Remember Me

 

     One of the aspects of Wormsloe, the historic site we visited near Savannah, GA, that fascinated me was the directive of the original owner, Noble Jones to his ancestors. In his will, Noble Jones directed that Wormsloe go to his son, Noble Wimberly Jones, and “his Heirs for ever.” Today, the ninth generation of ancestors lives in the home and Wormsloe is the oldest property in Georgia to be held continuously by the same family. 

     In personalizing this history, I can't imagine instructing our daughters to keep our family home "forever". To me, that seems a huge burden to lay on future heirs. However, I can understand the desire to leave our human mark on the world and to not be forgotten. Among the ruins at Wormsloe there is a burial plot with a large grave marker that is inscribed, 

"To Mark the Old Burial Place of Wormsloe 1737-1769 And to Save from Oblivion the Graves of his Kindred."

There is something about that phrase, "And to Save from Oblivion ..." that tugs at my heart. 

      We have a little graveyard just behind our property that is owned by the Cahoon family. It contains a handful of graves that are over one hundred years old. The family used to maintain it and keep it trimmed but it has become neglected over the years is now overgrown. I don't suppose there are any heirs left remaining to keep it trimmed. We occasionally try to walk around the graves and pay respect to the souls (unknown to us) within it's wire-fenced perimeter but, a very large tree blew down on top of the graveyard last year and it has become more difficult to maneuver the area.Within a few more years that little graveyard will have disappeared entirely, into oblivion.  Perhaps this is the way it is intended to be, "dust to dust."

   

      I ran across a lovely item this week at an online auction over in West Virginia. It tugged on my heart in the same manner of the Noble grave site at Wormsloe. There were several old quilts listed in the auction but one in particular caught my eye. It's not the most beautiful quilt, as quilts go, but look closely and you will see what it's all about. Look at all those names! I thought what a loving memory this quilter constructed. She left her own mark of sorts on history, those of souls who have lived on this earth and whom were dear to her. To me, it is equally as magnificent as the grave marker at Wormsloe. In so stitching these names she was attempting to leave a record of the family for posterity. I hope a good bidder comes along and is drawn to this quilt and, "Saves it from Oblivion". Otherwise it may be destined for use in someone's dog crate. Ugh.

     I know what we are all thinking and I already thought of it myself; to be the one to save this quilt. I can not. I am already the keeper of family items that I have no idea how to preserve as it stands. Which brings me back to my original thought that leaving stuff, whether it's a large estate or a quilt, to our heirs is largely a burden to them. Let me fix this now by saying, "I hereby state that none of my personal belongings become a burden to my family and that they all have my permission to dispose, burn, give away, sell, or whatever they see fit to do with it." Well, maybe with the exception of my grandmother's trunk...and my mother's chalk fruit...and my father's guitar...and the summer floral rug I made... oh dear.