The November meeting of Frome Family History Group took place in the library , however instead of a speaker, several members of the group brought along family heirlooms to describe to the audience.
The group reports, “The items may have had no monetary value, but were important to their owners because of the family members they represented.
“Among the items brought along were a rag doll owned by a deaf great-grandmother, photos of criminal gang members who just happened to be related to Mike, I won’t give his surname in case his credit rating suddenly goes down, and a bundle of romantic letters written by a lady’s parents. We also had a magnificent gold chain belonging to a gentleman of very modest means. How he came to acquire such an expensive item is a question that his descendents will probably never know the answer.
“Other items included hair clips for a lady who was in service, a photo of a tiny button badge, a wedding ring, a very large pocket watch and a certificate for a man working on First World War mines. Members were able to decipher a location on a World War Two drawing of someone’s father.
“The evening was organised by Sue Simpson who showed us how to photograph and record special items in our possession so that our descendents will know their history and what they mean to the family..
“The next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th January and will be a short annual business meeting, followed by a virtual audio visual tour around Frome shops with the owners telling us about the history of their building. Regular family history advice sessions continue on the first Saturday in the month from 9.30am to 11.30am in the library. Please book a computer with the library staff.”
