Jeanne Newby
My favorite story on tradition concerns a young bride who fixed a delicious pot roast for her new husband. He praised the flavor but asked, “Honey, why do you cut off the end of the pot roast before you cook it?”
“I don’t know. My mother did it so I do it.” She went to her mother and asked her about why she cut off the end of the roast before cooking it.
The mother replied, “I guess I do it because my mother did it.” So off to Grandma’s house went the young bride to find out why her grandmother cut off the end of the roast before cooking it. The grandmother smiled and replied, “I cut off the end of the pot roast because I never had a pan big enough to hold the whole roast.” And that is how many traditions are started, by necessity.
Family heirlooms are an important topic today. Many items are passed from one generation to another with the pride of having been in the family for many years. Family photos, kitchenware, jewelry, books, china, knick knacks, old tools, furniture, etc. are some of the items that are passed down.
I have a Christmas tree angel that is 70 years old. She is not gorgeous, and I rarely get compliments on her, but the fact that she has been in the family that long gives her a special place of dignity in our home.
Now 70 years is not a long time compared to items that have been in the family over 100 years. I have some beautiful cut glass bowls, pitchers, etc. that have been in the family for five generations, and they have lots of respect and get many compliments. They are treasured family heirlooms.
Some family members are not collectors and, therefore, do not desire to have the family heirloom responsibility. Some members of a family might bicker over who gets a certain family heirloom. I hate the thought of bickering, but at least the item is treasured and will be watched over by the person who inherits it – and the one who wanted it but didn’t get it!
I have quite a few of my childhood toys that have reached a noticeable age. I think they are a treasure, but that doesn’t mean my children will feel the same way. I have some beautiful shadow boxes and little shelves made by an older gentleman who was not related to me, but I marveled at his craftsmanship in making such wonderful items out of wood. His great-grandchildren have no desire to keep his items because they are not collectors, so I give them the love and admiration of a family heirloom. Even though they are not my family heirlooms I guess in a way they have become a family heirloom by my possession of something made three generations before me.
Do you have a family heirloom that has a treasured story that goes along with the item? Sometimes the stories are more precious than the item. Some heirlooms are large and bulky, some are small and delicate. Some may just be a piece of paper, like a marriage certificate from when they used to make a beautiful framed certificate to share the special event with all who came into the parlor. A baby rattle that belonged to a great-grandmother is a wonderful piece of family history.
One of our treasured family heirlooms is my husband’s family bible, purchased in September 1831 at a cost of $9 by Stan’s great-great-grandfather, the Rev. William Dickson. It contains handwritten accounts of the births and deaths in the family, starting with Reverend Dickson’s own account of his birth on May 31, 1797. What a treasure, and it was lost from the family for quite awhile. A young man found the bible in a book store in Oklahoma City in 1987. He purchased it for $100 because he felt there was a family out there looking for this wonderful piece of family history. He advertised the bible in the Genealogy Helper, a magazine that was read by anyone doing genealogy. I happened to be reading a copy of the Genealogy Helper two years later and saw the ad which listed many of my husband’s family. I was so excited. I called Mahlon Ericson in Oklahoma City, Okla., to say, “I know the ad was two years ago and the bible has long since been gone, but could you give me the name of the family that purchased it so I can contact them?”
He then made my day when he said, “I still have the bible.” We made an appointment to meet in Tulsa, Okla., and he gave me the original receipt where he had purchased the bible for one hundred dollars plus six dollars tax. He did not want a profit, he only wanted the bible to be returned to the family. What a treasure. I take the bible to family reunions and share it with family members, but it always comes back home with us, no matter how many of the family would like to have the bible. It will be passed down to someone in our family and is an heirloom that needs to go to someone who treasures the family history.
Families and family heirlooms are forever.
