Family History and Plants-MG

Most people call it genealogy, but I don't like that word because I have visions of would-be detectives digging through old records under the wary, frowning eyes of some of the disgruntled record keepers who think you shouldn’t be there. Rather, I prefer to think of myself as a family history researcher. I've been doing it for over 30 years now. Oh, and for the record, many of the record keepers bend over backwards to help.

I have my great-great grandfather's eyeglasses, my great grandfather's shovel and pocketknife, my grandmother’s old treadle sewing machine and my dad's first pair of eyeglasses. You see, I relish becoming the "keeper" of family treasures. While you're probably thinking that has nothing to do with gardening, I would argue that it has everything to do with gardening.

My dad recently divided two peonies and gave me part of them--a white one and a red one. He had moved them from my grandparent's farm home to his house when they moved to town. My grandparents had moved them from the farm home of my paternal great grandparents to their home. My dad thinks they may even have belonged to my paternal great-great grandparents since my great grandfather inherited their farm home. I don’t know the history of peonies to know how long they’ve been around or whether there was more than one color back then, but these plants could have conceivably come from stock over 110 years old.

My dad also gave us my grandmother’s "Autumn Joy" sedum about 15 years ago. Every time we've moved, it's moved. My mother-in-law gave us an old fashioned amaryllis nearly ten years ago, which she'd had for about 30 years. It had been her mother's. This is an amaryllis like I’ve never seen before.

I'd give anything to sit down with my grandparents, their parents and all those others that are a part of me to ask how they lived, why they left, what life was like then, what was important to them, what kinds of plants they grew and so on, but I can't. However, as I learn more about them in my research and as I see each of these plants that they once tended, I'm reminded of the memories that have been shared with me and I can see the faces of those I knew or of those whose pictures I have seen. Their plants will always go where I go.

Our sons appear to have inherited my wife's green thumb and brown hands as each of them have begun tending their own flowerbeds and houseplants. It's an interest they are sharing with their wives as well. The grandkids are now showing interest in their grandmother’s plants, especially lamb’s ear and roses.

Family treasures don't have to be furniture, tools, jewelry or other trinkets. They can be plants. What better gift could you give your children and grandchildren than a living plant that renews itself every year? So, let your legacy live on in your descendants through the plants and starts you give them. Oh, and write down those stories about you and your ancestors to leave to them when they get old enough to want to know about the old days. Believe me, they’ll treasure them one day.


		University of Missouri Extension Jasper County jasperco@missouri.edu Web site maintained by: Virginia Bryan bryanv@missouri.edu Last updated: 09/02/2009