Malinda Jane Belcher (1858-1933) was my 2nd great grandmother on my mother’s side. I don’t have the full Bible, but rather just the internal family history pages. They are in very poor shape, with tears, holes, bleeding ink and cellophane tape obscuring much of the pertinent detail. I would assume professional archivists would be able to piece the sections together to create more complete images, but it was very difficult to manipulate these artifacts on my consumer grade flatbed scanner. There are many small folds and edges that were difficult to flatten and position simultaneously, and several pieces fell apart complete even with my very careful handling. Continue reading “Bible of Malinda Jane Belcher”
Category: Artifact
Bible of Anna V. Atchley Bryan
Anna V. Atchley (1854-1943, known as “Annie”) married Albert Bryan (1854-1926) on 25 January 1888 in Port Murray, New Jersey. Annie and Albert are my husband’s great-grandparents.
This Bible was a gift from her father-in-law, George Mitchell Bryan (1820-1914) and handed down through the family. The traditional center pages used to document family lines are in excellent condition, with very vivid colors. The calligraphic handwriting is beautiful. I have not done any cleanup on these photos (not much needed); you can click on each of them to see a larger version. Continue reading “Bible of Anna V. Atchley Bryan”
Rigg Water Pitcher
This 19th century water pitcher is one of the more interesting of our family artifacts to survive to the 21st century. It appears to be made of clay; it weighs 10 pounds on the nose and is about 13 inches tall. It originates from the Rigg family in Kanawha Falls, and was also used by the Farley family. It came to my great-grandfather, Frederick Lee Farley (1879-1945) who passed it down to his son (Willis Hite Farley); it made its way to my father and is now in my care.
It seems extremely sturdy to be at least 130-150 (or more?) years old but we still treat it tenderly. It’s a wonderful example of the blend of art and craft, and I imagine it gave pleasure as an item to have for every day use. Continue reading “Rigg Water Pitcher”
Death of Lowell Sedgwick Brown
Lowell Sedgwick Brown was born 29 October 1896 in Morris County, New Jersey. His sister, Mazie Tremaine Brown Bryan, was my husband’s great-grandmother. I have not heard any family stories about Lowell, so what is pieced together here is only from government and personal documents. He died in the Second Battle of the Marne in France on 18 July 1918. He lived a short 21 ½ years.
Awkward Family Photo
Is this not the scariest picture of relatives you have ever seen? The mean woman who looks like she would eat you for lunch, the old woman whose hand is turned up in a secret “save me” signal. The man kidnapping the baby! And the mustachioed man calmly ignoring the madness around him. Continue reading “Awkward Family Photo”