Over the years we have attended many auctions. Nothing tugs at my heart more than to see
family members ruthlessly bidding against each other to purchase a treasured
item at an estate sale. In the heat of
the moment it is often hard to remember that it is the memories attached to the
item and not the item itself that we are clinging unto.
Not all cherished items are antique or expensive. In fact the most cherished keepsakes are
often tattered, chipped and worn. We
have been married 47 years. Memories of my wedding and wedding showers flood
back this week.
The house in Catlettsburg, where my husband's aunts honored our marriage
with a shower is now gone. Presents were deposited each gaily wrapped. I could not help but notice that one present
was wrapped in wrinkled paper and no bow.
The ladies would rearrange and kept tucking this package behind the more
elegant gifts on display.
Finally the last present was handed to me.
I opened 4 pressed glasses, chipped and worn little dessert bowls. Julina Sexton Horton Klaiber beamed and said
"them is desert dishes" and went on to explain that she had used them
many years and wanted us to have them. Julina was 91 years young that day. I cherish them and use them every year
especially during the holiday and smile each time I look at them. No typographical error this lovely little
lady called them desert dishes which makes me think of tropical sandy paradises
that she never laid eyes on.
Among my treasures is the bisque cake topper from Howard Clayton and
Katherine Marie Halderman Feyler's wedding that took place on 30 November 1918
in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. It
once had a dome to cover the bride and groom in period dress. With the help of descriptive social page
articles that announced the event I can envision the day. It now is protected in the bow front cabinet
in my living room.
The bow front cabinet sat in the dining room of my grandparents on Gay
Street when I was a child. It had gone thru the 1937 flood and was never
refinished! But with a few wood chips
looks fine. My mother said as the water
receded they heard clanging and found a log moving back and forth hitting that
glass. It was not even cracked. My
mother got it and took it to her home on Jomar in Ashland. My parents brought it to me when we lived in
Ohio. As they moved it out the door a
large table umbrella, propped up on the wall next to the door slid over and hit
the glass. Once again not even a chip to
the glass. I held my breath over the
years with teen age boys thinking as the keeper of this wonderful piece I don’t
want to be the one that damages the glass, after those stories! Now my grandchildren peer thru the glass at
the treasures. Little hands leave finger
prints that I hesitate to remove because it awes me that they are touching an
item from their 2nd great grandparents that went thru the flood of
all floods and survived! My youngest son
wants the cabinet and it will be his to continue the story.
A few years ago my husband carried my Ginny doll to an antique show; past
many people and booths to have her restrung [I was unable to attend]. She is now whole again thanks to his
time. When I gaze at her I am
transported back to a house long ago in Ashland, Kentucky and childhood
memories come alive. I would sit cross legged in my tiny bedroom on Algonquin
for hours dressing and redressing her. Mother taught me to take excellent care
of any doll’s hair and today she looks like she did almost 60 years ago.
We have more valued treasures. Hubby
has his father's leather football helmet.
John Henry Klaiber played for a short time on an early Boyd County team. We also have a picture of the team with him
in helmet.
Henry and Page Geer Martin's cherry gate leg table with several leaves
hosted many family events. These included my great Grandmother Clara Geer until
her death the year I was born in 1949, my father, uncle, cousins and
friends. Special events were documented
with photographs. My father was adamant that
it be used in my house. It was a catalyst for his memories. I am so thankful. Now memories are being created around that
table for a 6th generation and yes documented with photographs.
Will my descendants care about these physical items? Will they have memories from sitting around
our family table? I hope so.
Estates are divided and sold.
Natural events destroy items. But
memories can be preserved. Oral history
pass stories and memories along. Sometimes
the stories are veiled by exuberant family members exaggerating to make the
tale livelier as they are handed from generation to generation. Not everyone can have the table but
photographs can be digitized and shared so that each and every person in the
family has a visual that will trigger their own memories.
Just the other day I purchased a lot of books for winter reading. I thought it was all novels until I found the
priceless worn bible tucked among my reading material. A beautiful story unfolded written in
1949.
"Mrs. Joyce Stephens Feb 8, 1949 age 16. This bible was presented to me when I married Cecil M. Stephens. There was a $100.00 bill enclosed. My parents, Eva and Boyce McMillon gave all of us $100.00, if we did not smoke, drink alcohol nor coffe. I failed on the coffe. I used the $100.00 on supplies (lumber, etc) for our first home. Dad also gave us 2x4/s from his saw mill. Trees were from the property on East Main (old Merritt property)."
Hubby and I could not let this
wonderful bible story alone. A little research showed that this lady lost her husband last year but was still living. Obvious that after such a loss and cleaning out, the bible got lost in the shuffle. I hit social media genealogy walls.
Within minutes I had 3 cousins from across the United States wanting
that bible. Within three days, one of
the cousins, visiting from Florida was on my doorstep to retrieve it. The joy of getting that bible back to family
is beyond words or money. We never sell things like that even though we own a antique store Deliverance Farm Cabin Antiques. We always try to get the item back to family members as a heart warming gift.
We are given the best device in the world to preserve memories. The power of the written word. Today we can combine that power with visual
photography and sound bites. Genealogy programs allow us to "attach" each digital item with the individual that
once owned a physical item or was involved in the activity that created a
special memory.
Yes, it is wonderful to have a physical item but so deeply sad if that item is fought over and family ties wounded. It is just stuff and we can't take it with us. But we can hold tightly to the memories.
