What is the one family item you wish you had? - just for a bit of fun

[eeyores4me]

I found an uncle two years ago who I has lost touch with about 30 years ago it was lovely seeing him again but he had cancer ,he told me he had the family papers going back years and would give them to me , but he died soon after and his wife is not very forthcoming, in fact she gave me the impression she had thown them away.
What I would give to see them??.

[Mogsmum]

Since I'm not allowed to have something ephemeral, then it would have to be the notes my Gran made when she was approached by someone writing a book in which her father had a 'bit part'.   

When asked for some 'interesting snippets' about her father, she had two problems, where to start and where to stop!   He was a bit of a rogue - no, he was a lot of a rogue actually - and her stories of him were legion.  She scribbled them down in a notebook but because her writing even at it's 'best' was appalling, she got me to type these notes up.   Of course, that was in the day before puters and, no, I wasn't much interested so no, I didn't keep any copies.   Oh b*****!

I take some miniscule comfort from the fact that had her writing not been so illegible I wouldn't have known these notes even existed and at least I can remember some tiny snippets of what she said. 

Of course in more recent times I managed to get a copy of this book - references to my grt-grandfather are - well 'scant' is the word which springs to mind!  B*****!

Undeterred, I managed to seek out the author, he kindly wrote saying he seldom destroyed research notes and, promising to send me a copy of what Gran had provided .... promptly up and died!!!

Oh b*****  again!

[tinav40]

My mothers wedding dress. She let a friend borrow it in 1950 and never got it back. She asked for it at least a hundred times.
It was hand made by my aunt and looked beautiful from the photos.
I expect the so called friend either sold it or else ruined it.

[Bill749]

I wish I the photographs of my great grandparents that my mother burned when my grandma died in 1970!  She said she didn't think anyone would want them, as none of us knew them (they died in 1923).

Bill

[Taidquest]

like most people there are several things I regret not having,
for instance a photo I remember seeing in my grandmothers house
 of her parents,at least I remember what they looked like,then theres
my g'dad owens missing ww1 medals and a book my dad wrote
(longhand ,so unpublished) about his childhood which his dad threw
on the fire so thats something that will never turn up.
but mostly its photos of my mother and her family as children. a cousin of mine
has these and had promised to share but he now lives in perth w. australia
and we are not in touch.
                                                           Anne

[MarieC]

Oh Mogsmum, what a shame!  B ***** indeed!

Anne, that is so sad.  Fancy your grandfather throwing your dad's book on the fire!  The things people do are quite astounding, sometimes!  I do hope that at some future time you will be able to be in contact with your cousin in Perth WA again!

MarieC

[Taidquest]

yes mariec,it is sad as my dad would have been quite a storyteller,
he told me to always write things down and make sure to keep them.
but I think my g'dad reading it might just have been enough for my dad
because they were great pals in in later years.so maybe it served its purpose.
                                                                                               Anne

[MarieC]

I'm glad to know that there was not a huge rift there, and that they were pals, Anne.  But it's still sad that it happened, isn't it, and that you can't get your hands on it!

MarieC

[lesleyp1964]

I would love a photo of my grandfather in his army uniform, to give to my dear mum.
Lesley