State Fair

The kids have been busy, lately, getting entries ready for the Oklahoma State Fair.  The fair runs September 12th through the 21st, but entries need to be turned in Saturday.  The boys are entering photographs again this year.  The oldest one also has a 6-foot model of the Titanic made of LEGO; he designed and built it himself.  It goes into an adult class, though, since there isn’t one that fits in the Junior classes.  The girls are making and baking all kinds of things. 

I’m entering this year, although, to me, it’s a strange category.  Antiques.  I can’t figure out why there’s a category for things you own rather than for things you make.  Still, I have an assortment of family heirlooms so I thought I’d see what the judges thought of them. 

First is the coverlet I wrote about previously. 

Second is the string holder I bought on a trip, also in a previous story. 

Third is one of the photo albums I posted in an early article. 

Then these are the “new” things I haven’t yet mentioned:  

A Butter Crock 

A pair of ladies’ pocket watches 

An old wallet full of papers  

The Crock:  

This crock came from Isabell Adamson, she of the coverlet fame.  It dates to early in the 19th century.  I'm just going to show photos since there's not much else to say.  I've used it to store mother of pearl buttons, or embroidery thread, or loot. 

Isn't this the loveliest lid?  It looks like a lace doily.

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Each of the watches has a photo inside.  The watches are heavy and I can’t imagine either owner wearing it around her neck, or even pinned to the bosom of a dress. 

One watch belonged to Deborah Jane (Adamson) Berry, my husband’s great-grandmother.  She was born in 1835 in Ohio and died 1918 in Missouri.  

The photo is of her three daughters:  Belle, born 1865; Viola, 1874; Eliza, born 1877.  Eliza was married in 1903 and died in 1905, so this photo was taken before that.  

A Waltham database gives the information that this watch serial number dates to 1906.  

The other watch belonged to Mary Elizabeth (Smith) Greer, my husband’s other great-grandmother.  


















The photo is of her two daughters: Emma, on the left, and Alta, my husband’s grandmother.  Mary Elizabeth was born 1853 and died 1933.  Daughter Emma was born 1871 and Alta born 1879.  Emma married in 1892, and Alta in 1904, so I believe this photo ought to date from before the later date, at least.

The same database above gives the date of the watch, from the serial number, as 1898.

Although the entry lists a pocket watch, I’m hoping they’ll take the pair since they represent either side of a single family line - that of my mother-in-law. 

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The well-worn wallet belonged to John Alpheus Berry (1829 - 1893).  It’s full of promissary notes and receipts dating from 1881 to 1895 - and a letter.

It’s a miniature filing cabinet and ledger book all rolled into one.  Simplicity of function!  

I think it’s my favorite of the heirlooms - well, maybe a tie with the coverlet.

The letter is the jewel in the treasure - it’s an assignment of inheritance rights to their mother Deborah - signed by all of the children of John.  John died at the end of 1893, so it’s incorrectly dated January 1893 when it should be 1894.  As with many of us, it’s hard to write the new year number when we’ve spent 365 days writing the old one.  


The wallet is a single entry and the letter another.

 

We’ll see what happens.