Meeting 16 Sep 2009

 HEIRLOOMS - PART I

The subject for this month's meeting was "Heirlooms - show and tell" hosted by Suzanne Case.  Many members must be back from vacations as the attendance was up this month.  And for the second months in a row someone has read about the meeting in the "Community Calendar" of the newspaper and came to check us out...complete with something to "show and tell."  Refreshments were brought by Louise Chung to everyone's delight.

   I'll add photos of the those that brought a treasured heirloom.  I missed a couple of people, sorry.

Leilani Pyle holds a peacock feather hatband which her grandfather, Adna G. Clarke always wore on his Panama Hat.  He became a Hawaii politician.              


                                                                                            

Pat Beekman displaying a photo of an authentic Civil War sabre her g-grandfather, Isaac Earl Beekman, of NY, picked up at the battle field of Gettysburg.

Rosemarie Panko shows her ancestor, Sarah S. in an old photo from Long Island NY in an acid free envelope.

Ann Sloat shows the delicately tatted handkerchief made by her great grandmother, Susan Blair (or Rosina Edwards) born in 1856 in Wisconsin.

Bobby Stevens shows off his grandfather, John Archer Clark's pocket watch.  His grandfather was born in Virginia and raised tobacco. 

Claudette Derricotte brought the small cut glass bowl that her mother used to have on her dresser and always kept her jewlery in it..  Her mother, Clair Rose Solanski Melecha, died at age 92.

Kathy Hudson discusses the large bible of her great grandmother, Rebecca Blandford West...probably received as a wedding present.

The bible pages with additions by Kathy's great-grandmother and her mother.







Harriet Hoffman brough quite a display of an Ansonia Clock which received a chip during the recent San Francisco earthquake of 1989. It was in her grandmother's home, always on the mantel, and Harriet remembers it chimed on the quarter hour. She also brought the old Haviland China dishes and cut glass bowls of her grandmother.

Roberta Jones brought a leather bound bible of the family, Betsy Greene who was born in 1806 in Vermont.

Stan Jones brought a quilt made in 1925 by his grandmother, Mrs. Otto Weaver.

Page Dwight showed a powder keg from the GAR - the Grand Army of the Republic.  In addition she wore gold-plated earrings that belonged to Oceana Gertrude Carter.

Martha Reamy's ancestor, Charles H. Welch, was an engraver at the U.S. Mint. She displayed a photo of her great uncle and his bible dating from 1866.

George and Susan Krueger brought a collection of photos and artifacts that could win a prize at a county fair for a family heritage exhibit!. George had photos of his French and German family who moved from New Orleans to San Diego. He had a plate from Bavaria that had belonged to his mother. Susan brought her father's carbon miner's headlamp, a blasting cap can, a piece of gold ore and an electrical line insulator. At one time her father was a miner in the area of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Later he worked as a lineman for the REA in Corvallis, Oregon. Susan also brought a crocheted table cloth made by her mother as well as a canning jar and old spice can that belonged to her mother. The samll photograph on the tablecloth was taken of her parents in 1932, six months before their wedding in June 1933. (click on photos to enlarge)

Elaine Kam brought a charm display she created of various charms she's collected to signify different members of her family. Starting with a charm to her grandfather Sam Won who came from China to Hawaii in 1880. It is a very unique way to show each generation and all the people in her grandfather's descendant family tree. A small strip of jade separates each generational division.

Donna Wendt brought blue mercury glass vases that had been given to her Great-Great Grandparents, Sarah Ann Squier and James Warren Ells, on their 50th wedding anniversary.  Their story was:  After their marriage in 1833, James and Sarah Ells left Riga, Monroe Co. New York, and first lived in Erie Co., NY near James' family (his father had been a Connecticut whaler). Then for a short time they lived just south of the New York state line in Crawford Co., PA. Returning to Riga, NY they stayed until about 1847 when a big family migration occurred, the whole family (seven kids) moved to Kingston, Marquette Co., Wisconsin now Green Lakes Co. Many of the farms there are now Amish. Sarah’s mother died just as the family arrived in Wisconsin in June 1847.  In early Civil War days, when Sarah was about 62 yr, they all moved again, Sarah and James, their married children, her siblings and father moved south of Kenyon, Dodge Co., MN where they lived the remainder of their lives on their farms at Skyberg.  In 1883 Sarah and James had a big 50th wedding anniversary, at which they received the two aqua mercury glass vases which Donna has today.   James and Sarah made a sentimental visit to Wisconsin to see their old friends and family.  On their return home they could only come on the train as far as Concord, They continued their trip home on stage coach towards Skyberg. The horses shied at the train at a crossing, and the coach turned over. This injured eighty year old Sarah and she died several days later in 1889. The cemetery records say she died of accident and heart disease.