Letters from the past

[julianb]

There's an interesting item in today's Guardian (UK) about a letter written 100 years ago for his descendants 100 years into the future by a Guy Wood. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/22/letter-from-a-century-ago

It seems to be a fascinating combination of social history and predictions for the future

What letters do you have written by your antecedents?

JULIAN

[millymcb]

What a great idea of his to do that.

We have a small selection of letters my Great Grandfather (and Great Grandmother) freceived from his brother who had moved down south and joined the Navy.  Nothing of real importance in there but it mentions every day things and always signs off with the names of all the children too.

But ... when I started researching my family tree and found a 3rd cousin descended from him... it turned out that they had some of the letters going the other way. unfortunately the dates don't match and so we don't have the complete correspondence but it was very interesting to read about their visits and their concerns for each other.
 

Milly

[casalguidi]

I have the letters my grandfather sent home to my grandmother and their young children whilst stationed abroad WW2 (sadly he didn't return).  They mostly speak of "every day life" ie. "I've been promoted to cook", what they were having for Christmas lunch, "sorry the shoes I sent home didn't fit the children", discussing the news from the Sunday and local papers which my nan was sending out every week and so on ....... .  Very sad but oh so precious 

[LizzieW]

I have a letter sent by my gran's cousin to my gran asking her to ask another cousin, who would be visiting soon to get "one of those books" and bring it with her.  I've always wonder what "the book" was.  The cost was 5 shillings in 1894, so quite an expensive book.

I've one sent to my dad in 1940 from someone called Gus, who says he is 20 years older than my dad, and I have no idea who he is except he signs it "Your pal".   It mentions being in the air raid shelters at night and then finding it hard to get up in the morning for work.  It also mentions that my uncle (my dad's elder brother) had a large scale concert arranged in Glasgow (he was a classical pianist) but that an air raid put paid to it and his chance to impress some impresarios who were there.  He talks about lots of other places around Manchester and gives the names of some of the streets that were bombed and about my gran and her work as an air raid warden.

There is also a letter to my dad from some grateful Burmese people dated 23 May 1946 saying that anything dad requires from them for his wife and children (that's me and my brother) they will be happy to send to him.

I've also a letter to my mum written in 1944, from my dad's commanding officer, telling her how popular my dad was in the troop in Ceylon, that he was in good spirits and whistling all day long and was so bright and cheerful and ever ready with a smile that cheered them all, etc. etc. which makes me very proud. 

Nothing else though.  So no real history, apart from the letter from my dad's friend.

[Edrubava]

What a fascinating article, I loved reading it.  How lucky for anyone who has letters from ancestors - I would love to read just one from any of mine - but unfortunately none have survived.

Thanks to Julianb for bringing it to our attention. 

[pinefamily]

A letter from the past helped me break down a brick wall many years ago, when I was trying to find the English origin of my great-grandfather who came out to South Australia in 1865. This was pre-internet, and only by tracking down various cousins did I find a copy of a letter written to him by his sister-in-law in 1908, informing him of the death of his sister. This letter gave me enough names and places to find the family in Dorset in the 1851 census. After that I was away!

[eadaoin]

I don't have any letters - I did have a postcard sent by my father when he was arrested during the Civil War in Ireland - but it seems to have gone AWOL.

OH's cousin has quite a number dating from the 1920s-1940s ... nothing historic, but tantalising snippets e.g.
 --- who was "Ted's Annie" who came to visit from the USA?
 --- why was OH's Dad referred to as "poor Peter"?
 
and some bits which helped to date emigrations etc "that was the year Minnie died"

eadaoin

[millymcb]

In on of the letters from my Great Grandad we read after finding our 3rd cousins(mentioned earlier)...he says to his brother "I am still in the animal line" (referring to work we think). 

Thing is...he was a tin plate worker - every census, BMD certificate etc says so - and my mother remembers him bringing little tin plate models home from work... so what is this "animal line"?  Lovely to have seen the letters but I was hoping they would answer questions - not raise more

Milly