From Birth (1926) To Death (2023) ~ How The Times Have Changed

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 12 (TECHNOLOGY)

Recently I was looking at 1931 census record for my grandmother (who was 4) & her family when I noticed they were recorded as not having a radio. In fact none of the families on that page had a radio. 

This got me to thinking about what changes my grandmother, who died last December, would have seen over her lifespan of 1926 to 2023.

This video from YouTube gives an intro to the 1920s in the United States - I'm sure Canada was not too different.

She lived in a world where a simple scratch could turn deadly. 

Grandma was almost 2 years old when penicillin was first discovered, but she was a teenager before it was successfully used in the general population.  

She was a child & teen through the Great Depression & World War II. 

She was 19 when the first atomic bomb was detonated.

Flight was in it's infancy when grandma was a child, but available as a form of commuting by the time she died.

As a child I remember grandma wearing her knee high stockings. She never left the house without them. She was a teenager before they were affordable for everyday usage.

"Nylon and nylon stockings were shown to the American public at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Women loved them!" 1 

Grandma lived in rural Manitoba, and I heard tales of how the comforts of her childhood and adult life were so different.

"In the 1940s, many Canadians lived in rural areas where most homes had no electricity, and even fewer had indoor plumbing." 2

A retired telephone operator Grandma had moved plugs on the switchboard to connect callers. At her bedside when she died every family member had a pocket sized computer that made calls. 

Photography wasn't common place, and yet Grandma and her family left behind photos for us to get a glimpse into her childhood.

And this last photo of the family (not too long before her brother died - grandma and her brother sitting graveside with their parents

Everything changes over time!!! 

 

 

This is why I search - 

 

Cause ... 

 

 

 

 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

 

 

 

 

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

 

 

Footnotes:

1  The History of Ordinary Things: Ladies’ Stockings over Time. Written by Doris Montag. 50 Plus Life. Retrieved March 16th 2024 from
https://50pluslifepa.com/lifestyle/history/2483-the-history-of-ordinary-things-ladies-stockings-over-time

2  Canadian War Brides. History. Veterans Affairs. Government of Canada. 
Retrieved March 16th 2024 from
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/canadian-war-brides

 

Sources:

The 20th and 21st centuries. Technology from 1900 to 1945. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved March 16th 2024 from 
https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-technology/The-20th-and-21st-centuries

How do penicillins work? Medical News Today. Medically reviewed by Zara Risoldi Cochrane, Pharm.D., M.S., FASCP — By Tim Newman on July 30, 2018. Retrieved March 16th 2024 from 
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216798

Photos:

Personal

 

Videos:

Virtual History: Life 100 Years Ago. Stark Art & History. Retrieved March 16th 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAUpK_3rnEg

 

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

The Great Influencers ~ Found In A Teapot

  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 5 (INFLUENCER)

When I think about who in my family has had the greatest influence on me I keep coming back to my grandmother, Amy Almeda (nee Bayes) Graham. Some of my earliest memories include my grandmother.

She died this past November - this blog is about Grandma 
Remembering Grandma ~ Amy Almeda (nee Bayes) Graham

I came home with this treasure.

When I was growing up I was entranced with this teapot. I thought it was real gold. I believed it had incredible value along with it's beauty. 

A few years ago I went home to look after grandma when she had knee surgery, and the discussion of what treasures I might want came up.  I shared that I loved this teapot. As a tea drinker I had visions of making tea time fancy should I ever receive it. I wrote about that trip in this blog Greatest Challenge ~ Being Present

After grandma passed the family remembered that I had loved the teapot, and gifted it to me to remember grandma by. 

My initial thought had been that I would drink my tea from it everyday.

I took a look at that pot, and noticed the spidery crack-like visuals inside, and decided it might not survive daily usage. 

I decided that it would be better to look at it everyday instead of risking breakage. 

I may have known the story of where the teapot came from when I was growing up, but as an adult I no longer remembered.

I was so happy to receive this lovely message from my aunt:

💖💖 I woke up this morning thinking about Gram’s gold tea pot, cream and sugar…don’t know if you know this… but Nanny… Nellie Graham... bought this for mom… either for Xmas or her birthday... not sure how long ago..maybe 50 plus years… the salt and pepper and cup…Gram bought herself ... just thought you might like to know a bit of history around the set… love you 💕❤️

In reading the message I felt loved and reconnected to the treasure I brought home.

I responded

I love the stories ❤️ 

She responded

I wasn’t sure if anyone had told you… Gram always cherished the set… even though her and Nanny had their differences… I think she always had a soft spot for her… I think she felt sorry for her….. I’m glad you  got the set… like I say I’m not too sure how safe it is as the inside of the pot is so marked up… someone had told me once that if you put a teaspoon in the pot first… before you pour the hot water in the pot it will help from cracking it… don’t know if it’s an old wife’s tale. 🥰

I wrote about my great grandmother Nellie May (nee Cannon) Graham in this blog 
When you're named after your NPE ~ Nellie May Cannon

I responded

I have placed it on display rather than using it. 
I decided looking at it is better than risking a break

When I was growing up my parents always kept cash in a teapot in the china cabinet. It was there for us kids to pay for cabs home having grown up without debit cards. 

Wrapped up in memories, while writing this blog, I discovered the role of teapots in my life. 

With this blog I leave the history of the golden teapot for my children!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Remembering Grandma ~ Amy Almeda (nee Bayes) Graham

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 47 (THIS ANCESTOR STAYED HOME)

This week I went home because my 97 year old grandma died. 

She was my last tie to my mom who passed away in 2015. 

Grandma was a telephone operator for BC Tel. 

In 1971 she took a transfer to Nelson, British Columbia. 

It was that random decision that made Nelson my hometown. 

As we drove away from Nelson,  heading home after Gram died, I wondered if I would be back. 

My home is a 7 hour drive away. I still have aunts, uncles & cousins who live there, but will that be enough to draw me back?  

There are times I forget (or pretend) that my mom & dad are not out there just living their life too busy to call me. When I visit I am forced to realize that they really did die, and I will never receive another phone call. 

As I drink my tea on my first morning home, I realize Grandma's random decision resulted in the unique community of Nelson forming parts of who I am today. 

What parts of my personality/life would have been entirely different had I not lived in Nelson? 

Our family was given a gift. 

The last few hours of grandma's life she had her 4 living children & the oldest child of her 2 deceased children at her bedside. 

As she took her last breath she looked around the unbroken circle of love before her, said she loved us all, and with a smile on her face left us. 

We had each told her how much she meant to us, she told us how much we meant to her, we shared memories of love, there was laughter & tears. 

This was the perfect celebration of her life.

We remember ... 

These three are back together , we love them with all our hearts 💔
XOXO....

At her bedside we all watched as grandma smoothed her signature beehive hairdo (known in the family as her knot). She wanted to look her best when she met up with her daughters & grandson. 

I don't know if Grandma went home, but today is Saturday - I would like to believe Gram & Mom are out garage-saling right now!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________