Valentine’s Day: Share your love stories

1 Feb 20127 comments

Valentine's Day is 14 days away and millions of couples around the world prepare for the most romantic day in the year.

People also recall how it was celebrated generations ago. They may remember incredible and moving love stories of their own or of their ancestors.

We have all heard the love stories of our grandparents, great-grandparents or other ancestors. These may include a love that was separated or difficult due to distance, historical events, family disagreements or other reasons.

Even though times were much harder, somehow those impossible loves won out, the couple married and their love story lasted until contemporary times.

When I was younger, it was quite an opportunity to listen to some cringe-worthy love stories from my parents. The experience was more of a learning opportunity (as in a whistle-stop tour of how not to let a lady know about your affections).

One story remaining firmly in my mind is that of Valentine's Day 1983. My father had rather shrewdly, in his opinion, managed to book a table at the most exclusive restaurant in London - by pretending to be a celebrity. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were informed that the ceiling had partially collapsed and that all bookings had been cancelled.

Undeterred, they traipsed around the West End, looking for a restaurant on February 14. Predictably, everywhere was full - everywhere apart from the Leicester Square burger house! It was certainly a meal fit for a celebrity.

From today through February 10, we invite you to share your favorite Valentine's Day family love story or photo. Tell us in a comment below, or post them on our Facebook page, Google+ page or tweet us @MyHeritage.

The best three stories/photos will receive a coupon for USD$25 to be used with our poster printing service. The amount includes printing and shipping. Winners will be announced on February 14.

Happy Valentine's Day

Posted by James on February 1st, 2012 - 10:09

Tagged as: families, Family History, family stories, Holidays, valentines day

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KAREN QUAYLE
February 1st, 2012 - 11:02
my little brother born on valentines day 1965 died 1995 , god bless him
Robert Glenn Phillips
February 7th, 2012 - 23:15
i have been trying to find relations on Mary I. Dunn,Phillips,Withrow her mothers name was Mary Jane Jackson,Dunn,Kennedy i am her son and/grandson
audrey
February 8th, 2012 - 11:30
this is a story about a young girl and her boyfriend in dublin on valentines day 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-FgPFi-uw
audrey
February 8th, 2012 - 11:31
Typo sory the above should read 1981..
Melissa Prosser
February 10th, 2012 - 09:06
Love at first sight is perhaps possible. One set of my great great ... however many greats ... grandparents did not even speak the same language. They saw each other on the street. One spoke French, the other English. They married and had children. The children grew up learning both languages. The parents never bothered to gain any proficiency that we know of. Perhaps it cut down on the arguments! :)
Tiffany
February 10th, 2012 - 18:12
On Valentine's Day, 1940, my Clark Gable-esque, 19-year-old grandfather, Eugene Victor, took my beautiful grandmother, Eva, by the hand on a small bridge just outside Vernal, Utah.
My grandma remembers that it was cold and a full moon was rising over Split Mountain Gorge. They sat down on the railing, and grandpa pulled out a gold heart locket with a tiny diamond chip in it. He clasped it around my grandma's neck and asked her to marry him. She's 91 and she still has that locket.

Gene was from Ohio, but had been assigned to Vernal as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939. He had met Eva seven moths earlier as their respective groups of friends passed each other on the street. At that time, my grandma told her friends that if she married this young man named Eugene Victor and had a daughter, she would name her Victoria Jeen. My mom was born seven years later. :)
blatherskite
April 13th, 2012 - 20:13
http://happilyneverafterreality.blogspot.com/