Antique Bureau
Shared by Janie Samuelson
Spring 2016
This antique bureau belonged to my great grandmother,
Linda Warfel Slaughter. She took it up the Missouri River
to the Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory. She
followed her husband, who was the Fort Army Physician.
This antique bureau has a hidden drawer in the
bottom. the picture on the bureau is of Linda and to
the left is a picture of her husband, Dr. Frank Slaughter.
Linda was a person who wrote articles and sent them to the
Minneapolis newspaper and also wrote the history of the
area. She was an advocate for women's rights and she
also was a Charter Member of the North Dakota Chapter DAR.
Linda was a good friend of Elizabeth (Libby) Custer.
Libby was the wife of General George Custer. Libby
also followed her husband to the Fort. The women
were both attractive, and Libby also wrote articles,
particularly after her husband was killed at the Battle of
Big Horn in 1876. Libby was only 34 when her husband
was killed, and she went back to New York, wrote articles
defending her husband, and died in 1933 at the age of 91
years.
My Great Grandmother Linda died at St. Cloud,
Minnesota. She was 68 years old.
|
 Hutch
with Shelves and Fold-Down Desk
Shared by Rhonda Byers
Early 2016
I got this hutch from my mom and dad about 2000. It was
originally purchased by my maternal great-grandparents,
Charles and Clara Pyle of Albert City, Iowa. It was
shipped from Chicago, Illinois.
It was then handed down to my grandparents, Wayne and
Louise Pyle of Albert City, and then to my parents, Roger
and Delores Sievers.
I have always liked the piece because of its look and the
family history about it. It is very special to have
something that has been passed down through the
generations. It is a connection to past relatives.
I don’t have children, so I plan to pass it to one of my
nieces. |
 High
Chair/Stroller with Two Dolls
Shared by Carol Brown
March 2016
This heirloom is a treasure which
was my mother’s. It is a high chair, as seen in the one
picture, but it can be made into a stroller, as shown in
the second picture.
My mother was born in 1899.
When I was three years old, I received a Shirley Temple
doll. She is still dressed in the original clothing.
I received my last doll when I was 12. She also is still
dressed in the original clothing she wore when she was
given to me.
|
1860 Walnut Plantation Desk
Shared by Barbara Thrailkill Halpin
Early 2016
This plantation desk was made
around 1860 by Michael Holderbaum, a grandson of
proven patriot Michael Holderbaum from Pennsylvania.
Michael gave it to his son Henry D. Holderbaum, and it
passed to his daughter – my grandmother, Carolina
Holderbaum Thrailkill – in 1901.
The desk is 41 x 24 x 70 inches, and the writing
surface lifts for storage. When Grandma died, it was
given to my dad. Dad had been given a table, but he
always liked this desk and traded with his sister for
the desk. It was in our dining area for many years,
until Mother bought a new desk and this one was moved
to storage.
When my sister got married in 1959, Dad asked her if
she would like his desk. She wanted the lower part but
was not interested in the top. She only kept the desk
in her home for about one year, and it was then moved
to her garage. Dad saw his desk in the garage
and loaded it into his pickup, brought it home, and
put it in his machine shed. The top was in the garage
with oil cans in it.
When I got married in 1966, Dad asked if I would like
his desk. I was thrilled and took both pieces. Bob, my
husband, refinished it and carved a new piece to
replace the missing molding on the end around the top.
The rest of the desk is all original. This wonderful
156-year-old plantation desk is made of walnut and has
been in my dining room for 50 years. Whenever Dad
would visit, he would admire his wonderful old
plantation desk.
This desk has been in the homes of five generations
and will be given to one of my daughters and later to
my grandson. I love it as much as my dad did.
The mantel clock on the desk was passed down through
my husband’s family.
|
 Mirror with Gold Gilt Frame
Shared by Ruth Stark
Winter 2015
This heirloom is a 1937 era mirror with a gold gilt frame.
It measures 21 inches by 17-1/4 inches.
This mirror was a wedding gift to my parents, Everett
Hamann and Lucile Louise Lyman Hamann, on their wedding
day, September 7, 1937. It always hung in their
living room.
I purchased it from my father for $25.00 before the
auction of his household items.
I plan to pass it on to my son, Michael Wayne Stark,
in the future. |
Dry Sink
Shared by Marjorie Spencer
Summer 2015
This dry sink was made by a man in High Amana in the
1980s. My mother, DAR member Lorena Marie McIntosh Wymore
Cash, commissioned this to be made from a walnut tree cut
down on her farm northeast of Ottumwa, Iowa.
The pump on top is from her parents’ farm home near Barnes
City, Iowa.
As a child in the 1940s, I remember pumping cistern water
with this pump in Grandma’s kitchen, this being the only
water source in the house at the time. Grandma Eunice
Ellen Brackin McIntosh was a DAR member, as was her
mother, Eunice Anna Brown Brackin, and grandmother, Flora
Sampson Brown. I received this dry sink from my mother in
2005 and plan to pass it on to my son someday.
|
 Walnut
Grandfather Clock
Shared by Peg Wilkinson
Summer 2015
My husband, Harold, and I planned to make a grandfather
clock from the walnut wood from his grandfather's farm.
Harold passed away before we accomplished this. A close
friend of the family, a woodworker, volunteered to make
the clock for our family. He did the woodcutting and
construction. I did all of the sanding and decor on the
front and sides.
This is a NEW heirloom we just completed in June, 2012.
|
Walnut Gate-Leg Table
Shared by Ruth Fenstermann Tucker
Fall 2015
My parents used this walnut gate-leg table in their
kitchen after moving from the home farm to a small
acreage. It originally belonged to my great-aunt, a maiden
lady who raised my father and his brothers and sisters
after their mother died in 1909. My father was four months
old at that time.
She had used it in a wood shed to support her dill pickle
crocks. The top is covered with black circles, etc., where
the vinegar leaked out.
My father restored it since the top boards were cracked.
The leaves had become warped and the hinges needed
repairing.
I've used it in my kitchen since receiving it from my
parents in mid-1960. It is solid walnut and appears to be
handmade. I would guess it is from the late 1800s or early
1900s. |
 Family
Hutch
Shared by Ruth Fenstermann Tucker
Fall 2015
This hutch has a Walnut front and pine sides. It is
approximately 84 inches tall and 40 inches wide and
consists of two pieces with with glass doors, two drawers,
and walnut leaf and acorn drawer pulls.
This piece was purchased by my grandfather, Jesse
Matthews, Jr., about 1900. My grandmother had books behind
the glass doors as I was growing up. It was passed to my
parents about 1962, and my father painted the insides
white and restored the cornice top. They used it in their
kitchen until I obtained it in about 1967.
My antique dishes are stored in the glass-fronted area and
other dishes for every day use are behind the bottom
doors. |
Grandmother's Clock
Shared by Ruth Fenstermann Tucker
Fall 2015
This is a picture of a grandmother clock,handmade by my
father, Carl Fenstermann, in 1975.
My father was seriously injured in a farm accident in
1962. After my youngest brother graduated from high school
and left for college, he downsized his dairy herd, rented
the farmland, and started his woodworking hobby of making
small furniture pieces.
After retiring to Arizona for health reasons, he began
making a grandmother clock using walnut lumber he had cut
from timber land he owned in Iowa and had brought with him
to Arizona.
As this project was successful, he continued to handcraft
clocks for my two brothers, my sister and me, as well as a
few more for friends and a grandson.
It has been running continuously since he brought it to me
in 1975 and even survived the flood of 2008 standing in
three feet of water.
I will pass this on to one of my children as time goes by,
along with the history behind it. |
Tilt-Top Table
Shared by Roberta Elaine Leavitt
Winter 2015
 I have a tilt-top table that
originally belonged to my great grandparents. When the top
is in a vertical position, you can see the wooden screw
that is in the center.
John McQueen came to the United States from Scotland in
1840 as a young man 23 years old. He settled in Galena,
Illinois, where he already had a sister living. He met a
woman from England and married her in 1848. In 1849, John
went to California and was on the Gold Rush and gone for
three years. (I have copies of some pages of a journal he
wrote about his experiences on the Gold Rush.)
When he returned, the couple purchased several farms in
Grand Meadow and Tilden townships in Cherokee County in
1887 and moved to that area with four of their nine sons
and their only daughter. They died in 1893 and 1894.
Since my father, M. Donald McQueen, was the youngest son
of the youngest living son, they died before he was born
in 1920. Having the table gives me a tangible connection
to these great grandparents.
The table had been in the possession of their daughter and
her husband, Anna and Robert Miller, with whom they were
living at the time of their deaths. It was then given to
their niece, Ruth Lambert, my father’s sister. When she
died, it was given to my father, M. Donald McQueen, and
then came to me. |
Treadle Sewing Machine
Shared by Peggy Corrington
Winter 2015
My heirloom is a White Company treadle sewing machine in
an oak veneer cabinet with four drawers and a coffin style
top. The serial number is 787606. The last patent date on
the tag is 1881. It was manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio. I
also have parts of the instruction book and several
machine accessories. The sewing  machine belonged to
my grandmother, Mary Ruth Sawyer Lampman (1893-1982),
shown in the second picture and holding my son (her
great-grandson) Thomas Scott Corrington.
The sewing machine was probably purchased by Grandmother
at a household auction; she loved to go to them. She was
the person who took me to my first auction and tried to
teach me how to be a smart bidder. I also remember Grandma
sitting at this machine, stitching away. When she died,
this was one of the heirlooms I received in her memory.
My dad (her son) and I refinished the machine cabinet
before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It has
been in my home since 1982.
My DAR lineage is through this grandmother’s family. I had
an interest in sewing as a young girl. I became a home ec.
(FCS) teacher, which included sewing instruction at the
high school and middle school level for 33 years. Now I
work part-time at a quilt shop. |
 Child's
Cupboard
Shared by Tina McCleary
Fall 2015
This cupboard was hand-made by my great-grandfather Elias
Gibbs Miller in 1910 for my mother’s sister when she was
born. It is 24 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 31 inches
high – just the right size for a little girl to feel like
Mommy. It has been painted white, navy blue, green and
pink. 
My Mother received it because she had girls and her sister
didn’t have children.
My sister and I put our dishes and playthings in it when
we were young and then as we got older, Mother gave it to
a cousin. When my cousin got older, my aunt gave it back
to Mother. My sister’s girls and our daughter played with
it when they were young.
I have granddaughters and my sister only had grandsons, so
Mother gave it to me to keep. Several of the dishes and
pans I have kept in it to remember the fun and good
playtimes.
A granddaughter has asked that it be given to her, and I’m
sure it will be. The stories this cupboard could tell of
little girls and their dreams continues on.
|
Sewing Box
Shared by Jodi Freet
Fall 2015
My paternal grandmother, Dorothy Phillips Freet, passed
away several years before I was born, but I have always
felt as if I knew her - mostly due to the stories that
my father shared with me while I was growing up.
My dad was her favorite son (a fact that my uncles do
not dispute), and as a result, he received quite a few
of her belongings when his beloved mother passed
away.
This heirloom isn't that old, perhaps the mid to late
1930's(?). It's not in pristine condition; it has
scratches, gouges and repairs. (Note the fishing
bobber "knob" placed by my ever resourceful Grandpa
Freet.) But it is a testament to a beautiful woman
who loved God and loved her family.
It is her sewing box, still full of works that have been
in progress since her passing in 1971. It also
holds a few patterns for her embroidered pillowcases,
scraps of fabric, her crochet needles and other
treasures.
I inherited this sewing box from my father in the years
before his passing. He was so very proud that I was
determined to find the history of his family.Although he
gave me grief for wanting to join the DAR, you could
tell he was secretly thrilled that I had proven true a
long-standing family rumor that our Freet ancestors
fought in the Revolution. I'm sure Dad knew how
much I would treasure and care for his mother's
belongings.
My grandparents were far from wealthy and I know this
sewing box was a luxury for her. When I also
considered that Grandma gave birth to four rowdy boys,
it's truly amazing that Grandma's sewing box survived at
all. It reminds me of the strength of our family,
and how resilient we are, even in times of stress.
Grandma's sewing box is a tie to three generations of
family and a wonderful gift from my dearly beloved
father. I look forward to the future when I can
share this heirloom, along with the stories of my father
and grandmother - with a new generation of family.
|
 Step-Back Chest
Shared by Dorothy L. Runneberg
Winter 2016
This step-back chest came to me from my mother, who
received it from her grandmother in about 1925. The
grandmother lived in Polo, Illinois, and acted as
mid-wife when her grandchildren were born, placing the
newborn child in one of the drawers of this chest, after
positioning the drawer across the seats of two chairs.
She regularly reminded the active grandchildren to “Be
careful of that chest – don’t ram into it. It is very
old and has had enough abuse.” This would have been in
the late 1890s.
This grandmother was born in Queens County, New York
State, in 1836. Her husband, Hiram Phelps Hendrix, was
born in Massachusetts. They came from Massachusetts to
the Polo, Illinois area after the Civil War. Which
family originally owned the chest is unknown.
However, it is known that the chest came by wagon and
raft from Massachusetts to Illinois in 1866 and on to
Iowa to carry my grandmother Hendrix’s (my mother’s)
possessions to the home of a daughter and then to my
mother in 1925. It came to me about 1975. (Other early
names are Rinehart and Gardmer/Gardner.)
The chest measures 45 inches tall at the back. It is 39
inches wide and 17 inches deep (from front to back).
Only the fronts are veneered, made of beautifully
matched dark wood and very tightly held in place. Its
turned legs are about 7 inches tall and 3 inches in
diameter at the thickest area. The legs plug into the
case with a cubed top. They seem to be fine-grained
wood.
The dovetailing of the drawers is unusual, being of long
pointed triangles.
Several knobs were absent when I received it, and a long
board reached from the top to the floor on the back,
replacing one leg. A friend with a lathe made a replica
leg, and it mounted easily into the original spot. The
front feet are called “vase style.”
I cleaned off layers of paint, the outer “buttermilk”
with ugly brown striated lines, and found keyholes
plugged with a clay-like substance. I found a key to
fit, and the locks work. I used a lot of elbow grease
and tung oil to finish the project.
Paul Mefferd, now deceased, of Laurens, Iowa, was a
one-time amateur antique collector/ evaluator and shop
owner. He looked at the chest about 40 years ago and saw
about four kinds of wood. He thought the veneering might
be walnut. He guessed the chest to be from the late
1700s. I replaced the white knobs with wood ones, as
Paul recommended. Three of the knobs were created by a
friend with a lathe, and all others are original.
|
Four-Drawer Dresser, Standing Mirror
and Locket
Shared by Kathy Shelton
Winter 2015
Among my cherished heirlooms is a four-drawer solid wood
dresser with a separate standing mirror. The mirror is 30
inches tall. The dresser is 40 inches wide, 44 inches
tall, and has a depth of 17-1/2 inches. Both sides of the
dresser have deep cracks in the wood. We think it is
possibly cherry wood.
It is believed that this dresser was made by a member of
the Brenaman family (my maternal grandmother's family. We
know of these previous owners of the dresser:
Harder Brenaman of Lucas County, Iowa
Vesta Brenaman Miller of Lucas County, Iowa
Esther Belle Miller Steinbach (my mother)
Kathy Steinbach Shelton (myself)
Vesta's Uncle Hardy was considered rather simple and
enjoyed bringing his horse and buggy to visit Vesta's
family. When he was no longer able to take care of
himself, he moved in with her family. At this time, Esther
Belle, my mother, was a young girl. Vesta went to the
Brenaman family home to get the dresser so he would have
somewhere to store his belongings.
 
Over the years, the glass in the mirror had darkened. I
replaced it as a Mother's Day gift to Esther Belle in
1995.
A locket hangs on the mirror. It once belonged to Vesta
Brenaman Miller. It contains the photos of her husband,
James Clair Miller, and her brother, Lloyd Brenaman. The
locket was a gift from Lloyd. |
