Last week I was able to spend some time with my GrandAunt Barbara and my Auntie V at Barbara’s home in Spokane, Washington. We had a good time together. Aunt Barbara shared lots of stories, photos, and other family heirlooms with us. I have so much to preserve from that visit. It’s exciting! One of my favorite finds was a grouping of photographs and stories about Grandpa Costello’s car.
Grandpa Costello bought a 1932 Buick right off the showroom floor. Apparently, Grandma Costello wasn’t too happy about that. Grandpa babied that car – a deluxe model complete with flower holders in the back seat – he would park it in the garage that had a dirt floor, but every time he took it out he would dust the entire car.
When Aunt Barbara was dating Uncle Dan, Grandpa Costello still had that car. So Barbara rode it in. When Grandpa Costello could no longer drive, the car was sold to some friends of Aunt Virginia’s. Dan was very upset by that because he really wanted that car.
Years later, Dan and Barbara flew in Dan’s plane to somewhere near Ione.* There was a car show near the airport and in that car show, there was Grandpa’s car! His actual car, not just the same model.
Each time I visit my relatives from an older generation I learn new details about my ancestors. Each and every trip is so worth it. I LOVE the picture of John and Mary standing next to Grandpa’s car!! What a treasure to add to my small “John Costello” collection.
I used these photos along with the audio of this part of the interview to create a video using Animoto. I’m toying with purchasing a plan with Animoto and created this video as part of my trial. Have you used Animoto or a similar service or program? Which do you prefer? I tried using Adobe Spark but there were far too many limitations with the audio. I have lots and lots of audio files that would work nicely in a video and definitely want flexibility in the audio files I can use. Here is my video:
Happy Monday, I hope you make a fantastic genealogy discovery this week!
*{Ummm, can I just say that I wish I had asked about Dan’s plane and flying? I was so distracted by the car stories that I missed that tid-bit…}
Great video. I so wish I’d known my older relatives and been able to hear their wonderful stories.
Thank you, Su! I’m just glad I realized that they hold so many treasured bits and stories before they were gone. I’m sorry you didn’t have the same opportunity! One day you will be the oldest living relative and you can set things better for your family’s younger generations. ❤️
I quite like the idea of being the family matriarch 🙂
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Wonderful video! And like Su, I also wish I’d known some of my older relatives at all and others whom I did know—why didn’t I ask more questions when I could have? I am so lucky my parents are still alive at 87 and 91 so I can still ask them questions.
How did Dan know it was actually his father’s car, not just the same model? So cool!
You ARE lucky! I hope you have been preserving some of their memories. What a treasure to have them both still alive and able to communicate with you. ❤️
Aunt Barbara just said that he really knew that car. But when I googled ‘1932 Buick’, his car is very different on the outside from the standard model. I’m wondering if it has to do with it being a deluxe model? Other than that possibility, I don’t know. 🙂
Believe me, I do not take it for granted. They never talked about their childhoods because both had tough lives for different reasons, but since I started doing genealogy, I have learned a lot more. I might never have asked if I hadn’t gotten hooked on genealogy!
I’m so glad they have opened up more! That is awesome. ❤️
Wow, so cool, Amberly! You are collecting so much wonderful information for future generations. This is one of my favorites!
Thank you, Luanne! I hope they will love it. ❤️
Enjoyed the video, Amberly! Thanks for sharing! Love old family stories, even when it’s not my family.
Thank you, Cathi! ❤️