Heirloom Preservation ~ How do you preserve them? Here's one way .......

 

 What qualifies as an heirloom?

Like "beauty" the definition of an heirloom is arguably somewhat subjective.  Technically, a valuable object that has belonged to a family for one or more generations, is an heirloom.

I know that most of you probably have items that have been handed down to you from your parents, grandparents and great grandparents.  Whether it’s a desk, a set of spoons, a ceramic rooster, a photo album or whatever, these items usually have sentimental meaning to us.

Enter today’s culture and the current thinking that if things aren’t new, they aren’t worth anything. This is what I’ve learned from talking to nieces, nephews, grandchildren and others of a younger generation.

Granted, when we were younger we too were anxious for the latest and greatest.  We didn’t spend much time worrying about an item that might have been passed down from previous generations. 

But, as we got older and perhaps wiser, our thinking changed.  I have to admit though, that I’ve always been a fan of anything historic and was inclined to keep older items.

Do you have a plan for ensuring or at least trying to ensure that those historical family items aren’t thrown in the trash or given as donations?

My plan is to take photos of the items, enter the information about the item on an “Heirloom Card” and then create a digital scrapbook page.  Then I will print the pages and have them included with my will/trust.  I will also label the items as best I can so that someone might find out who they’d belonged to before me.

Here is the blank Heirloom Card created in a Word document. From here I change the colors of the background and add pertinent information, then crop the page as needed.

And here are 3 pages I’ve created so far.  These are all items that came from my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould.

TIP - In order to add each item to that memory card, I wanted to remove any background and create a png image.  I use a website called remove.bg for that purpose. Just a simple removal of the background and download of the item is free.

I have several more items from my maternal grandmother and even one item from a great grandmother.

•  What are your thoughts on this subject?
•   Do you have a plan?  I’d love to hear about it.

   Happy Hunting,

   Michigan Girl

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY–1905 GIFT TO MY GRANDMOTHER

There is today's treasure, the book given to my grandmother.  Also shown are photos of my mother & her parents on the right and my father and his parents on the left. The pictures in the background are of my grandmother, the recipient of today's treasure. 

I know many things about my Grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne.  One of those, is that she was an avid reader for all of her life. 

I remember when she and I were both living in Houston, Texas and she was in her 80’s, I would drive her over to the library where she would check out 8-10 books at a time.  A couple of weeks later, we’d do it all over again.  Her daughter, my mother, is also an avid reader and guess what?  So am I.  Guess it traveled through the generations in those genes. 

I was going through some boxes here at the house about 6 or 7 years ago and came across items that had belonged to my grandmother. One of those items was a book.

The book

Having heirlooms from your ancestors is a heart warming thing.  Well, at least to me it is.  These are items that we may have seen at the ancestor’s home, or they might have worn a particular item, like a ring or earrings.  For me, it gives me a closeness that brings me great joy and satisfaction.

Today’s item is a book that was given to my grandmother, who’s nickname to some of her relatives, was “Flossie.”  Short for Florence.  The inscription says “To Miss Flossie, Christmas ‘05, George & Alfred.”  The name of the book is The Story of the Iliad by A. J. Church, M.A., 1904.

Title page of the book

The inscription inside the book

My grandmother married my grandfather on 11 Apr 1906 when she was 18 yrs. old.  This would mean this gift was given to her the Christmas prior to her wedding.  

As to who George and Alfred are, listed on the inscription, I can only surmise from my family data.  There are an Alfred & George in the Thornton family, who were first cousins to my grandfather, Joseph Albert Milne, and not much older than my grandmother.  I do know that the Thornton family is documented often in my grandmother’s journal.

This book sits just above my computer where I can look at it all the time, along with family photos and my DAR certificate.
 
What items do you have that belonged to your ancestors?  

Some people are fortunate to have many, some only one or two.  But, whatever we have we hold dear.

I would love to hear from you about your family heirlooms.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall