Lizzie’s Jewelry Box
I can’t think of a time that I was not interested in history
or about my ancestors and I have always believed the two are
interconnected. The more I learned about
history the more I learned about our ancestors and this is how my journey
began.
As the years passed and my research hours turned my simple
folders and charts into narrative histories I realized that I needed to record
the stories behind my family’s heirlooms, photos and keepsakes. These treasured
pieces held a sacred meaning to their owners. In preserving what has been
passed down to us we not only tell the story of our ancestors but they also hold
a piece to the communities we lived in.
There is a jewelry box that sits on my dresser that belonged
to my great grandmother Elizabeth Catherine Decker Thompson. It’s a modest three footed six inch round
porcelain jewelry box with a delicately painted design that has not faded much
with its age. It opens with a clasp to reveal what was a silk lined interior
and over the last hundred years it has held the treasure of its three owners.
It was a gift to Lizzie from her husband. She was a farmer’s
daughter who never lived far from her place of birth and married in 1907 when
she was just seventeen. She began married life farming in western Douglas Co.
Nebraska and in 1913 her only child Vera Elizabeth was born. I cannot think of
a time that I was not aware of this jewelry box and as a little girl I learned
its significance.
Farm life at the turn of the century could be a hard existence
and everything the couple purchased had a practical purpose. Lizzie had longed to
own something special, something feminine that did not need to have a useful
function but was resigned that it would be a future purchase. My great grandfather Garfield Thompson understood how much was denied
them in simple luxuries and what it would mean to his wife if she owned this
yet unidentified piece. It was on a warm
summer morning on a trip into the city to spend the day at the fair, that
he surprised her as he led her into the store and suggested that she choose a
gift for herself. To her delight and
after some hesitation Lizzie proudly chose her jewelry box.
Lizzie treasured her jewelry box and it sat on her dresser
waiting to be filled with all the future things
that she would hold dear. She wrote the day she married, the day her
daughter was born and the date she received her jewelry box on a slip of paper
and with her broach and a few hair ribbons she placed these contents inside. When their daughter turned five they gave her a
gold bracelet and it was placed inside Lizzie’s jewelry box for safe keeping.
Life takes unexpected turns and Lizzie, who was six months
pregnant died in Dec. 1918, shortly after her daughters fifth birthday, a
victim of the Spanish flu epidemic. She was 28 years old. The jewelry box now
had a new purpose and meaning. It held the cherished memories and story of its
owner and when it was given to my Grandma, Lizzie was not forgotten.
Its contents have changed over time. When my Grandma was in
her seventh decade of life she said it was time I owned the jewelry box. It was
a privilege and honor to have accepted it and when I opened it there was a
single gold bracelet staring at me. One day I will give this jewelry box to my daughter. I am not quite ready but when I do I will add
my own special piece for her to find.
This little jewelry box has a history. It tells the story
about a woman who died too young who had hopes and dreams. It tells the story
about the connection my Grandma felt to a woman she barely remembered and
always missed. It tells the story of farm life in the early twentieth century
and about the horrific flu epidemic that plagued Nebraska and the world.
Our ancestor’s stories take us back in time and allow us to
be a part of our history. The family treasures’ that were important enough to
be passed down thru the generations give personality to our ancestors and offer
us a glimpse into the communities they lived in. We have a lot of stories waiting
to be told. We have it in our homes and on our shelves and in the oral history
that was repeated through the generations. We should not overlook this part of
our history. It tells our story.
There are some things we are not able to part with such as
my great grandmother’s jewelry box but I can write a short story and attach a
picture so that her story can be told. We can leave written records and label old
photos for our future generations. We can share our story or family history
with historical or genealogical societies. We can preserve our grandmothers wedding dress
or loan it to a museum collection. We can donate the old box of letters or the contents
found in the old attic trunk. We can share the history of our towns and our
beautiful land. There are many ways in which I can share my ancestor’s stories
and preserve our history.
Our stories matter. History is about people and the
communities they lived in. In taking the
time to record and share our history we leave something valuable behind for the
generations that will follow us. Our stories are tomorrow’s history.
Kathy Haley Buhrman
