Mr. RightField and I -- now that we are in retirement -- have started writing down stories from our family histories. One of his great grandfathers was a slave in Mississippi who ran away to fight for the Union, changed his last name to avoid being sent back to the plantation in case he was caught by the Confederates. After the Civil War was over, he had some problems in claiming his pension because of the name change. We have the paperwork documenting how he eventually got his pension. And when his old plantation was broken up into smaller plots after the war, he got 160 acres of it free and clear, from his former owner's brother. Fascinating stuff.
I was privileged to know four of my great grandparents ... all of them were born in the 1870's. One great grandfather knew Orville and Wilbur Wright. He died at the age of 104. He was fond of saying, "I saw the first airplane fly and I saw the first man on the moon. Guess there's isn't much more to see in the way of progress." He'd be fascinated with the world today, and definitely an oldster who would take to computers and cell phones without a stumble.
We raised our own kids far away from their grandparents, but we took every opportunity we had to visit and have lots of contact with the grands. I heard once that the reason grandparents and grandchildren generally have good relationships is that they have a common enemy. LOL
That is wonderful to get those stories written down. My grandmother spent a lot of time getting stories written down. My grandfather’s grandmother crossed the prairie in a covered wagon...she had written down some stories as well. It’s important to remember where we came from.