Week 4 of #52ancestors - Invite to Dinner
Which ancestor would I most want to invite to dinner? I'd go with my grandfather, Chester Brown. He died when I was just a year old, and he's the only grandparent I have no memory of. Even my mother's mother, who died when I was 6, left me a handful of warm fuzzy memories.
My father never talked much about him. When I asked what his job was, the answer was "mostly odd jobs here and there". I don't know if that was because of who he was or because it was the Depression. Maybe some of both. I got the impression he was handy. My father kept some of his tools until late in life, when my parents sold their house to move into a retirement facility.
When I was a teenager his life and death seemed like ancient history. There was an old black and white photo of him on a side table at my grandmother's. In an era of color pictures and Polaroids, that photo might as well have been from 1900. I realize now that for my grandmother, the interval of 15 or so years since his death was like nothing. Sometimes she'd say, almost to herself, "Chester was a good man".
His father William died the month before Chester turned 12. What was life like for him, and his sister Alma, after that? What kind of relationship had Chester had with his father? Their older half-brother Clyde was 21 and still living at home. Did he become the breadwinner, or did he move out?
The Browns are the family line I know the least about. They weren't big on keeping records or on passing along family stories. I'd love to have dinner with my grandfather and find out more.
Which ancestor would I most want to invite to dinner? I'd go with my grandfather, Chester Brown. He died when I was just a year old, and he's the only grandparent I have no memory of. Even my mother's mother, who died when I was 6, left me a handful of warm fuzzy memories.
My father never talked much about him. When I asked what his job was, the answer was "mostly odd jobs here and there". I don't know if that was because of who he was or because it was the Depression. Maybe some of both. I got the impression he was handy. My father kept some of his tools until late in life, when my parents sold their house to move into a retirement facility.
When I was a teenager his life and death seemed like ancient history. There was an old black and white photo of him on a side table at my grandmother's. In an era of color pictures and Polaroids, that photo might as well have been from 1900. I realize now that for my grandmother, the interval of 15 or so years since his death was like nothing. Sometimes she'd say, almost to herself, "Chester was a good man".
His father William died the month before Chester turned 12. What was life like for him, and his sister Alma, after that? What kind of relationship had Chester had with his father? Their older half-brother Clyde was 21 and still living at home. Did he become the breadwinner, or did he move out?
The Browns are the family line I know the least about. They weren't big on keeping records or on passing along family stories. I'd love to have dinner with my grandfather and find out more.
Comments