I'm always jealous of folks who have inherited a lot of family heirlooms. I have very few, so I treasure the ones that I have, even though they are not very old.
I inherited my paternal grandmother's hutch.[1] It is likely about 75 years old and sat in my grandparents' kitchen in southern Illinois. At one time, there was a matching table and chairs, but these are long gone. The only thing I remember that sat on the hutch was a radio. I can still picture my grandmother listening to that radio as she prepared meals. She always listened to the lists of people who were hospitalized or who had passed away. When she heard mention of someone she knew, she'd yell into the living room to my grandfather to tell him. That was the social media of the time. Today, the hutch sits in my living room, filled with genealogy books on the top shelves and serving dishes in the bottom.
A second treasured heirloom is a pocket watch. This belonged to my dad, but I believe it was handed down to him from his English grandfather.[2] He was a little vague. For some reason, I always admired this watch. As a child, I'd take it out of the drawer and look at it. It was the one thing I wanted. I mentioned that to my parents during one visit. There was a bit of pushback as my dad thought it should go to my brother. But my mom made sure to give it to me before I left.
I have one other heirloom. I have no idea how old it is or where it came from. It's a small, opal-like ring that had belonged to my maternal grandmother.[3] I never saw her wear it -- she wasn't one to wear jewelry. I didn't even know she had it, but I got a bunch of her jewelry after her death, and the ring was among the other things. The stone appears to be slightly cracked. But I've worn it to every job interview and consider it my lucky ring.
My family were poor farmers and coal miners. They had very little. But the few items I have are wonderful reminders of the people they came from. And without knowing their actual stories, I can imagine more colorful stories!!
Genealogical Information
[1] Florence Halliday, born 15 February 1897, What Cheer, Keokuk, Iowa. Married 1) 25 January 1916, Eldon, Wapello, Iowa, to Harold R. Edwards. Married 2) 12 September 1925, Albia, Monroe, Iowa, to George Michael Martin. Died 10 July 1967, West Frankfort, Franklin, Illinois
[2] Robert Halliday, born 21 April 1867, Carrville, Durham, England. Married 25 December 1893, Appanoose County, Iowa, to Margaret Lafferty Clark. Died 3 August 1933, Albia, Monroe, Iowa.
[3] Stella Mae Edward, born 23 July 1912, Corinth, Williamson, Illinois. Married 9 May 1931, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, to Anton Martinek/Butzek. Died 1 January 1989, Blue Island, Cook, Illinois.
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This week's #52 Ancestors prompt was Family Heirloom.
