Monday, December 05, 2011

Grandma and the Family Tree


A little humor...but oh so true...if only Grandma had one of these!

Grandma and the Family Tree 
Author: unknown 

There's been a change in Grandma, we've noticed her of late,
She's reading history or jotting down some date.
She's tracking back the family; we'll all have pedigrees.
Oh, Grandma's got a hobby; she's climbing Family Trees.

Poor Grandpa does the cooking and now, or so he states,
That worst of all, he has to wash the cups and Dinner plates.
Grandma can't be bothered; she's busy as a bee,
Compiling Genealogy, for the Family Tree.

She has no time to baby-sit, the curtains are a fright.
No buttons left on Granddad's shirt, the flower bed's a sight.
She's given up her club work, the serials on TV,
The only thing she does nowadays is climb the Family Tree.

She goes down to the Courthouse and studies ancient lore,
We know more about our forebears than we ever knew before.
The books are old and dusty, they make poor Grandma sneeze,
A minor irritation when you're climbing Family Trees.

The mail is all for Grandma, it comes from near and far,
Last week she got the proof she needs to join the DAR.
A worthwhile avocation, to that we all agree,
A monumental project, to climb the Family Tree.

Now some folks came from Scotland and some from Galway Bay,
Some were French as pastry, some German, all the way.
Some went on West to stake their claim. Some stayed near by the sea.
Grandma hopes to find them all as she climbs the Family Tree.

She wanders through the graveyard in search of date or name,
The rich, the poor, the in-between, all sleeping there the same.
She pauses now and then to rest, fanned by a gentle breeze,
That blows above the Fathers of all our Family Trees.

There were pioneers and patriots mixed in our kith and kin,
Who blazed the paths of wilderness and fought through thick and thin.
But none more staunch than Grandma, whose eyes light up with glee,
Each times she finds a missing branch for the Family Tree.

Their skills were wide and varied, from Carpenter to Cook,
And one (Alas) the record shows was hopelessly a crook.
Blacksmith, weaver, farmer, judge, some tutored for a fee.
Long lost in time, now all recorded on the Family Tree.

To some it's just a hobby, to Grandma it's much more,
She knows the joys and heartaches of those who went before.
They loved, they lost, they laughed, they wept, and now for you and me,
They live again in spirit, around the Family Tree.

At last she's nearly finished and we are each exposed.
Life will be the same again, this we supposed!
Grandma will cook and sew, serve cookies with our tea.
We'll all be fat, just as before that wretched Family Tree.

Sad to relate, The Preacher called and visited for a spell,
We talked about the Gospel, and other things as well,
The heathen folk, the poor- and then- 'twas fate, it had to be,
Somehow the conversation turned to Grandma and the Family Tree.

We tried to change the subject, we talked of everything,
But then in Grandma's voice we heard that old familiar ring.
She told him all about the past and soon was plain to see,
The Preacher, too, was nearly snared by Grandma and the Family Tree.

He never knew his Grandpa, his mother's name was ..Clark?
He and Grandma talked and talked, outside it grew quite dark.
We'd hoped our fears were groundless, but just like some disease,
Grandma's become an addict--- She's hooked on Family Trees.

Our souls were filled with sorrow, our hearts sank with dismay,
Our ears could scarce believe the words we heard our Grandma say,
"It sure is a lucky thing that you have come to me,
I know exactly how it's done, I'll climb your Family Tree. 

3 comments:

Hadley Burns said...

I don't think I will show this piece to my wife. She doesn't understand my COMPLETE fascination with genealogy. If I am busy on my computer and she asks what I am doing my reply is "I'm just talking to a bunch of dead guys"
I think if my wife saw Grandma and The Family Tree she would take out Grandma and put my name in and it would fit me just as well as it did poor Grandma. My comments were somewhat tongue in cheek (but not completely) It is a nice piece Renee. Thanks for the smiles
Hadley Burns
Cambridge ON. Canada

Nana said...

This is such a great poem, thank you for sharing it. I could see myself in the poem as Grandma is the Nana in me and my family tree. I loved it so much I emailed it so my kids could see that I wasn't the only one climbing their own family tree. Ha Ha

Anonymous said...

Thankyou for this poem...yes it fits this Grandma also. Mum died when I was 12 so did not have any knowledge of her family and Dad did not want to talk about his family..suspected there might have been some trouble with his Dad....his mother died when he was 9 so he was adopted by his Aunt Mary Ann, the only person he mentioned now and then. So fellow genealogists, we are all in the same boat...forever searching... and every little bit of knowledge is met with loud cries of "Found Him/Her" much to the relief of all the family no doubt!
I am into Irish, English and Welsh searches at the moment, but who knows where I might end up!!
Happy searching everyone and Happy Xmas and a Great New Year.
Kind regards,
Mary from North Queensland Australia