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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.

1. I’m a little unsure of what you mean when you say “who we are today”?  Do you mean you are slave holders?  Southerners?  What?

   Posted by  on  10/24  at  04:42 PM

2. Amandia,

   When did you relatives leave the plantation? Did they leave the plantation before, during, or after the Civil War? What southern state was and is Bell Grove plantation located at in? Was it Virginia?

   Thanks for sharing your family history with me, Amanda.

   -Samantha

   Posted by  on  10/25  at  08:52 AM

3. Mrs Rasmussen, what I meant was that back then they were farmers and today we are still farmers.

   Posted by  on  10/25  at  02:30 PM

4. Sam,

   During the civil war the plantation, which was located in Virginia was set on fire. This is when my relatives finally moved to Missouri overland in covered wagons.

   Posted by  on  10/27  at  02:16 PM

5. Amanda, it would be really intresting to find out what the intials stood for.  When your get older are you going to go visit the plantation?

   Posted by  on  10/27  at  02:17 PM

6. Tara,

   The initails on the spoon stood for Willis Hite Violette. He was the son of John Violette and Anna Marie DeBois Hite. They were the owners of the plantation. When I’m older I might go to visit the plantation, but I’m not sure. I think it might be interesting to go just to see what the plantation looks like and how they lived their life back in the 1800’s.

   Posted by  on  10/27  at  02:29 PM

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