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!

______________________________________________________________

This Bramble Bush Foundation ~ Us

Welcome to Week #1 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks 2022.

This is my 4th year participating, and I am super grateful to Amy Johnson Crow for inspiring me to write about the folks in our Bramble Bush. 

If you want to sign up there is a link at the bottom of this blog.

The challenge took me from an uncommitted relationship with my genealogy blog (2014-2018) to telling the stories of our ancestors every week (2019 to 2021).

I look forward to sharing more stories for those who are interested now, and for those who will become interested in the future.

Primarily I write for me. It's a way to turn the list of names and places into living breathing people.

These are the people who impacted who we are today. They need to be remembered.

This first week's prompt is FOUNDATIONS.

To start this year I will focus on the bottom of this Bramble Bush. 

US!

First there were two people living their own lives:

Chris

He's the tiny baby in the carriage with his parents

from the newspaper on the day he was born - with his mom

with his little sister

with his little sister and grandpa

with his little sister

with his little sister

with his little sister

With his great grandfather, Alonzo Vannatter

with his little sister

with his little sister

with his uncle - his dad's youngest brother

with his mom

Basic Training Canadian Military

Deb 

with mom

with my brother and dad

with my brother and dad

with my aunt, my mom's younger sister

with my mom, dad, and two uncles (mom's youngest siblings)

with mom & dad, and the puppy whose name I don't know

with mom, dad, brother, great grandmother, and aunt (mom's younger sister)

mom and I

with brother, dad, mom

with younger brother

dad trimmed my hair for school photos while mom was away

with cousin, brother, uncle (mom's youngest brother)

with cousin & brother

with aunt (mom's younger sister)

with mom, stepfather, and younger brothers

with younger brother

with brother and great grandmother (Nellie May nee Cannon Graham)

with brother and great grandmother (Nellie May nee Cannon Graham)

with brother and great grandmother (Nellie May nee Cannon Graham)

with brother

with mother

with mother

with brother and cousin

with mother and brother

with mother and brother

with mom

with aunt, mom's youngest sister

With friend Karl Turner for his Grad

with brother, step-father & grandparents

about a year before meeting Chris

Not too long before meeting Chris

They became a couple:

They became a family:

  

And the family grew

AND grew

Their nest emptied:

Once the nest empties there is more time & money for genealogy --- errr I mean fun!!!

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***

Links:

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

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!

________________________________________________________________