The Treasures of Your Female Ancestors



vintage jewelry It has been the ladies of society who have been for the most part the keepers of family artifacts, records, Bibles, silverware, crystal, etc. You may have inherited some family heirlooms and not really thought of how precious some of these items might have been to a great aunt, grandmother, or second cousin. Some items might have great value now but for sure those items were important to that ancestor for years.

The family Bible is one of the most popular items handed down through the generations. It was generally the females in the family who made sure names and dates were written in the records for births-marriages and deaths.

Ladies, generally no matter the family economics, loved to surround themselves with pretty or nice objects. A lovely vase, a lace tablecloth, a candy dish, nice silverware, or a favorite china set. There might have been precious jewelry handed down, sometimes a brooch or ring that was always worn by the relative.

If you have a family treasure you inherited or another family has an object, it can fun and interesting to investigate the background on that piece.

An example is a lovely cotton cord crocheted tablecloth that my grandmother made. She married in 1911 and through some research, including checking with antique dealers, I learned this style of tablecloth was popular in the 1910s. However, what was more interesting, was that she may have had to wait a few years to actually finish this large tablecloth because I found that during the Great War (1914-1918) the cording used was in very short supply, it was needed instead for the war effort. She did finish it, used it proudly on her dining room table and then inherited by her only daughter, my mother, in the 1940s. I have had it since the 1990s. So this hand made table cloth is 100 years old and been a treasure to the ladies who used it.

1918-tablecloth Linens, tablecloths, coverlets, bedspreads, etc are often overlooked for the workmanship put into each piece. Each has its own story.

See what you can locate and take the journey to learn the back story on a treasure of a female ancestor.

Photo: The family 1910s cotton cord tablecloth.

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