Most of my family on my paternal grandmother’s side of the family resided in small towns throughout rural Georgia. Every time I went to my grandparents' house, my grandma showed me this book that once belonged to her father. This book detailed her side of the family and their immigration story from Germany to areas in rural Georgia. The Salzburgers immigrated to Georgia from Germany in the 1700s. My grandma told me that there was a time where so many Salzburgers lived in Georgia that almost everyone you knew came from that lineage. This book brings me closer to my grandma and her side of the family because she tells me the stories of her childhood and she wants me to tell those same stories to future generations in the family. Her stories bring the pages to life and show me how it felt to grow up in rural Georgia. When my grandmother recalls these moments from her childhood, her eyes light up and it brings me immense joy to hear how she lived all those years ago. My family history is forever preserved in a book that gets updated from time to time. This object carries such importance because of how close it brings my family together. 

– Kaleigh Ford

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