My great grandmother (Nana) at the current age of 94, a few years back wrote a story board book about her life. She expressed in her novel the places she has migrated to in the East Coast over the years. Starting out in South Boston in the late 1930’s, her mother moved the family to a Dorchester apartment. Much later in her life traveled to Maryland. The next destinations would be Weymouth, Canton, Kingston and then finally Braintree in 1990. Most of her memories are from Dorchester as she learned many baking and cooking recipes passed down from her mother, but we learned that an item precious to her mother would never be passed down. 
I learned that my Nana’s father’s family came from England promising a wedding present of 19th Century Bonnie Prince Charlie Staffordshire Horse statues to her parents. My nana’s mother so desperately wanted these statues on her mantle to display. A family member, Uncle Frank claimed excuses and kept the statues for his entire life, passing them on to his own children. By the time my Nana’s parents and Uncle Frank were gone, it was clear these statues would never be in their promised place. My Nana expresses in this story a moral of making sure to receive a gift that was supposed to be passed on. I never knew this story about my Nana’s parents and these migration collectibles. My family is appreciative that my Nana has written a story of her life so that it will be kept and passed down as gifted and delivered. 

– OW

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more