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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: barmaid1971 on Sunday 01 May 16 14:48 BST (UK)
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A couple of years ago whilst looking for some papers (his birth certificate), my elderly grandfather decreed they thought they were in a locked tin box. After the best part of a day spent with a hacksaw trying to get the lock off, the box was at last opened to reveal its "treasures".
Inside was:
a gold "railway" 15 jewelled pocket watch dated 1908 from America with the inscription "AS" (of no family significance whatsoever).
a white metal pocket watch from America
a gold ladies wristwatch dated 1910 from America
a George III silver coin, well rubbed with a hole drilled in it (presumably to be worn as a pendant)
a gold sovereign dated 1913.
No one has any idea from whence these articles came. Indeed, they have been in a locked box for probably the best part of 50 years. We are fairly certain none of his family ever visited America and none of the items have ever been mentioned. However, they clearly came from his family and they were clearly treasured enough to be put in a locked box (although the key is long gone).
Thus I have a number of theories:-
the proceeds of a robbery committed by Grandad's less than honest uncle (although his normal MO was other people's pigs and chickens - I dont recall he was ever nicked for housebreaking).
payment made for services rendered (to his grandfather for board and lodging when he ran a pub NOT those sort of services you dirty minded people ;))
Given to Great Grannie by Grandad's putative father (no he doesn't know either)
All in all its a bit of a mystery. So what family heirlooms do you have that are provoking some thought as to their origin?!
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What a find!! More mysteries to unravel. Even if they are not heirlooms, they are obviously part of your grandad's history. I am not sure from your post if he is still living, but if so, perhaps he can shed some light on the subject ;)
That's why we love this hobby ;D
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Both he and my Nan are still with us and 90 odd years young, but neither of them can remember a thing about these items. We imagine that they probably came from Grandad's mother's (who died in 1965). Unusually my mother knows nothing about them. And my mum knows about EVERYTHING!!! lol
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How intriguing....I would have to do some digging to find out where they originated from...could they have been left in a loft by previous house occupants? maybe tracing the history of addresses that the family had lived in might provide clues.
My OH's Grandma who was born 1898 had a black decorated police truncheon with "VR 1859" on a gold design and "C.S. Todd" inscribed on it. I haven't found a family connection and no-one in the family knows anything about it's history. I took it to the "Antiques Roadshow" about 15 years ago and they valued it at £100 and said it was probably never used for it's intended purpose.
Carol
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Did you have any sailors in the family? either Merchant Navy or Royal Navy, they tended to bring exotic presents home.
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My family heirlooms
I have my Gt Grandmothers wedding dress. My Gt Grandfather was in the Royal Navy and he brought Maltese lace home to decorate the dress.
I also have her poetry book given to her by my Gt Grandfather, and in it are lots of pressed flowers they collected together.
The dress is so tiny, it fitted my daughter when she was 10 years old.
They are beautiful things
claire
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I'm inclined to think those items are from the Great War era and either given as a token of thanks by a hospitalised American soldier or as some form of payment. Or even found in the pub and not claimed by its owner.
P.S. I've just seen a photo of a train carrying USA troops to Southampton via Liverpool - maybe an ancestor worked on the railways and those were some of the items found.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/listing/object-205011057
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Carol - I suddenly thought you might have cracked it. But when I thought back over their houses, I realised that for various reasons that wouldnt work! At least you have a name with your truncheon! (Although that might make it even more frustrating).
ScouseBoy - the only merchant navy sailor was on my nan's side. Her father served briefly during the Great War. But she is certain they did not come from him.
Claire - Blimey, how lucky are you? What beautiful things to have. I am ever so slightly green...........
Rena - possibly. Grandad's Uncle was killed in the GW (in Belgium in 1917). His Will left everything to his mother. I wondered if this stuff was amongst his possessions. GGrannie gave up the pub in 1940, I think so that is also possible.
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The flat wooden box that I found at the top of her linen cupboard in my grandmother's house when I was moving her to live with my Mum, is probably what started me off researching my family.
Her Marriage Certificate - which also noted the date and place of her parent's marriage!
Her Birth Certificate - and Grandad's Birth Certificate, (Baptism also noted and signed by the Minister)
My Mum's Birth Cert, and also her sister's
My Dad's Birth Cert, and some work references of his
My Parent's Birth Cert.
My Parent's Marriage Certificate
Her Father's Burial - receipt for the plot (in perpetuity) with Number and location noted.
All my great grandfathers writings - poetry and speeches - mostly re Robert Burns
Really old photos, Awards for Best Pikelets, best scones, best sponges, best flowers etc etc
School Awards - Mum and her sister.
Sundry newspaper cuttings re family
A handwritten letter to her re the death of her father, from a close friend, Walter Nash, A Govt Minister of Finance at the time, who later went on to be Prime Minister Of NZ
And lots of other bits and pieces.
If only she had still had her wedding dress, or perhaps I should say the dress she was married in, like Claire, and when I was 12, it fitted me! She was pretty tiny, as I was - it was brown and cream striped silk, a frilly high neck, buttoned down the front, where the stripes were diagonal and puffy sleeves.
Never did find out what happened to it though, one of her sisters I would expect, who came to pick up some linen and stuff she'd asked that I put aside for her... Grrrr -pleased that she couldn't climb up into that top cupboard and spot that box - I suspect that would have gone too!
Amazing starter kit - just waiting to be found by me! Thank You Nanny!
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The flat wooden box that I found at the top of her linen cupboard in my grandmother's house when I was moving her to live with my Mum, is probably what started me off researching my family.
Her Marriage Certificate - which also noted the date and place of her parent's marriage!
Her Birth Certificate - and Grandad's Birth Certificate, (Baptism also noted and signed by the Minister)
My Mum's Birth Cert, and also her sister's
My Dad's Birth Cert, and some work references of his
My Parent's Birth Cert.
My Parent's Marriage Certificate
Her Father's Burial - receipt for the plot (in perpetuity) with Number and location noted.
All my great grandfathers writings - poetry and speeches - mostly re Robert Burns
Really old photos, Awards for Best Pikelets, best scones, best sponges, best flowers etc etc
School Awards - Mum and her sister.
Sundry newspaper cuttings re family
A handwritten letter to her re the death of her father, from a close friend, Walter Nash, A Govt Minister of Finance at the time, who later went on to be Prime Minister Of NZ
And lots of other bits and pieces.....................................................................
Absolutely stunning!! :) :) :)
I have my Grandfathers Royal Netherlands Navy Beret and that's it :'( but some wonderfull memories of all of my Grandparents :)
Frank.
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Yes Jess, it was certainly quite a treasure chest!
Memories are so special too, I was lucky enough to attend the Golden Wedding celebrations for both sets of grandparents too! I must have been about 15 or 16.
Silver wedding only for Mum and Dad, they had both died by the time that would have been the celebration of their Golden Wedding!
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Interesting treasures everyone, ;D
I have a small carry case that has postcards & letters from my grandfather to grandma during WW1, also beautifully embroidered French voil type envelopes & cards he sent her.
Postcards from my parents to their parents on their honeymoon in Sydney.
Grandma's old half circle shaped mint chopper, Grandpa's folding utensils from the War,
Gt. Gran's gold amethyst necklace, Gran's gold pin brooch, Mum's opal ring, plus numerous old photo albums from Gt. Gt. Gran down to present, also some china pieces & some trophies from Gt. grandad's shooting comps.
Yvonne
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How wonderful all of you! Even you Frank!!
I have my maternal G grandmother's locket which has quite a long history .
- my paternal grandmothers pearl drop necklace, and her school newspapers from 1906; Also her potato masher (wooden), a coffee set given to her and Grandad on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary in 1936; A dinner set bought when they were married in 1913.
Greatgreat aunt's 'fly' brooch.
High chair used by my father and I suspect also by his mother - and by me, my children and grandchildren.
I wish I had Gran's recipe book, but Mum gave it to her 'Helper' who came to assist her for several years - Pity that. We have got quite a lot of her recipes though.
A wonderful array of old photos from both sides of the family.
A folder containing letters from Dad to Mum during their courtship - that's pretty special!
It really makes Family History come alive doesn't it when you have some 'things' they used, wore etc.
:) :) :)
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Aren't we all so blessed and lucky to have our treasured memories, letters, jewellery, other objects, recipes, photos and the like - just amazing!
One of my special ones - I once asked my Mum "how did you meet Dad"? (I didn't know at that time that he had a little boot and shoe repair shop, in the little local shopping area of where she lived).
She replied, "I used to knock on his shop window on the way home from Guides, then run away home flat out!! But one night I didn't run away"!
I have always loved that story, and so very pleased that she didn't run away!!
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A nice lot of little treasures Wiggy, shame about the recipe book though.
Must have been magnetism Jaybel. ;D
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Reckon yours are pretty special too Yvonne - everyone's in fact - just the fact that we still have them at all.
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Did you have any sailors in the family? either Merchant Navy or Royal Navy, they tended to bring exotic presents home.
One of my collateral ancestors was in the Navy, and ended up staying in Australia, in New South Wales. He apparently had a collection of spears and shrunken heads that he had collected from various Pacific islands. Most were tossed after his death unfortunately. One of his grandsons has the brass name plate from his house; he called his house Barnstaple, after the town of his birth.
Jaybelnz, you hit the jackpot didn't you? And everyone is so lucky with what they have inherited.
I have a few bits and pieces, but being the youngest son of the youngest son, there wasn't a lot for me to keep and cherish. I have one of my father's watches somewhere, as well as a pair of cuff links. I also have a pocket watch that belonged to my maternal grandfather, as well as his last war diary for 1919 (pity he didn't keep the rest).
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Yes Wiggy, we're lucky to have them, my cousin's Mum burnt theirs after mice got into them in the shed !
Being the youngest is unfortunate pinefamily, ;)
not much left to choose from. :-\
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Pine family, my grandfather called his houses in NZ"Springburn" named for the place where he met and married my grandmother in Scotland, and where my Dad and his brothers and sisters were born!
I only remember one house they lived in, and the sign on the gate, but also have a photo of the house they lived in when Dad was a child at the time they first came to NZ in 1924.
The same sign is over the verandah on that house!
I just remembered another treasure - this Grandpa of mine worked in the Railways in Springburn, Glasgow, and living in Railways housing. He carved out a full set of Dominoes, and a lovely box to hold them, with the hinges and closures made of polished brass, quite intricate.
Dad told me that the timber and brass work had come from the interior of an old disused Railway Carriage from The Flying Scotsman, and that a lot of the employees had made toys, doll's houses and small household furniture from the timber! He said he could remember Grandpa always busy carving things, and doing fretwork as well! Of which I still have a small piece, about the only bit left after borer took hold! I must dig that out and clean it up, it's still wrapped away in a box from the last shift, along with Mum's silver stuff! Good winter jobs I would say 😄
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I may not have the physical treasures, but I have a head full of family stories that I must put to paper (electronic or otherwise). Things like my grandfather had such small feet, he took size 2 shoes (they called him lizard feet apparently :) ), or how my grandmother climbed down the well because one of my uncles had fallen in (despite the fact she was pregnant at the time), or how my other grandfather took the local school teacher to task for standing my uncle in the fireplace ( my grandmother had to drive the children to school in the next town after that).
These stories are treasures that can never be held or looked at, but are priceless just the same.
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letters from Dad to Mum during their courtship - that's pretty special!
:) :) :)
Wish I had those, Mum requested they be buried with her and my cousin was given instructions to make sure I did just that. :D I do know how my parents met. There are a few family treasures, including Dad's cut throat razor he used and a couple of table cloths he embroidered while convalescing in hospital from his war injuries, and funnily enough two similar looking framed wall tapestries my parents did, before they even knew each other.
Cheers
KHP
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All these things are really to be treasured - together with the stories that go with them!
I am doing a course at U3A at the moment called Writing your life story . . . we are given a topic to write about each fortnight - random topics which all stir different memories - it is a really good way to get many many things down because sharing the memories of a particular incident stirs memories of other things which might have been forgotten and make the memories much more readable than going from birth to death in a straight line.
Oddly enough we are doing family heirlooms this week and I have just finished writing mine! ;)
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Pinefamily that was so well said :)
family stories and memories are equally as important to each and every one of us.
EDIT: sorry Pinefamily, silly spell check on this phone changed your username to pinetree and I didn't notice, have modified.
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My husband inherited so much when his mother died. An incredibly beautiful hand embroidered, laced etc king size bed coverlet made by his grandmother in 1910 AND the original newspaper, (yep, the whole paper) with the description of the items entered and the owners of same in the annual Wimbledon craft fayre/fete/show/,exhibition.... She came first in her category and had a special mention. It is the most beautiful piece I have ever seen. She also made her daughter's wedding dress, shot silk 1950.
My husband's parents met during the war, both in the RAF. The best 'treasure' from the old battered suitcase though was a bundle of letters written by my mother in law to her lover, my father-in-law. He had kept every single letter she had ever written to him in that time. Not only are they incredibly romantic, the detail of her life during the war in one of the armed forces is wonderful. It would make a brilliant made-for-TV film or series, better than Home Fires, which I really enjoy by the way.
They came from completely opposite backgrounds. He was a Welsh miner' s son, her father was a Marine Architect. They would never have met but for that awful war.
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Pinefamily that was so well said :)
family stories and memories are equally as important to each and every one of us.
EDIT: sorry Pinefamily, silly spell check on this phone changed your username to pinetree and I didn't notice, have modified.
No need to apologise, Claire. As long as you don't call me late for dinner...... ;D ;D
With a name like Pine, I've had them all: pine tree, pine cone, radiata was one of the more clever ones, and of course Piney.
Ladyfing, you remind me of another treasure. I have a photocopy of a letter written to my great grandfather by his sister-in-law telling him of the death of his sister. But for that letter, I may not have found out that she had moved to Glasgow, via Wales.
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Thanks pine nut ;D ;D
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Thanks pine nut ;D ;D
;D ;D ;D
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Well when I pass away any relatives can look at the 500 odd BMD, census, will, PR and poor law register document copies I have upstairs.
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I have a few treasured family photos one of which is a postcard, its a picture of my grandfather & another young man
both wearing suits with buttonholes, so possibly a wedding, the card was sent to my grandmother, it has a green half penny stamp on it, its dated the 5th Feb but the year has worn off, its hard to say how old my grandfather is, he could be as young as 15, they married in 1918.
I have another postcard I treasure that is more recent, sent to me in 1965 by my brother when he went up to London
to meet the cast of Zcars, he was their fan club secretary at the time, he also saw the original Dr Who William Hartnell while he was there.
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I have a handwritten 1940 letter and the envelope which was sent to my grandmother from Sir Walter Nash, who was at the time, the then NZ Labour Party Minister of Finance. It was a condolence letter on the death of her father, his friend and my great grandfather, written on an "Office of the Minister of Finance" letterhead.
Sir Walter went on to become our 27th Prime Minister in 1957, in the second NZ Labour Government. I well remember my grandmother being incredibly proud of that letter!
Without the memories that I have about my Mum and Dad's families and all the stories I heard about them and those that had gone before them, the hard times and the good times, my family history and passion for genealogy would be meaningless.
I was fortunate enough to grow up around both my maternal and paternal families, who all lived in pretty close proximity to each other, always plenty of grandparents and cousins around the place, and lots of interactions with 3 generations of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins!
As a teenager, I attended both sets of my grandparent's Golden Weddings. Not something physical I can hold in my hand and look at, it's simply all more real treasure that is stored in my heart.
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I think memories are wonderful treasures, always a part of us and can never be taken away.
:)
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These are the things that we, as family historians, need to record for posterity.
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I agree, I almost wish in many years to come what my future generations will think of all the treasures and documents detailing their ancestors lives I have gathered.
I hope they love it as much as I've loved collecting it :)