genealogy timeline, because I could not remember the exact year she learned to fly.

She and her companion Godfrey Harwood are shown here standing beside their ultralight when it was finished. Some of the other genealogy finds were a memory book of her 90th Birthday Party in 2007, a few of her personal journals, one of her trip diaries which she typed and printed off her computer (her 2001 camping trip in the Australian Outback at age 85), a small bible, a dragon wall tile she bought on her trip to China (which she used as a hot plate) and two incredible treasures of jewellery.

One was a small engraved heart-shaped locket "To Joan from Cec" which my father gave her on their wedding day in 1936. Inside is room for two small photos, one for my father the second for my mother. This was a beautiful treasure and one I will cherish.

The best genealogy find though was a tarnished silver charm bracelet which held heads and hearts engraved with the full names and complete birthdates of all her grandchildren up to 1973. I am going to add the last two grandchildren born after 1973 so that the bracelet is complete. What a genealogical treasure for a future descendant!

I'm making good progress and following advice given here on my blog, am sorting items into plastic tubs for later conservation - but enjoying them now!