My paternal grandmother, Mary Eileen (left) and her sister,
circa 1919. I didn't inherit her blonde, curly hair but apparently I have her thumbs...I'll never really know as she died from cancer aged 56 before I was born.
circa 1919. I didn't inherit her blonde, curly hair but apparently I have her thumbs...I'll never really know as she died from cancer aged 56 before I was born.
My maternal grandmother, Anna Dorothy, circa 1922. She looks so sweet and innocent here, but my gran had a wicked side...she once told me that as a little girl she would stick pins through the end of her shoes and kick a little boy she hated (he the adopted son of her favourite aunt).
Anna and her father (my great-grandfather), circa 1929. He passed away when my gran was only 14, and, as the eldest child, she had to leave school and start work to help support a large family.
Two Likely Lads... my maternal grandfather, Cornelius (left) and one of his brothers. Both joined the South African Army at the outbreak of WWII. My grandfather (an engineer) never left the shores of South Africa but my great-uncle was sent to Egypt, where he claimed to have single-handedly defeated Rommel's Afrika Korps.
Another photo of my grandfather, with my mom as a little girl, circa 1942. My grandfather was quite a character... always the joker, and sadly a bit of an alcoholic. He lost his leg in a hunting accident when I was very small, and never really recovered. He died when I was 9 years old, and my gran came to live with us until she passed away in 1999, aged 80.
I don't have any early photos of my paternal grandfather, George (right) - this one is taken with my dad (left) on my brother's Christening Day, 1970. I only saw my grandfather a handful of times, as by the time I was born, he had emigrated to Australia and remarried. He lived there until his death aged 92 in 2003.
Both sets of grandparents on my brother's Christening Day, 1970
Do you know much about your grandparents or even your great grandparents?
I love blog posts that have family stories and photos. This one was great!
ReplyDeleteI've done a lot of work on my family tree. On my dad's side I know quite a bit, but my mom's is another story! My great grandparents on her side lived much of their lives under fake names. Apparently, he was a con man and they spent much time on the "lam."
Ah what an awesome post!! I love all the old pictures and I also love the bit of spunk your Grandmother had. Sticking needles in her shoes, Ha who would have thought!!
ReplyDeleteGreat vintage photos. I especially like the
ReplyDeleteone of your maternal grandmother.. she does
look like she could be a bit naughty.
When I was very young my dad's mom lived with
us off and on. She always told me that she
was living on borrowed time and since I was
the youngest , she would take a year off
my life. Somehow that didn't scare me.
Whoa, those moments are incredible.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I love older photos and they are so special when you get to see your family back in the day.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely LOVE these photos. I've recently taken a great interest in the history of my family - there is a facinating show on here in the states called "Who Do You think you are?" which highlights a celebrity as they search their ancestry through history. Very very cool show- and I hope to some day soon devote more time to searching through my own. I LOVE these pictures - so cool, Nat!
ReplyDelete