There should be a word for it! Last in family

An only child ( like me) is in a similar situation when parents have died. I've never really thought about it though, as I have my own children, and a friend I've known since age 4, almost like a sibling.

My mum and dad have died as have all my cousins who were all older than me I have no siblings nor did my mum my dad was one of 5 but all his siblings are dead

So I have no aunts, uncles, cousins, parents or siblings

As an only child, whose parents died 40+ years ago when I was young, I can honestly say that those of you with long-living parents and siblings have had it far harder than I have. All those memories over the years, and no one left for you to share them with, sounds very sad. Treasure what you had, I wish I'd had the chance.

Not quite the same but I am the eldest with 2 younger brothers and know about things and people they have no idea about.

It's an odd feeling.

I've lost my parents and my siblings too. I have 2 cousins both a lot older than me and living 300 miles away but we were never really close. I do miss picking up the phone to talk to my family especially my sister. I have no-one to talk to from my generation about the happy times when we were all at home it's so sad. I've started a memoir so my daughter and grandchildren will be able to read about those times

My mother, father and brother are now all dead.
Just me left.
I had a horrible childhood, my mother was a narc and my father and brother aggressive bullies.
I always prayed I would enjoy a few peaceful tears without them.
I am so much happier as an “orphan”.

I have an older sister but she is in a care home in Canada with advanced dementia.
I am also the oldest surviving member -in-law of DH’s family.
That’s it I suppose.

Much like Maw. I haven’t shared memories with anyone, not my surviving children, no one. DH family were never close and told DD that they wanted nothing to do with us after DH died!
The biggest thing is that I was born and brought up in a (then) third world tropical island and only came to the UK aged 25. Still feel foreign after over 50 years. Feel very sad about it.
I have some 40 surviving first cousins but they all live overseas; besides I haven’t met many of them…

I imagine it would feel lonely sometimes Cambsnan. But have you thought of writing some of these memories down, or voice recording them, to keep them alive?
You say "I have memories that I share with no one." I'm sure many of these are precious and well worth keeping. If you wanted to share them, I hope your relatives would listen and treasure them as you do.

I don't have any family apart from my children, grandchildren and new great grandson. It's been this way since the 70s so I'm quite used to it. Sometimes reading family threads on Gransnet makes me quite glad my family is limited.

An only child I grew up geographically distant from cousins, the two I saw the most are much younger than me. My close friend of over 70 years has advanced dementia and now remembers nothing of the times we spent with my parents at home and on holiday, she always came with us. My mother died over 30 years ago, my father almost 20 years ago. There is no one who remembers my parents as younger people, how life was, what we did as a family, the struggles and celebrations. At times I find it very difficult indeed.

I’m like Farmor15 at the head of the chain now.
However, my friends are like siblings and two refer to me as the sister they never had.

It is what it is - no point in dwelling on the past (too often).

I am the youngest of nine - parents and siblings have all gone -I am the only one left.🥲

My parents are dead, but brother and sister plus a paternal Uncle of 91 and an ‘adopted sister’ are still alive. My Uncle, fully with it, chats on the phone, but about what’s happening now and I rarely reminisce with the others, we talk about things that have happened very recently, or plans in the near future.

I dread the loss of the only close blood relation I have because when he dies there will be nobody to remember times gone by with especially our childhood. No siblings but cousin brought up in the same town and have always been close. I am glad to have children to pass on family history photographs etc. to . It must be horrible to think that strangers might dump all these memories .

I have no parents and am estranged from my older sister. All aunts and uncles have died and only have a couple of cousins alive, both younger than me though only have contact with one of them. Thing is my parents died early and I only ever knew one grandparent for a very short time, the rest died before I was born, also we were not a close family anyway.
Do have close friends I grew up with in Lancashire with whom I have a shared history, we live down south now but we still visit each other and speak often.
Am quite happy to call them family. 👍

My parents died over 20 years ago. My sister is still alive but is in a care home. If I visit her on a good day, she remembers much more than I do. It is odd to think that I am the only person who can confirm that what she says about the old days is true.

I am the oldest of my family.
I admit I don't really think about it often.
I have 5 adult children, grandchildren and a (precious to me) husband.

My earlier memories are entirely my own.

It's strange for those of us who were adopted. My memories are
very mixed up.

I am estranged from my sibling, my parents are dead. I can't face returning to where I grew up.No cousins, no female relative.

I am the eldest, my sister is sixteen years younger but we are very close despite being opposite sides of the M25. We have grown closer since our Mum died seven years ago.

I have two half siblings on my Father’s side, we are not close, I send Christmas and Birthday cards they do not, sure they know when my birthday is, as it’s never acknowledged.

I have a friend who I have know since I was sixteen, she is the only one left who I can share early memories with, and knew my family and my sister since she was born.

I tend not to dwell on being the matriarch but sometimes I still go to ring Mum or Dad when I think of something from years ago.

My mum died just before my sixtieth birthday, she has left a huge hole in my heart and our family.

A country singer (I think Kathy Mattea) had a song 'I'm all that's left of this family of three, who's gonna know but me?' all about that feeling.

I am an "Army Brat", as a forces children were, and may be still called, an only child who travelled the world with my long deceased parents, and then once married, with my late husband. My memories are of a world partly forgotten, and there is no one who shares any memories, so I have written them all down, with appropriate photos. What my children do with this once I'm gone is up to them, but it was great fun writing it all down, and I even go back and fill in a few more details when some thing reminds me of happenings.

I am the sole survivor of my ancestral family apart from two distant second cousins and have no children. My mother died at 104. She mentioned various relatives who died before her and when she was 100 she mentioned one cousin who had just died at 103. By contrast my OH has an extensive family still living.