Treasure Chest Thursday - New!

The Swiss Family Robinson, edited by G.E. Mitton, Third Edition, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia (no date - 1920s?). Owned and read by George Rogers (signed inside cover) & by daughter M. Diane Rogers, both of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Prices in pencil, inside, 2.00 (crossed out) and 1.00. Stamped - "Mark R. M. Co, Ltd. VAN "

Leslie Ann Florida over at Lost Family Treasures is now dedicating Thursdays to sharing family treasures and has invited other genea-bloggers to do the same. I'm happily following her example here and so today will be my first Treasure Chest Thursday.

Slowly I've been photographing and describing my own family treasures, mainly so that my children will have a record of these and so that they'll be able to read some of the stories behind all that 'old stuff' I like to keep around me.

Almost every family has at least one special memento from the past. Perhaps it's not the far off past - it could be mum's braids, a souvenir plate from Blackpool, England, a hand made baby sweater from the 1930s or Mum and Dad's rock and roll record collection from the '50s. Few of these treasures are valuable in monetary terms, although some families may have heirlooms with diamonds and pearls.

Talking to relatives about ways to preserve and safeguard these family mementos and family heirlooms could bring home to relatives just how very useful their family genealogists can be. And looking at family treasures, even the 'silly' ones, is often a good way to interest those 'non-gens' in the family in a story or two.

I've made up some forms for my 'Family Treasure' inventory which I'd be happy to share. I give these out often to members of groups I speak to about genealogy as I find there is a lot of interest in this topic. I have specific forms for photographs and for books too.

Reading is one of my passions and as a girl I was lucky enough to have a number of older books given to me by relatives. This book, originally my dad's, The Swiss Family Robinson, was a childhood favourite of mine. I thought of it as a very practical adventure story - how to live well if marooned.

In my own collections too are quite a number of bits and pieces that I've brought home myself, mainly from genealogy research trips, which bring back my own treasured memories of places where my various families have lived, like this double decker bus marked as #99 Town Centre Linthwaite (West Yorkshire). I just had to have it!

I'm hoping all my treasured pieces will find a place among someone else's family treasures someday - "Grandson, are you listening?".

Red vehicle model, double decker Yorkshire Traction company bus - #99 Town Centre Linthwaite, with ad for Stardrops Cleaning Magic on both sides.

Marked underneath: Oxford Diecast, Vintage Model, Made in UK.

Two of my ancestors, Samuel WOOD and his father Joseph WOOD, both born in Yorkshire, England, lived at Linthwaite in Yorkshire, before emigrating. Both died in Ontario, Canada.