My Paternal Grandmother born in 1915 wrote this note on a 3×5 card and taped it to the bottom of the child sized rocking chair before giving it to my brother Jack.
To Jack from Grandma B.
This little rocking chair was given to me (Ethelyn Alberta Appel) when I was three or four years old (1918 or 1919). My Uncle Orville Appel and Aunt Amelia Appel (sister and brother) gave it to me.
It has served me, my brothers, my sisters and fine grandchildren. Visiting children also used it. Enjoy!
My daughter now uses this rocking chair and in 8 years it will be 100 years old! I love precious heirlooms like this.
Do you own anything that has been in the family more than 50 or even 100 years? Please share!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
That is so amazing! What an awesome heirloom! I only wish I had something like that. I have one or 2 ceramic pieces made by my great grandmother (on my mom's dad's side). And I believe somewhere packed away I have my mom's mom's dad's bible. Its pretty beaten up though! My mom has never been very sentimental, so I was the one who 'collected' stuff like that from my grandma.
That is an adorable chair! It's so wonderful that it remained in the family and is still in such good condition!
My grandma had a doll bed that her uncle built for her, and a few years ago, my daughter received it as a Christmas present.
Of course I had to post a picture of it on my blog after reading your post!
Grandma's Doll Bed
How precious. Yes I have a few things…my grandmother's silver, she passed last year at age 93. I also have my husband's mother's bread bowl…wooden. My mother in law is 95 so that makes the bowl well over a 100 years. We have dated it Civil War Era. It now sets on my table full of rose petals.
I love the chair – it looks like it's been well taken care of. What a great heirloom to pass down to your daughter. I actually have a few things of my grandmother's that she used during the Depression on the farm: Meat tenderizer, biscuit cutter, apron, potty chair (weird I know), hand crank hand mixer, washboard, and a few other various kitchen items. I still use the canning tools she used when she was growing up. I know I shouldn't, but can't help myself.
I don't like having heirlooms in my house as I tend to ruin them. Not my kids as much as me. I wish I cared more. I do, but I guess my attitude is Can I take it with me to heaven? And therefore when it gets broken (because at my house it will), I don't feel so bad!
I have the tricycle that my Sweet Daddy rode when he was a little boy. It is wooden. I have pictures of him siting on it. I also have my Mother's baby quilt,, which has been framed. Both are precious to me. We have many, many such things and we treasure them all.