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Sunday, October 24, 2004

The Tea Set

My Mother was given a tea set by my great aunt on her wedding day, which someday she will give to my sister, the tea pot originated in england, it was boughten by my grandfauther during the world war II and he gave it to my great aunt, which didnt have eny children so it was given to my mother as i said above.  The tea set is bone china made by the company Minton, it is hand made worth more then $500 now adays.

Grandpa’s Shotgun

The heirloom I have choosen to write about is a Steven’s double barrel shotgun that was my Grandpa.  I receved the gun after my Grandfather died.  Since I have enjoyed my Dads stories about hunting prairree chickens and my favorite story when he pulled both triggers at the same time and did an endo backword over the dam.

The Silver Spoon

Family history had never really interested me, until I found my family heirloom. The family heirloom that I chose for my project was a silver spoon engraved with the initials W.H.V. My great-grandmother informed me that the spoon came for the Belle Grove Plantation. Isaac Hite, the owner who established the plantation had a daughter named Anna Marie DeBois. She married into the Violette family when she married John Violette, the first Violette to come to America from France. As a wedding gift they received the plantation from her father. Our family is not sure when the initials on the spoon were carved, but we are assuming it was while John Violette and Anna Marie DeBois were the owners of the plantation. They had several kids together, Willis Hite Violette (W.H.V) was one of them. My great-grandfather’s brother was named after this man. His name is also Willis Hite Violett. The reason the spoon holds such great value in the family is because it was a little piece of the place that established us as a family in the United States, and it shows who we are today.

Saturday, October 23, 2004

The Rocking Chair

The family heirloom that I have chosen to report on is a handmade rocking chair owned by my great-great-grandmother.  It was made by her husband and brought to Montana on a covered wagon.  The small chair was passed on to my grandmother when she had her first child and didn’t have a rocking chair to sit with the baby in.  The rocker gives me a sense of love when I think about it.  The love showed by my great-great-grandmother when she gave up her chair amazes me.  My grandmother talked of the amount of love shown and still cherishes this chair as if it were new.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

The Worn down old Pocket Watch

This faded gold with faint engravings of flowers around it and on the back of it a locomotive, these things where once there but they have faded away with all the good and bad times that it has been through.  It was used all the time before my great grandpa died.  After he died my grandpa put it up so that it wouldn’t get broken or lost.  My great-great grandpa got this pocket watch from trading his pig to a conductor.  The locomotive was called the Empire State Express that used to be engraved on the back of it.  It was used for so many years before my grandpa got it that the locomotive was worn off.  I never knew we had something this old or with such a great story behind it.  When i first saw this pocket watch i was like wow big deal, but after i heard the story i was impressed that it was still in one piece and running.

The Seashell Box

Before our class recieved this project, I hadn’t really thought about ancestors.  This box has given me new insight and helped me learn about them.  I now know a lot more about who they were, where they lived, and some of the things they liked to do.  My great great grandmother, Clara Campbell, homemade this box, and gave it to her daughter for Christmas.  It was covered with sea shells which could have been bought at a store, or found at a beach.  I never could find that information.  There were little plates inside the box, and I have been informed that they were made by my great grandmother, Stella Campbell. 

The Horn

The moose horn has been in my family for three generations and was shot in the plains of Round Up, Montana by my great Granpa Alex Norick.  This horn now hangs as a proud display in the living room of my families house and has since had an eagle’s head carved into it.

Great Uncle’s Bugle

Mementos have a high casualty rate in my family, and the few that survive have lasting value.  Probably the reason my Great Uncle Hugh’s bugle escaped the salvation army bin is because of the abrupt end of his life at age 22.  He was a Pilot in the Canadian Air Corps during World War Two.  I often wonder how my life would be different if he didn’t die.  Would have my Grandpa retired as an airline pilot instead of a professor, because his wife wouldn’t worry about the risk of flying?  Every time I look at that bugle, I think of how life was different in the thirties, and how fragile life really is.

Butter Mold

While I was interveiwing my Grandma about my report, she told me that my great-great Grandpa was a peddler, and that he would sell house appliances up and down Highway 2.  While selling pots and pans, he also sold butter molders. 

A Diamond Is Forever!

A young man drove a limousine to my great grandmother’s house in Fort Benton, Montana to give her a three diamond ring. My great grandmother, Sadie had this broke up, so that each of her three daughters got a seperate diamdond ring.  Sadie did not talk to anyone about what this man wanted or asked her, she took it to her grave.

This ring that was given to her dates back to 1901, consisted of three .57 diamonds the total ring was 1.71 carats.  The diamonds have a Old European cut, and is rated N in the color and clarity of all diamonds.  My own mother wears this ring today and it will someday be mine. 

My Family’s Quilt

The quilt that has hung on the wall in my family’s living room has never really attracted my attention. However, after hearing the story about this crazy quilt, this ugly blanket has turned into something meaningful. While cleaning out my great-grandmother’s house after she died, my mom found the quilt which now occupies a prominent place in our house. My great-aunt was the only living member of our family who knew the story about the quilt, and she conveyed this information to my mother. My Grandmother knew little about this heirloom, but she informed me about my great-grandmother’s personality and life. After hearing both stories, I saw a major connection with the blanket and my great-grandmother. The quilt that was given to my great-grandmother to comfort her after she lost her mom, sister, and brother came to represent my great-grandmother’s family and her role in keeping our family together. This quilt and my great-grandmother are a huge backbone to my relatives and me.

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