This blog is my "holding place" to put information, photos and documents pertaining to my mother's family. Recently I was given eight big boxes of photographs, letters, and other family papers that had belonged to my mother, my grandmother and my great grandmother. These boxes held things that had been saved over three life times, stuffed into boxes and drawers at the home of my grandmother, Florence Krebs. It had been gathered up from her house by my uncle, David, when she died in 1988. Now, over 20 years later, it has come to me.
Sadly there are many of the pictures that I can't identify. Still, there are some real treasures tucked in as well. So as I begin sorting through all this stuff I wanted to find a way to preserve and share as many of the records as would be feasible. This blog is my attempt to do just that.
I've already begun mailing out stacks of pictures to various family members. But just to be sure no one gets left out, I'm scanning all the good stuff to post here where all of the family can have access to it.
My next task is to begin tracking down as many of my mother's remaining family as I can to see who
might want physical copies.
I have an incredible heritage in the generations who have gone before me. It is truly an honor to get to have these records so I can learn a little more about their lives. Pictured here from top to bottom are five generations of women in my family:
My mother: Nancy Krebs Pendley,
My grandmother: Florence Kurtz Krebs,
My great-grandmother: Gertrude Young Kurtz,
My great-great grandmother: Anna Harvey Kurtz,
My great-great-great grandmother: Ann Bell Harvey
And then here is one that has five generations in one picture - including myself and my sons with Nancy, Florence and Gertrude who are pictured above:
I tried to capture a bit of my feelings about this family in an essay I wrote years ago about the family reunions we would have every year to celebrate Grandma Kurtz's birthdays. She lived to be 102, so there were many gatherings over the years. That essay was published in Ensign Magazine in 1990. I have it posted HERE
Now it's back to my boxes and the scanner to keep adding more information and images to this humble little blog. Whether you are a relative stopping by to see records of family you share or just some random stranger taking a look at how a family blog might be set up I hope you find something useful. If you have questions, don't hesitate to let me know.
