We do lots of general reading about history, but we are not at all organised about it. Having dipped into histories from all over the world I thought it was about time our history studies got more personal.I do have some resources at my disposal, at least for my (non-Muslim) side of the family. Towards the end of their lives my mother's parents took it upon themselves to write their memoirs. My grandmother had been a typist when young, and she typed the whole lot out. Then they bound their work into two books, one about each of them, and distributed copies around the family.
Their accounts begin with stories from the 1840s which had been passed down to them, and continue with more detail once their own experiences can be recorded.
My grandfather also took time to draw up a family tree, and put together photo albums of copies of old photos, complete with a booklet explaining who is who in each picture, (all numbered and organised page by page).
There are also supplementary booklets containing copies of family letters sent from the USA in the 1950s, and details of work practices from the 1940s.
Now, these are all primary sources for social history, and inshAllah we'll be reading them through, matching names to photos and entries on the family tree.
As for my husband's side, I hope the children will be encouraged to ask him about whatever tales were told to him as he grew up, then they can write it down, inshAllah, and create their own part of the tradition.
2 comments:
Salaam,
I absolutely love this mashaAllah. My mother has also done something similar and my mother's parents collected very old letters and photos. It is amazing what you discover. We actually found out that we are related to someone quite famous - wrote to that person and his father confirmed that the family tree was correct. One day I can't wait to tell my children about my great grandmother's life and how her hair was shaved in Sicily as a punishment. How my grandfather (dad's father) was a printer in West Africa. Definitely pursue this with your kids - I did this when I was younger and I have very fond memories of all the discoveries I made!
That sounds like something interesting. What organised relatives! My auntie wrote down my mother's side of the family tree from memory which seemed tohave relativesin Kellogs and Bonham -Carters!
It should make thehistory seem more 'real' shouldnt it. S still asks us if we had tv's, electricity when we were young?!And if the computers dont crash and lose everything, then future genrations will have tons of social history to read through on their relatives blogs!
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