When “heirlooms” aren’t identified, and their stories never told, then they often become items that are tossed or sold – as they have no history, no ties to the family. So take the time to identify your family heirlooms history and memories so your treasures aren’t tossed in the trash. They are just as valuable as your family photographs and also need to be documented. Sometimes it’s not even the value of the item in question; it’s the story which holds the value.
Friday Night Family Heirlooms: telling their stories…
The Coca Cola Thermometer
This thermometer hung on the back porch, for many years, on granddaddy McKinley’s farmhouse. It hung on the wall by the entrance to the kitchen – mama says that it hung in that very spot for as long as she could remember.
It was such a regular fixture for me that I never paid much attention to it. If only I had asked granddaddy where it came from? It dates back to the early forties and my guess is it came from was the local general store owned by his cousin.
it was such a part of the house to me that I never noticed it until… after I married and we became very interested in antiques – things soon changed. I soon wanted all the family antiques mama wanted to give me.
On our first trip back to the farm, my eyes immediately noticed the Coca Cola thermometer – and this time it left with me! How did I miss this treasure, that had been right under my nose for so many years? We left that day with a U-Haul trailer full of family antiques – the very ones I had said as a teenager that I didn’t want – but mama knew better! In future heirloom stories you will discover all that we packed in the trailer.
I’ve always liked Coca Cola items – what Southerner doesn’t? Today we collect items with the logo, but that wasn’t the reason granddaddy had it. He hung it on the porch to tell the temperature – it was used and needed! Today we hang them in our collections or for decoration – what a difference! Every time I look at it hanging on my kitchen wall it reminds me of the farm – it’s a nice memory!
The thermometer has Coca Cola company on my wall.
Click Friday Night Family Heirlooms to read more stories…
© 2016 Jeanne Bryan Insalaco
Everyone Has a Story 
We have some things we’ve picked up at flea markets and have used as decoration in our home. I have to be careful to not get them confused with the heirlooms.
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Some things we’ve collected will be future heirlooms I hope, so I might blog on them or make a seperate heading so the kids know how they came to be in our family for so many years. Maybe Flea Market Finds? Any thoughts on this Cathy?
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I’m not even going there. Still too many heirlooms to be done.
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