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We sometimes have threads about things we have gotten handed down to us. I have many such things but recently they have become much more precious to me.

The reason is that I started doing my genealogy. And knowing more (limited as it is) about my ancestors makes owning their things so much more meaningful. I have never lived near relatives, either as a child or as a married person. But my parents had deep roots in central Pennsylvania and that is where my items come from.

One thing is a wooden box, oak with dovetails and inlays of other wood. I had been told that it belonged to a family member that had been a boat captain. Just today I discovered who that person was, from the 1850 census!

This is really a wonderful and interesting pursuit!

How wonderful! Great treasure to find information on.

I have only my grandmother's sugar, creamer and covered butter dish. But I treasure them, I can still picture them in the china cabinet she had in the kitchen with large eating area. Good memories...

I love doing genealogy. I think owning a piece that belonged to someone from your past makes them seem much more "real". I mean, of course they are real, but sometimes a name on a piece of paper, or in the census doesn't tell you much about a person. Holding something in your hands that they owned, and that was a part of their life - well, it is incredible.

I've also been working on the family line - but we have precious few items - either because it went somewhere else in the line or there wasn't much to start!

My dad has a small box that his G-Grandfather carried over from Sweden. But other than that, I think most of the inherited pieces were purchased "new" when the family was able to afford it. But I do hold on to those few treasures - they are what I have and I can look at a "thing" and get a stronger memory sometimes.

LOS - I too have deep roots in PA - and recently discovered that deep down my Gran's line the family was given a land grant by the Penn Family Who knew?

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