Friday Night Family Heirlooms… telling their stories: Grandmama McKinley’s Vase

When “heirlooms” aren’t identified, and their stories never told, they often become items tossed or sold – as they have no history, no ties to the family. So take the time to identify your family heirlooms history and record your memories so the family 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

Grandmama McKinley’s Vase

I always remember this vase in our home and not until I married did I question it. It’s a clear pressed glass vase, about 14 inches tall with a scalloped lip. There’s no marking on it and when it sits, it’s slightly off center. Mama tells me that her mother always had it and that her she had won it in school, so maybe it was an award for something, but that we will never know for sure. I also vaguely remember mama telling me that grandmama won it in a spelling bee in school; that could very well be true as she did read and write well.

Taking a peek into the kitchen, I can see grandmama’s farmhouse sink… the very sink that I made soap bubbles in – just to watch them flow out to the field. (I’ll explain that in another post)

The vase sat in this very corner cabinet in the dining room for many years… grandmama always kept her favorite things put up that she wanted to save. Mama never understood that as a child, as she often took things given to her and put them up also… while mama wanted to play with them; because she kept it in the corner cabinet – is why I have it today. Whenever I look at it, I immediately think of her, and just like grandmama I also keep it in my china cabinet.

Click Friday Night Family Heirlooms to read more stories…

© 2017, copyright Jeanne Bryan Insalaco; all rights reserved

Family Heirloom Bloggers:

I started a Family Heirloom challenge in November 2015 asking fellow bloggers to join me in telling the stories of their family heirlooms. Writing the stories of the family heirlooms I’ve been entrusted with has been on my mind for a long time; the time is now and I plan to write their stories on a weekly basis.

Please check out the weekly Family Heirloom stories of…

Blogger: Cathy Meder-Dempsey at Opening Doors in Brick Walls
Blogger: Karen Biesfeld at Vorfahrensucher
Blogger: Kendra Schmidt at trekthrutime
Blogger: Linda Stufflebean at Empty Branches on the Family Tree
Blogger:  Schalene Jennings Dagutis at Tangled Roots and Trees
Blogger: True Lewis at Notes to Myself
Blogger: Vera Marie Badertscher at Ancestors in Aprons                              Blogger: Heather Lisa Dubnick at  Little Oak Blog
Blogger: Kathy Rice at https://everyleafhasastory.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/heirloom-afghan/
Blogger: Mary Harrell-Sesniak at  Genealogy Bank Heirlooms Blog
Blogger: Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks theme for 2015 Week 24 was Heirlooms. Check out her Blog at –  52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 24 Recap  for links to more Heirloom posts.