More Treasures, From Beneath the Bed
Last week, I was working on my mother's house, now my house, in Owensboro. It is amazing that a house with a small attic and no basement can contain so many valueless objects that are to me, utterly priceless!
Tommy, my big boy doggie, accompanied me to the house, and guarded me carefully, thank heavens. I do feel better when he is with me. He was fascinated with this small wooden toy that I found in a box under the bed. I believe that this is Eliza Francis' toy, from about 1918.
Eliza Francis was my mother's sister, who was born in 1917, and passed away in 1925, just after her 8th birthday, of a malignant brain tumor-- which is how my mother died. Grandma and Grandpa took the train to Mayo's Clinic, but there was nothing to be done.
With my phone, I made a short (9 second) video of how it works. I can't help that it is dark, or that I'm not the best film maker-- my hands shake these days, especially wen I'm at my house in Owensboro. But, you may enjoy this brief glimpse into childhood of the 1918-1920s.
Then, in a box with brass things, I found this: This is an iron shoe lath from my great-grandpa Scherer's shoe shop. I believe they put the shoe on this in order to hammer on it and stitch it.
This has to be for a child, as it is so tiny. I believe they put a wooden stake in the hole in the top, turned it over, and stitched from the bottom up, to attach the soles of the shoe to the tops.
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Wrapped in newspapers, this was in a box up under Grandma Scherer's bed. The bed was my great-great grandparent's bedroom suite, and family history has that Louisa Lutz brought this with her from Germany before she married my great great Grandfather, Wilhelm Julius Scherer. I think it is very pretty. It has been broken, and my father patched it with lead. It is pewter lined.
The other side has a bad place where it was patched, but the bottom says 1851. And then, I can't read the rest. I've always loved this, and when I was a girl, we used this for hot water for tea. Then Mama broke it, and Daddy fixed it. Things happen.
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Also, well-wrapped up under the bed is this fine piece of I don't-know-what-it-is. It is shaped like a giant perfume bottle, but as yet, I have found no stopper, nor have I found any kind of cork. Did Grandpa use it to make ginger beer? I have no idea, and if any does have an idea, I would really appreciate it!
It came fully equipped with it's own spider, which I tried to shoo out, but as spiders are not cooperative, I may have to be a bit more firm with it. 
We don't kill spiders at my house. We coax them outside. Or we relocate them. Spiders are our first line of defense against other nuisance bugs.
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Well hidden within the brassware under my bed was this wonderful treasure! Uncle Louis brought this home from France in 1918. Inside, it is stamped 5-18. It is made of pewter, and matches this wonderful little pin that I have, also from 1918 France. He also brought home 4 dress, I guess their medals?, that became necklaces in the family. I have all 4 and gave one to Matthew, because as a boy, he can get away with wearing a religious medal. There is no one else to give it to.
It is very difficult, going through things, because each and every thing must be looked at, evaluated, and I'm scrounging in my memory for what is this? Where did it come from? And it is all jumbled up. Also within the same brassware box, I found two silver salt and pepper shakers, the salt missing the cap. Maybe I'll find it somewhere. Whatever, I brought it home.
(more to come!)
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I love this carving on the wall-- it came from a piece of furniture from long ago that is long gone... Wish I had the furniture! But this is very special and it lived for many years in Grandpa's attic. He gave it to Mama, and she brought it home.
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Next up is the beautiful ash can from my great great Grandma Sophronia Bruce's house. I have a picture, of the front parlor in Grandma Hutch's house, where this lived, so long ago. It will be reunited with the love seat and marble topped table from Grandpa Bruce's house. Soon, I hope!
Pictured with the ash can is yet another flat iron and on the far right, the shoe lath. The ash can has an inner liner with a handle, so one can carry the ashes out.
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One last thing, to share with all of you this evening... My Daddy made this little post office box thingy. When the Hartford, KY post office was going to be rebuilt, on the site of the old one, Daddy paid $100 for all the innards of the post office. He took all the old post office boxes, and made little post offices for all of our friends and gave them to them for Christmas. This one was ours. I still have some of the larger boxes, and maybe someday, I'll make something, too. But I love this-- I dread cleaning it out, because it is filled with everything under the sun, BUT, I do love this. I'm so very glad I have a house sitter, and neighbors, and people checking on the house while I'm in Louisville, because there is only so much I can put into my car and bring home.
The next step at the house is The Gray Room, named so because when we moved into the house in 1964, the 3rd bedroom was painted gray. It has been the repository of all kinds of things, by Mama and by me, when she became ill... The bed is an old spool bed, that originally had a trundle bed beneath it. And it is PACKED below. Sleeping on the bed, one sleeps on a mattress, box springs and then 20+ boxes under the bed, packed to the gills. Last week, I unlocked the door, went in, screamed, and left. That's next week's job!
Thank you very much for walking with me through this journey of discovery!
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Having spacing problems again-- Sorry this took so long!
Take care--
Would anyone be interested in seeing antique jewelry?
OH DOWSER!! What treasures you found! Perhaps the thin you can't identify is a flower vase???
These area so interesting...thank you so much for sharing these beauties!!
Dowser,
Thank you for sharing such an intimate part of your family life.Priceless indeed,as theystir memories for you totreasure. I'm hoping this journey, although probably painful at times, brings a healing peace to your soul.
Dowser, you have some priceless items, perhaps you should contact the Antiques Road show and get the real value $$$$, its good to find real treasures, congratulations..I am not suggesting you sell anything, its just my mind, I like to put a money value to things, not that I would sell, I just like to know...I hope you understand what I am saying.. I also like the tea pot and the vase, the tea pot has a unique design, I imagine an historian could tell you a lot more..
I never thought of a flower vase... It could be! If so, the only flowers that would fit and not get lost are sunflowers or giant gladiolas... It is pretty large, about 2' tall. It surely could be! I can't imagine!
Thanks for your help!
OH Lynne, thank you-- it is upsetting at times. I find myself wondering, how could Mama put sterling silver salt and pepper shakers in with the brassware? And where is that darn cap? I've got a whole list of things to look for.
I found a lipstick case from the early 60s that I used to play with. It has a glass thing on top that looks like lipstick and I used to pretend it was, and put on my "lipstick". I found all kinds of things that bring back so many memories... My hands shake a lot, and I cry a lot. I literally went into the Gray Room and burst into tears. I think once I get it all sorted out, I'll feel better. I hope. Thanks for your kindness, Lynne!
Right now, and of course I've only scratched the surface of the attic, I have found very little of my father, and almost nothing of me... It is almost as if she tried to erase us... I hope, as I move forward, I find more of us both!
MM, what you learned from them, and remember of them is utterly priceless. I mean that sincerely! From Uncle Louie, I got my love of books-- he believed that hardbacks were the only real books, and that books are to be treasured. Everyone played some kind of musical instrument, so I got my love of music from them.
I guess as far as "things" go, being the descendant of pack rats isn't so bad. I, too, am a pack rat, and someday, my poor son is going to have to do a wholesale get-rid-of thing, or he, too, will be inundated. Please let me say this: The lessons that I have learned from them are the one thing I can take with me when I go, and that is the real value. The rest are just things. I think they are neat, because the "things" remind me of the lessons they taught me-- even those I have never met. The important stuff is what you can take with you when you leave. To me, the most important thing is the love they had for each other.
I wish I could see pictures of your life, dear friend. What you have chosen to live your life with-- that is more of a way to get to know you-- it doesn't matter if it is odd or unusual,or just ordinary. What matters is that it makes you comfortable and is a reflection of YOU.
MUCH love to you--
Sweet CM, none of these are priceless to anyone but me. I touch them and hope that some of their atoms are still attached, so I can touch "them". The Antiques Road show would laugh at most of this! It has no value to anyone but me... And only because my family touched them and used them.
You are very special, dear CM! Thank you for your help and wonderful advice!
Oh! I found a little medicine bottle labeled, "Grandma Hutch's hair pins". Value-- $0. Priceless to me... She died in 1948... They are unusual hair pins, in the fact that I've not seen anything like them. It mattered to my mother, for sure!
Thank you Dowser, I have nothing special, just as MM said, no family heirlooms, nothing, just me, perhaps some time, I do treasure memories as you do, its important to reflect on lessons learned since our youth... Love to you also..
Dowser ,
If you ever find the working model train set I had when I was a kid let me know ... It's been missing for decades !
I am also a pack rat Dowser, My Father was an artist, so I have learned a few things about fine art, I have items purchased some more than thirty years ago still in its original carton, I have also told my daughters not to toss anything when I am gone because they would be throwing out valuable things, I like to collect figurines and other things that I hope will have real money value one day...nothing from the 1918 that's real treasure...
Yes, Please, I would love to see that..anything antique..
Every box seems to have some kind of jewelry in it... I will pull out some of the best to photograph!
All this stuff is just stuff-- the important things are what you carry in your heart-- and the only real legacy that you can take with you!
The only reason that all of this stuff is available to me is that I'm the last of them. I keep in touch with distant cousins, but it seems that most of the family has died out...
I have been able to track down the great granddaughter of Aunt Ludie, my great-Grandma Hutch's sister. We are going to try to meet tomorrow, if she is up to it. (She's 42 and pregnant!) I'm giving her a pin that I found that was Aunt Ludie's. It needs to be in her family, not mine... And I'm sending a few things to my dear cousin in Colorado, who is also a great-grand daughter of Grandma Hutch's. At least this is bestirring me to go look for family!
Their junk is much better than my junk, for sure! But it's still junk.
I was so glad to find Joan of Arc's statue, though. I have a vase made of a shell casing from 1918, too. That means a whole lot! Most of this isn't anything anyone would like, but me... Oh well, I'm weird, and always have been!
I am also keeping an eye out for the 1950s Indy car racers that Daddy brought me... So, if I find it-- I'll be sure to let you know!
That large glass vase or bottle is standing in front of some colours and either the colours are glowing through the bottle and/or the bottle has some multiple colouring itself. If it has that kind of colouring I think it is called "Carnival Glass".
Dowser, you are so lucky to have all these treasures. If I were in your shoes I'd be spending my lifetime cleaning them and repairing them and trying to identify the history of them. Before moving to China I sold over eBay or garage sales, or gave to my kids or to my ex-wife everything of value that I owned and treasured.
I know that I am very very fortunate-- not everyone has a historical repository of stuff!
The tall glass "bottle" doesn't really have the carnival glass look to it in real life-- I think the carnival glass look was due to the flash from my phone. It is a very heavy glass, for sure!
I can't sell these things, Buzz. I promised Grandma I would take care of it all-- and I look forward to doing so.
Thanks so much for coming by!
CM, you are right that I do need to have some of these things evaluated-- if only for insurance purposes!
MUCH love to you!