Homeward



“How blessed to be able to turn homeward when we are tired or ill or discouraged, or just plain weary of the ways of the world—weary of small talk,  impersonal people, and the endless round of routine.  How blessed to belong, and how much we owe those who are there,  just for the blessing of belonging, just for a place in the family circle.”

---Evans, Richard L. “Music and the Spoken Word,” 21 November 1965, page 158.

Have you ever wondered about the homes where our ancestors lived?  Have you ever wondered how close family members lived to each other?  Have you ever wondered what smells filled their homes, or the everyday sounds within their homes?

I have begun a new project:  the address book.  In this book, I hope to find the addresses of our ancestors homes from the census records, directories, and other documents.  Wouldn't it be fun to see a picture of the house, and read the census record which reports how much the house was worth and if the family owned the house or were renting the house.  Wouldn't  it be fun to know if the family had a radio or had been employed during the depression.  I would love to go inside the homes and sketch the floor plans and include these sketches. 

Have you sketched the floor plan of your childhood home?  How about the floor plan of your grandparents homes?  Have you described the colors, memories and sounds from your childhood home or your grandparents homes?

What do you think about my new project, the address book?






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