G2G: Show and Tell for Genealogy Day 2023

Question

Genealogy Day is March 11th, 2023

Help us celebrate Genealogy Day with Show and Tell!  

Show us a picture of something from your favorite ancestor or something really special or unique or dear that was passed down to you.  (It does not have to be an antique or expensive.) 

Then tell us all about it!  WikiTree's version of Show and Tell!

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Tips:

• Please click the ANSWER button.
• First, Upload the Image to the Ancestor's Profile. (That also counts towards the 15-for-15!)
• To include the photo in your G2G post:

1.  Copy the URL of your image. On the image details page (what you see after uploading it on a WikiTree profile, or if you click on the photo from a profile) right-click on the photo and select "copy image address."
2. In the editing toolbar of your G2G answer select the icon that looks like a mountain landscape picture. Right-click and paste the image URL in the URL field. All other fields in the form, e.g. to change the display size or alignment, are optional.

Comments

The ancestor profile needs to be open, or green lock for the image to show in g2g.

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Thanks Melanie... I meant to add that and forgot.

Answer 1

This is a picture of a coffee grinder that belonged to my great grandmother,  Pamelia Evelyn Galloway Denton.

These are a couple of knives that my father, Richard Lee Isleman made.

This is a cabin my father, Richard Lee Isleman and my younger brother, Jonathan Richard Isleman made. I also have furniture that was made to go in it kitchen table, chairs, beds, cabinets etc...

Comments

Those knives are amazing! My dad was also skilled with his hands, I wish I had more things he had made.

Answer 2

This is a bedspread Lucinda Ferguson James crocheted for my Mom and Dad as a wedding gift in 1950. Mother purchased the thread and Aunt Cindy crocheted it. 

This item has been used as a tablecloth at bridal luncheons, birthday celebrations, and other celebratory events in our family. I am the keeper of it today and hope to give it to one of my children as a wedding gift.

 

Comments

So beautiful! I hope your kids appreciate how cool that is!

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I so love that you brought this out and used it for special occasions.  As someone that crochets, that was a tremendous amount of work and talent to create this beautiful bedspread/tablecloth.

Answer 3

Two of my favorite ancestor's items......

The doorknob to the side kitchen door of my Grandparent's house on Point Mountain, Webster County, WV.

Ward King built the house himself for his family after the parcel of land was gifted to him on his wedding day from his, new, father-in-law.

Two years ago, the house was torn down and completely removed.  I "secured" this door knob about 6 months prior.

My Mother's Wedding Dress from 1958.  My Grandparents and Mother saved their money to buy this dress from the local dress shop in Weston, West Virginia.  They were poor so immediately preserving the dress was not even a thought at the time.

Comments

That dress is gorgeous! I love vintage lace. It *might* be possible to have it freshened now without it falling to pieces if that's something you're interested in. I wanted to re-work my mother's wedding dress or veil into something I could use but ended up not having a real wedding. Maybe I can retool them for my daughters one day

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The dress is pretty "crunchy" and everytime I touch it, I wonder if pieces will fall off of it.   My goal is to have it framed, in it's entirety and put it on the wall on the hallway to my bedroom.  I would love to do the same with my mother-in-law's "wedding suit" but after her divorce... it disappeared.  

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I love the dress; so beautiful. How do you preserve it? Is it in an acid-free storage box from someplace like Gaylords? I definitely see the sentimental value of the door knob to your family home; Great treasure you have for yourself and to pass down to the next generation.

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Currently, it's in an acid free bag.  I'm too scared to fold it into a box.  I think if I fold it, it will split in two.

Answer 4

This quilt was made by my GGG grandmother, Lucinda (Kerley) Teem Burton. She died in 1897, and judging by the fabrics in the patches, this quilt was made in the 1890s.

She worked hard on this quilt, often pricking her fingers, but keeping on working.

This is the chain of custody of the quilt, as it was handed down through the generations.

Back of card has some genealogical information and notes on the quilt's condition.

Comments

Wow! Such a great quilt!

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I was so hoping someone would share a quilt!  It is simply beautiful.  What a great provenance too.

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Beautiful Quilt and great to keep the chain of custody with the quilt. Thanks for sharing!

Answer 5

This is a photo of my great-grandfather Henry Venn's work as a military outfiiter and clothier. His business was in the fashionable Jermyn St. district of London, UK. See [[Venn-628|Henry Venn (1856-1913)]]

Comments

Donald - That is beautiful.  The detail and workmanship are amazing!  What a treasure.

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So cool!

Answer 6

This is a full/double-sized bedspread (not an antimacassar) crocheted (with some knitting on the border) by or for Mary Ann Doyle (name crocheted across the top) and R Kerr (whom she married in 1870; his name crocheted going up on the left side).  On the right side, going up, is crocheted "the year 1867", which makes me think that is the year they met or became betrothed.  "The Finding of Moses" is crocheted on the bottom and describes the picture.  The yarn is worsted-weight, probably cotton.  

Comments

As someone that crochets, that is an amazing bedspread.  This is a very unique treasure especially with the dates added.  Thanks so much for posting this.

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What a beautiful treasure! It has held up so well.

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My goodness how long must that have taken! What a wonderful piece!

Answer 7

My Great Grandfather  Carl Gustav Herbert Laurin was a stone cutter (arrived with his wife in the United States from Sweden in 1881). He carved this    marble frame for his youngest son Sven Albert Laurin who was ordained into the Ministry of the United Methodist Church in 1937, just 7 years after his father passed away.

Comments

Unimaginably moving.  Such extraordinary and talented craftsmanship.

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The craftsmanship is amazing especially when you look at the back as well.   The stone that he selected is beautiful.   I am really touched by the sentiment of this gift from father to son.

Thanks for sharing!

Answer 8

My grandfather's pipe, match case and tobacco tin. Edwin Leeves

Comments

The condition of the pipe and case is fabulous....but those matches too??  How old are those matches?  When I look closer, the tin has engravings that make this piece really a treasure.  The Bible cover on his profile is great too.

Thanks for sharing!

(I hope you don't mind that I added the picture to your post.)

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Sandy Patak. I added the matches so that others would know what the case was used for.

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Thanks for pointing that out!  I was thinking, "Hmmm, those matches are really really old!"

Answer 9

This heirloom comes from my father's side of the family. It is a glass nick knack, in the shape of a smoking pipe, with hand-painted flower buds and applied text.

I'm not sure when it came into the family. It seems unlikely that it made the trip by car from Michigan to Oregon in 1927 (with a family of five in the car), or that it would have survived the train trip back to Michigan after my grandfather, George Lee Kimbel, died.

Perhaps an enterprising shopkeeper in Leonidas, Michigan, thought it a good joke, since even today this is a tiny town. Last time I was there it had one flashing traffic light. Maybe it has graduated to a regular stop light since then. Not exactly a vacation spot!

Comments

I absolutely love this little knick knack and thrilled you posted a "tourist" treasure.  It looks like someone definitely wanted to put Leonidas in the map. . Now, we might have to visit to see if there is more than one stoplight.

Thanks for sharing!

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Just like today, back then a shop owner could order souvenirs to sell that had their town name or whatever stamped on it. What is a small town today might have been a bigger town back in the day, when logging or some local plant were major employers. Rural towns far from a big city tend to get smaller with time, not bigger.

Answer 10

These are the dinner forks that belonged to my great grandmother Jane Whiting

Which are pretty good evidence for her name

 

Comments

Kay- - thanks for showing these.  Anything that goes on a dining table always grabs my attention.   The pattern is so intriguing.   The perfect engraving of her name really shows the craftsmanship.... and a unique source for her name.

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Kay, these are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Silverware can tell a story, especially because sometimes the owner's name or initials are engraved on the handle as you have demonstrated. My brother has several old silver spoons he received from the estate of Ray Dawson (Dawson-7539), our cousin. The spoons came with a large genealogical diagram inserted into a pocket the back of the wooden wall mount. Evidently our cousin knew the owner but we have yet to establish a familial connection. An ancestor from eastern Long Island, New York, USA is connected to this genealogy. Some day, I will research the lineage, create profiles, etc. but I have been too busy trying to solve family mysteries.

Answer 11

1/6 dollar bill, part of my 4x great grandfather Moses Fitch's payment for his service in the battle of White Plains, NY in 1776.

I believe the note was written by my great grandmother Jessie Caroline Fitch Willcox

Comments

I have learned something new! There is a 1/6 dollar bill.  I am amazed that they kept it and did not spend it.  It looks like you have it very well preserved. What an incredible piece of history associated with the Country's Independence. Also, what a beautiful picture of Jesse on her wedding day (on her profile).

Thanks for sharing!

Answer 12

This cameo pin has been in our family since 1852, for six generations. Margaret Stillwell (Stillwell-1172) received it from her husband, James Ross Bird, as a wedding present. They were married in 1852. We have photos of each generation of women wearing the pin, all posted on WikiTree.

Comments

I have a soft spot for cameos and your ancestor treasure is so beautiful and lovely.  

For each generation of women to wear this cameo on their wedding day, and you have the pictures, is an incredible story via photos. 

I highly encourage everyone to read more about the cameo and the love poem that accompanied it at Margaret Stillwell Bird's profile.  

Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you, Sandy, for your wonderful comment about this special family cameo. All women in six generations have worn the cameo. Most, but not all, wore it on their wedding day. My grandmother wore it most often, even while boating or at the beach (photos posted on her profile). I wear it on formal occasions while on cruise ships.

For years, we thought that my mother, Lucille Ceruti, owned but did not wear the cameo and then we found a series of photos of her wearing various dressy outfits in 1938 and in one photo, sure enough, she wore the cameo.

(BTW, for DAR members if you love cameos, you will love the DAR calendar for June 2023, which features a number of beautiful cameos in the DAR collection.)

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What a beautiful pin (and that dress!)

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I agree! I am in love with that dress. It's a great picture showing her smile & the cameo.  

If I ever see someone wearing that cameo on a cruise, I will know who you are! 

Answer 13

For years this cane collection was sitting in the basement of my childhood farm home in Illinois,  My dad told me it was my grandfather's collection.  It wasn't!   15 moths ago I discovered, by family research, this collection was my great grandfathers cane collection.  It was twice as big as you see in this picture.

The story is of Nebraska USA's historic interests.   As pioneers migrated westward, they stopped to refresh supplies in the south east corner of Nebraska, Dawson Nebraska, today!  They traded what they had for supplies. 

My great grandfather accepted canes for payment!  Those canes came from all over Europe.  Each cane has a story that is now lost forever.  My great grandfather knew the story behind each cane.  He took that information with him when he died.

When I was a boy, I used them as ball bats to hit rocks out in the field.  I destroyed some really valuable canes, hand carved with intricate details!   The rest are scattered about in all the families, and they don't realize the historical significance.  

This collection is at the home of my nephew who had no idea about the story behind the canes!  Now he does!  They will be well taken care of and displayed with honor!

Comments

I am blown away by the amount of canes and the age/condition of them.  To think of the pioneers that used them during their travels and now in the care of your nephew is great.  Thanks for sharing!

It is really interesting that your GG accepted canes as a trade.  I love seeing what our ancestors collected even in barter.

Answer 14

This is my grandmother's table from her living room. Every Christmas, she would put a small silver Christmas tree on this table. She died in 1969. Decades later,this was among her possessions that were auctioned off to pay for another family member's medical bills. This was the only thing I remembered that I wanted from that auction. It now sits in my reading room.

Dorothy Neill Field

Comments

Oh wow! You bought it at auction?  How fortunate.  I bet that Silver Tree looked beautiful on top of it.

What a beautiful piece of furniture. Thanks for sharing!

Answer 15

 https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Niles-1462-1

These were the wedding rings of my second great grandmother. When I took this photo I just realized that the “jewelry box” they were saved in, is actually a prescription medication container. 

[[Niles-1462|Mariah Jane (Niles) Wasson]]

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Niles-1462

Comments

The rings look so fragile. What a special treasure! I have my grandmother's tiny wedding band and now you have me wondering if her mother had one at all.

Thanks so much for sharing....and how interesting that they were saved in a prescription container!

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Interesting. Charles A. McKeen was a druggist in Woodstock, New Brunswick.

Answer 16

This is the ceremonial baton presented to my grandfather Ron Jowett (Jowett-553) in 1955 from The Kingston upon Hull Opera Society: the baton is inscribed "To Ronald P Jowett ARCO in appreciation from The Kingston upon Hull Opera Society 1955". The baton is too big to be used to conduct, and I don't (yet) know what the occasion was when it was presented.

Comments

Ruth - Because of the Privacy listed for the profile, we are unable to see your treasure.  If you have a separate space page, you could add the photo onto it and edit back into your post.  I am so excited to see the baton!

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I've changed the privacy level - you should be able to see it now.

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What a perfect treasure to have of your Grandfather's.  Great job on your Grandfather's profile.  I enjoyed reading about his life and his many different musical locations.  It's amazing that he regularly played for 80 years!

Thanks for sharing!

Answer 17

My Great Grandfather, Lorenz Patak, emigrated from Austria (1911) and was a Barber.   He brought with him, his original (non-electric) Barber Equipment so he could find work and save money to bring his wife and daughter to America.  

After his family arrived and grew, he started the Lorenz Patak Barber, Beverages, Billiards, & Confectionery in the small town of Stacy, Minnesota.  A Haircut, A Beer, & Pool all in one place.  Wish they had places like that now.  He also upgraded his equipment to electric.

Comments

And, oddly, Mike also inherited my father's Barber Clippers/Scissors from when he went to Barber School after he retired from the Police Force.  

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I don't even need a barber but I'd go to that establishment! Cool treasures.

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How neat that the tools survived so you can share the story of his business!

Answer 18

This is "John Gynn Bean's Shaving Mug" (actually a soap dish, I would say). It says he was born 3-24-1791, died 1883.

I inherited this as a teenager when my great-uncle died. The outside had masking tape on it with my great-uncle's name, so people assumed it was his. I think I was the first to open it in decades, and discovered the writing inside. I asked my mom and then my Grandmother who John Gynn (Gwynne) Bean was. They had no clue, and the idea that I had found something from an unknown ancestor is what really sparked my interest in genealogy.

Comments

Rob - Wow, there is even a piece of soap in your Ancestor's treasure.  I love that this little item sparked your quest for Genealogy.

John's obituary was an interesting read too. Thanks for sharing!

Answer 19

I wish I could share a picture of my favorite heirloom but thieves broke into our home while we were at our son's wedding in another city and stole it and most of my jewelry and many other items from out home.  My heirloom was a small silver cross that was given to my mother as a baby and she gave it to me a few years after I married.  I only wore it a few times out of fear that I might lose it.  My mother's birthday was yesterday, if she was still alive she would have been 101.  She passed away in 1988 from years of fighting cancer at the age of 66.  I miss her so much.  Next in line to my darling husband I miss my mother the most. And I also miss that small silver cross of hers that has been gone over 10 years now.  I use to take it out of my jewelry box and hold it; always with loving remember of it previous precious owner.

Comments

Marie, I wish I could give you a real hug instead of a virtual one right now.  Mothers and Daughters have a special bond, it's like a silent "knowing".   I know your mom is looking down on you and hugging you tighter than you can imagine.  

A few years ago, someone stole all of my mom's jewelry including her mother's cross...which was to be handed down to me. I was so angry & just full of vitirol that finally my mom looked me in the eye and said....whoever has that cross needed it more than you and me.  I'm still upset over it but the thought that it might be helping someone helps.  

Even though you don't have a picture to share, I appreciate you sharing the story of your family's cross.

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Sandy, I thank you for the hug and send one back. I had never consider what might be a replacement for my mother's cross as my favorite until after I posted my answer.  I would have to think that it would probably be one of the ink pens that my husband turned on his lathe for me.  He was a master woodcraver and made inks for many of his friends and family members.  I had one that he turned out of countertop stone which was beautiful it was a white stone and shined like a fire opal but it was also taken by the same thieves.  I have a few others that he made for me out of different woods but they are packed away with most of our household items and in storage.  My husband and I came to our son's home while he was fighting cancer so our son could help with him and when he passed away our son refused to let me go back to our home which was a hour and a half from him since I have several serious health conditions.  He and his wife and young children have been a blessing, but I do miss our six bedroom home, and I only have a limited amount of things that I can fit into one bedroom.  Thank you another for the hug.

Answer 20

My GREAT-GRANDMOTHERs wedding dress is safely being preserved in the collection of the Dufferin Historical Museum  in Carman, Manitoba for future generations. Agnes Elizabeth (McCullough) Howie (1898 - 1963)

Comments

Oh my that is absolutely beaufiful!  The silk crepe and beading look like in pristine condition.   It is super cool that it's in a museum too.   Thanks for sharing!