Saturday, February 28, 2015

A BOX FULL OF TREASURES, SIGNATURES & MORE

Dorothys box - outside  Dorothys box - open
Yesterday I noticed that I did not have a signature saved for my husband’s father, Gordon Charles Hall.  Gathering the signatures of ancestors is one of my favorite things to do.  I wrote a post about them, what they mean and where to find them back in December 2013.
 
Here is the link to that post Signatures & Handwriting - What they tell us

I knew that I had a box of “important papers” from my husband’s mother, Dorothy.  I’ve gone through the box before.  She loved to save things and was very neat and organized about it.  Her sister, Delphine “Honey” Long, was the same way.  Had I looked at every piece of paper in the box?  I didn't think so.  I retrieved the box from it’s place in the office closet.

  HALL_Dorothy_her metal box from Buffalo
As I began to look for a piece of paper that would contain my father-in-law’s signature, I came across new and revealing items.
 
TIP:  Maybe it’s just me.  But, when I find a box of “goodies” that has belonged to one of our family members I get pretty excited.  It’s like you can’t look at everything fast enough and you can’t take it all in.  Maybe you only go through some of it and then you get interrupted, distracted or have to take care of everyday life things.  Whatever the reason, ALWAYS go back to these boxes and make sure you’ve properly inventoried every item.  By inventory, I mean scanned and saved to your computer and added to your software database.

Among the many envelopes in Dorothy’s box was one from San Diego Federal Savings & Loan with this written on it – “all papers for 4634 67th including trust deed & title insurance.”  The envelope was postmarked 31 Mar 1959 and addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon C. Hall.
 
Here is a photo of it.

HALL_Dorothy_evelope from SD Federal

As I went through this one envelope, I did find Gordon Hall’s signature.  While I was at it, I also found Dorothy’s.  Realizing I hadn’t saved her signature yet, I scanned, cropped, saved and added them to my Legacy database.
 
HALL_Gordon_signature on installment note_Feb 1958_SanDiegoCalifornia HALL_Dorothy_signature on installment note_Feb 1958_SanDiegoCalifornia

Then I began to look inside other envelopes in the box.  I found Gordon Hall’s dog tags from World War II and other important papers relating to his service to our country.  I sat down with my husband and we looked at several items.  He reminisced about his parents and we smiled at some of Dorothy’s entries in her date books.  I will share more about those in another post.

Today I plan to continue to go through this box and take care of what I started months ago, when I first located this box while cleaning out the office closet.  Life does have a way of distracting us.  But, sometimes, it’s twice the fun when you go back and find treasures you didn’t find the first time.
  
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
Office closet Clean Out & Organization Project
Office Closet Clean Out - The Finished Project

Happy hunting,
A_michigan girl
Copyright ©  2010-2015   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

4 comments:

  1. What great finds! And, I'll have to read your post about signatures. Also, I think I usually don't get 'everything' out of a document the first time around. We need to revisit the things we've had in our possession for many years!

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    1. Thanks Dana. I finished going through this box today and found more great items. I agree that I don't always get everything from a document the first time. I've learned, as have you, that revisiting our records can lead us to that one vital piece of information we may have missed. Good luck with the signatures.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Diane,

    I want to let you know that your blog post is listed in today's Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2015/03/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-march-6-2015.html

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks so much Jana! I've mentioned your blog on my Facebook page :)

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I look forward to reading your comments. If you have any connection to the people mentioned in this blog, please let me know. I write about mine and my husband's ancestors and would welcome new information or meeting a new cousin or two. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.