1958 was an eventful year for my mum. With good news and bad, new arrivals and sad departures. When going through a box of old photos recently I came across the Parish Magazine for August 1958. Price 4d. I found it so interesting to read and see adverts for some shops that I remember from my childhood and even some that are still in business today. There's a page of handy hints entitled 'Weekday Pages for Women with Homes'. How to get the creases out of hair ribbons by holding them over the steam of a kettle, and how it is best to buy towels with patterns in squares not lines, much easier and cleaner when washed and boiled apparently!
Under the Parish Register we see a 'welcome' to a certain little 4 month old, ginger haired baby who was baptised on July 13th (that would be me) and a 'farewell' to my great grandmother in the sympathy section registering her death at the age of 95 on July 23rd. My mum was born at a time when families were quite a bit larger than the average family nowadays. So sometimes one or two children would be sent off to live with grandparents and this was the case with my mum and her younger sister. They were brought up by their grandmother in the countryside and didn't really see too much of their real mother. When Granny was too old to look after herself, she came to live with my parents where she lived her final days. It must have been so tough for my mum to have an eight year old daughter, new baby and 95 year old grandmother all needing her care and attention. Granny was quite the celebrity in the village and I will share the paragraph in the Parish Magazine with you:
'We cannot let the passing of Mrs Butcher go unrecorded in the Parish Magazine, for she was the oldest woman in Harlow, and the much loved mother of a large family well known in the town (for they never got far away), with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Only recently she had been on a visit to Chelmsford, but her last public appearance was on Remembrance Sunday in Coronation year, when she planted a tree on Mulberry Green. To her numerous relatives we offer our sympathies, especially to those of them who tended her so faithfully for the last years of her long life.'
Only recently she had been on a visit to Chelmsford, but her last public appearance was on Remembrance Sunday in Coronation year, when she planted a tree on Mulberry Green. To her numerous relatives we offer our sympathies, especially to those of them who tended her so faithfully for the last years of her long life.'
'Her last public appearance ...' makes her sound like royalty doesn't it?
This story is shared as part of Sian's Storytelling Sunday, why not pop over there and see what other tales there are to be told this weekend?
20 comments:
It really does make her sound like royalty! I love this story - pouring over an old Parish magazine is just the kind of thing I love to do and it's made so special with the link through the generations with that regal old lady and the little ginger haired baby. Love it!
how fortunate you are to have that magazine to look back on and remember a very special lady
What a treasure to have that magazine. I just love stuff like that and the older I get, the more I appreciate it.
I hope you are a scrapbooker because your story needs to be memorialized!
How wonderful to find that magazine! This is such a lovely story and I too loved this link with the ginger haired baby and the old lady. Very special.
What a lovely memento to have of your grandma.
It does make her sound very regal....how wonderful to have that parish magazine.....I love reading things like that.
What a wonderful memento to have. Lovely story.
I love how this story gives us a peek into your life, as well as your mother's and great grandmothers.
Rinda
How wonderful to have that very special parish magazine. It really makes her sound like royalty.
I can imagine it's wonderful to have such a magazine.
How fabulous! What a special little piece of history :)
What a treasure - that old Parish Magazine. It makes you appreciate the tight bond families often had in those days, and how the different generations looked out for each other. Your Mum must certainly have had her hands full, and what a wonderful tribute to your grandmother. I wonder if the tree still stands on Mulberry Green?
what a wonderful family to be a part of! All that history really interesting, thanks for sharing your story xxx
this is a wonderful story Deb, a great bit of history to record :)
I also wanted to say I love that you change your blog header to reflect the month :)
As a family historian I know what value these items have. I have one from a Cheshire town in the 1920s which announces the appointment of my Gt Gt Aunt Miss Marion Wilson as headmistress of the local girls school. The advertisements are a delight too! xx
She does sound like a royalty. And what a great piece of family treasure that magazine is.
How lovely to have that magazine...your great Grandma DOES sound like royalty!
Alison xx
How wonderful to have the parish magazine to look back on. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
How lovely that you have the article, and a wonderful story :)
Catching up on my blog reading! What a wonderful story and how great that the parish took your grandmother into their hearts!
And yes! We are of an age ;o)
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