52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Heirloom

I'm very lucky to have more than a few wonderful heirlooms in my collection. As the only child of two only children, I continue to be the recipient of some special family artifacts, but because my grandparents and my father were gone before I started researching and archiving, and because Dad had no siblings, there are some blanks I just can't fill.

This pendant was once a brooch that belonged to my great-grandmother. Which great-grandmother? I don't know. I do know that it was one of my father's grandmothers and I think it was his father's mother, Ada Merritt Hobbs, but I really can't be sure.

Dad had the original brooch made into a pendant and gave it to me when I was about nine or ten. He told me that my great-grandmother wore the brooch with her high-necked lacy blouses on special occasions. I thought she was even wearing it in a photo, but I can't find it if she was.

Ada Merritt Hobbs 

Dad passed away in 2005 and I didn't start researching my family until 2008, so I can't beat myself up over this. But I can make sure that I get my mother's input on every possible heirloom from her side of the family, and ask her what she might remember about those from Dad's side.

And I can implore anyone reading this post to do the same. Even if you think you know the stories of your heirlooms, write them down now. It's an exercise that I promise you will reveal any blanks in your knowledge and push you to get those blanks filled-in while you still can.

My great-grandmother's pendant is still a family heirloom and still means a lot to me because it was given to me by my father. But it would mean so much more to future generations with the full story attached. So don't wait and don't procrastinate, get those stories now!