Do you Google dead people? I just did.
I rediscovered this autograph album owned by my great grandmother Ursee Bowey. In 1909 at age 22 she received it as a Christmas gift from her mother (yes my great, great Grandmother). The pages are inscribed with carefully written sentiments from friends; poems, autographs, and drawings; reflections on life, love, and hope.
Apparently these albums were “all the rage” in Australia around 1900 as they became more affordable.
I don’t know why, but finding it again made me Google my great grandmothers name. Nothing, of course (really, what was I expecting to find? Force of habit?) Now some of her album is digitised in pristine pixel glory on this blog and Flickr. And finding her album gives me a glimpse into her life, her friends and her travels. I bet the author of this poem never would have imagined the words written there would travel over oceans nearly a hundred years later.
“We may write our names in albums
We may trace them in the sand
We may chisle them in marble
With a firm and skilfull hand
But the pages soon are sullied”….(but written in eternity)
It makes me think of the transformation our social networks, our ability to lifelog and create living memories for our children and even our great grandchildren. What will they find if they search for your name? Will your memory contain reflections of life, love and hope?
Hi ww.
nice post;
ive been rather cynical about the whole lifeblogging but when then reading ur post made me realise what a great medium it is to capture lifes memories even if its purely to capture a moment in history and allow that memory in its captured form to be carried over in and through time.
nice one.
also, u might want to capture the Ursee’s book in digital form
laminating optional,
Cheers
Sagart!
Great story … and this is where social media becomes live history. It will be fascinating even a few years down the track.
Also, as Sagart said, capturing this for posterity is also a great idea … you could share it with your family as gifts. See Blurb.com and Lulu. Easy peasy.