52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 40 "Preservation"

KEEPSAKE ITEMS TO PRESERVE

I have been very fortunate to have inherited many keepsake items from my parents, grandparents and even a few from great-grandparents.  These are very important to me and are items I want to preserve.  While I don't have children of my own I am hopeful that my niece (with three young sons) or my nephew will one day continue to keep and preserve these items.

Here are some examples:

A six volume set of "The New Practical Reference Library Encyclopedia" dated 1915 which was owned by my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  The illustrations in these books are outstanding and they are handy reference guides to events in the world prior to 1915:

A German violin which also belonged to my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  Rudolph was an insurance salesman in the 1920's.  He had a client who could not pay his insurance premium so he gave Rudolph this German violin in exchange for his insurance premium.  The violin is dated from the 1850's:

A German prayer book which belonged to my great-grandmother, Bertha, nee Kramp, Kolberg (1860-1915).  She brought this book to the US when she immigrated on November 28, 1883 from Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany:

My most prized possession is this cut glass mushroom lamp which belonged to my great-grandparents, Rudolph (1869-1940) and Juliane, nee Feucht (1870-1907), Schulte.  This lamp dates to the mid-1890's and was in their home throughout their marriage and later passed down in the family until I received it.  This lamp is special to me because it is the only item I have of my great-grandmother who passed away at the young age of 36:

A childhood roll top desk that was my father's (1923-1996).  I still use this desk today to hold office supplies and I have a desk lamp placed on top:

A Polish flute (or better known as a recorder) which belonged to my great-grandfather, John Kijak (1861-1945), who used this flute to call sheep while he was still living in Poland.  He immigrated to the US from Taniborz, Tulce, Poland, on June 19, 1882:

A photo album that belonged to my great-grandmother, Amelia, nee Schluessler, Wellhausen (1876-1963).  This type of album is frequently seen now in antique shops:

My mother's (1925-2016) cedar chest which she received for her high school graduation in 1943 from her parents.  Her parents had this cedar chest hidden in their own bedroom, covered with a quilt, for weeks before the graduation and my mother told me she never noticed anything different:

 All of these items are important to me and are all displayed in my home.  It is important to me, as a genealogist and family historian, that these items continue to be preserved.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte