Gallery

Portales, New Mexico

This purse was given to my great-grandmother on my mother's side when she was "keeping company" with my great-grandfather. They were married in 1921, so this would have been made probably in the late nineteen-teens. My mother was given this purse by my grandmother, who was given it by my great-grandmother. It is an heirloom that each of the women in my family has cared for for a century.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Every day that it is someone in my family's birthday, we read, "Happy Birthday To You!" By Dr. Seuss. I chose this because it represents a tradition that we have because we don't just read it on someone's birthday, we quote from the book sometimes. That is why I chose the Birthday Book as my item.

Norman, Oklahoma

The rocker was made by my paternal great grand father who learned wood working at Haskell.  The seat was recovered by my paternal grand mother who worked as an upholsterer at Forbes Field in Topeka.  My dad had it re-caned.  I had it refinished (sorry Antiques Roadshow-it was gross).  It is a nice multi-generation connection to my dad’s family.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Two of my great aunts, my grandfather,  and my dad all worked for The Overhead Door Company in OKC in the early years of the company. I know that these were made from a tension spring for an overhead garage door but I don't know how they ended up on my grandfather's desk. My parents got them when he passed gave them to me a couple of years ago when my folks sold their farm and moved into town.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I visited my grandparents on the farm in Marshfield, Missouri every summer. My other cousins lived there and my grandmother always had the candy dish filled. I would go play with my cousins in the creek. I have fond memories of these summers and my grandparents that the candy dish reminds me of.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

This was a chair I had as a child in the 1930s, and many of my grandchildren have also used this chair and we have many family photos of the kids in it.

Alva, Oklahoma

It's my great grandma Sweet's.  She lived in a shack with no electricity nor running water in the 1890's.

Caddo, Oklahoma

When I was a little girl, my Italian Granny let me get dolled up using her jewelry. I wore every piece (all at once) and had so much fun! This bracelet was gifted to me when she passed away.

Norman, Oklahoma

This was made by my great grandmother. She was a master crafter and made many fabric projects including afghans, doilies, slippers, macrame, etc. Plus, her favorite colors were green and pink! Though I never met her, I feel connection to her through the many crafted objects I have that she made. I taught myself to crochet to feel connected to the family that also engaged in similar acts, so this afghan is very special and shows my family history, their values, and hobbies!

Norman, Oklahoma

This handmade crocheted doily was made by my great-grandmother. It was given to me by my grandmother before she passed away and is important to me for reasons: 1) it represents a skill that my grandmother taught me and reminds me of times we used to crochet and knit together; 2) it reminds me of my heritage as half-Australian, as the doily was brought over from the country when my grandparents migrated to the US; and 3) it represents a link to all the women on my father's side of the family, as each generation, from mine, to my aunt, to my grandmother, and, at least to my great-grandmother, have all learned to crochet and knit.

Norman, Oklahoma

I bought the belt buckle for my dad as a birthday gift in the final year of his life.  We all knew then that he had cancer and it would eventually cause his death.  I picked the buckle because I wanted to convey that I thought he would be around long enough to wear and enjoy it, and this buckle specifically because it captured his love of the West and "cowboy culture."  The "P" is the first letter of dad's last name.

Lexington, Kentucky

My maternal grandfather worked for nearly 50 years as a conductor on the Pennsylvania Railroad. He would get the train in Wilmington, Delaware, and worked the New York City to Washington D.C. route. I believe it was the only job he ever had. He would have started with the railroad as a young man in the 1910s.

Even today this is a very busy commuter train corridor. In my 20s and 30s, my parents would drive me from southern Delaware up to Wilmington to take the train to visit my in-laws, who lived outside of New York City. I got on the train at the very same train station as my grandfather.
 
After my parents died, my sister and I were cleaning out our childhood home, and we came across my grandfather’s railroad lantern. It seemed appropriate that I would be the one to take it. I have always liked the Pennsylvania Railroad company’s logo - it is embossed on the lantern’s metal frame. And, I love riding trains - it’s a very civilized way to travel, in my opinion.

I did a little research on my grandfather’s lantern, because someday I will give it to the son of a friend of mine who has always been in love with trains. He will appreciate owning a piece of railroad history, I think.
 
My grandfather’s lantern is a Dressel short globe lantern. It has a metal frame and a red glass fresnel globe. Its fuel was kerosene. The wick is still intact. Because the light from kerosene lanterns was so good, railroad conductors use these lanterns long after battery-powered lanterns were made. Since the lantern is in such good shape, I wonder how often or how long my grandfather used it before he retired.

Drexel lanterns had a unique spring that made them easy to open up and get inside the globe to dress the wick and keep the globe clean. The company was granted a patent for this spring in 1939. A fresnel globe has ridges. They intensified the light, something particularly important for safety in a railroad yard.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

When I was a junior in High School I had a penpal from London, England. She was my age and went to school in England. Part of the penpal project was sending each other things from our home countries, to learn about each others' homes. She sent me these blue porcelain clip-on earrings and a booklet from Queen Elizabeth II's coronation that year. Looking through this booklet is interesting because of all the information about the coronation and all the advertisements of the time.

Norman, Oklahoma

This is an ash longbow, about 72 inches long with a 30 lb draw. Before archery was an Olympic sport or a hunting past-time, for centuries the longbow belonged to peasants. It was not only a tool for providing providing food, it was a weapon of subversion, whether one took to the forests as an outlaw or poaching extra protein for your family from the king's forest. The longbow only truly became an English icon after the Battle of Agincourt, where it then became more fashionable for the nobility to practice archery, especially among noblewomen. My family was probably never from the nobility; as far back as my grandmother could trace, her family have been preachers and farmers. But odds are at least one of my ancestors probably bent a bow or two, either for their kin or their king.

Norman, Oklahoma

Many of the plants in my garden are from my parent's gardens in Michigan, and before they arrived in Michigan, some grew in my grandmother's and great grandmother's gardens in Canada.

Moore, Oklahoma

This ring belonged to my grandfather's aunt, whom I did not know well. My grandparents watched over her in the last years of her life, as her memory began to fail and she had to move to an assisted living facility. My grandpa made sure his aunt did not spend her last years alone, and spending time with her was a normal part of his routine. This ring was among the things she left for my grandpa. Before her passing, he asked for her permission to give it to his granddaughter, unbeknownst to me, and she gave him her blessing. My grandparents then surprised me with the ring as a gift for graduating from high school. For me, this ring represents my grandparents (especially my grandpa) and the huge role they have played in my life. I hope to be able to pass it on to a grandchild of my own someday.

Versailles, France

I started playing chess on this set with my father when I was about 7 years old. At the time he promised me that he would give me the 7.50 euros per game that I won- for a 7 year old that was a big motivator! That condition remained in place until I was 15 when my winning games became more regular. We're still playing chess on this set. Chess reminds me of the strategy that my father has passed to me, and that perhaps I'll be able to pass to my children.

Norman, Oklahoma

My Under Armour running shoe is unconventionally connected to my heritage. I am an avid running, competing since grade school. I was a natural born running athlete and highly competitive, driving to always be the first to cross the finish line. In grade school and junior high I ran with the boys because there was no organized girls team. I always wondered where this drive and passion came from. It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I found my answer while interviewing my 97 year old maternal grandmother for our family history. Her maternal grandfather was named Fuerstenburg. In German, that means “First on the Mountain.” Listening to my grandmother’s stories about her farm life in Minnesota and what she could recall about her grandfather, I began to see that they too had the same competitive drive to be the best.

Lawton, Oklahoma

This Frankoma commemorative plate was my grandfather's on my mother's side. My grandfather was born and raised around the Eucha, Oklahoma area. He lived on land that had been allotted to his family during the Dawes Act and is still part of the family today. This plate is a reminder of my native heritage. It was in the home of my grandfather located near Zena, Oklahoma until about 1999. It was in storage with my father until I came to possess it around 2004.

Clemmons, North Carolina

This doll has been passed down through the women of the family to their daughters since my great grandmother. It connects me with my great grandmother, who was kind and thoughtful. She held this doll, as did my grandmother, my mother, and now me. I will pass it to my daughter and the tradition will continue, connecting the women of my family together.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

These were given to me by my grandmother, Loie, who I am named after.  She received them from her aunt, Loie, who she was named after. 

Maisons-Laffitte, France

This hat is representative of my Australian ancestry. It was regularly worn by my grandfather, born and raised in Australia, and is the same model of hat he wore when he lived there. The hat style is rather unique as the front brim of the hat is manipulated to point down. This hat in particular was purchased when he immigrated to the USA during the 1980s. I can only imagine he bought it as it deeply reminded him of home. In turn, it reminds me of him and my family history that extends across oceans.

West Haven, Utah

When I was in Primary (Elementary) School, in N.S.W., Australia, our teacher had a Nature Table in the classroom. One of the objects on the table was this seashell. It was poular with all the students, because we could put it up to our ear and "hear the ocean". At the end of the school year each student was allowed to choose an object from the nature table, and I was given first choice. I did not hesitate in choosing the seashell!
I have kept the shell with me for more than 60 years, and over those years, my children and grandchildren, (all born and raised in land locked Utah), have delighted in listening to the Pacific Ocean.
 I selected this item because it not only reminds me of a favorite teacher, but also of my childhood in a coastal Australian town.

Edmond, Oklahoma

After the death of my grandmother, my father came to visit me in Arizona. We were both very sad at her passing. We decided to travel to the Navajo and Hopi reservations to be led on a guided tour of Canyon de Chelly.  We both share a love of the desert Southwest and its Native American cultural history. We viewed the natural beauty, archaeological remains, petroglyphs, and the breathtaking views of the towering sandstone rock formations.  After our tour we traveled to the Hopi Three Mesas and stopped at a small shop.  My father bought a beautiful hand carved, cedar Hopi Chest. The chest resided with him for about 25 years.  About five years ago he gifted the Hopi Chest to me and I now proudly display it in my home. The chest is important to me because it represents a significant time in my family’s history and reminds me of a deep personal journey of spiritual healing spent with my father. 

Norman, Oklahoma

On 18 March 1951–two years before my dad was born—my grandma Betty, who was about 30 at the time, bought a cake pan specifically to make her lemon cake in. When My dad turned 30 he inherited the pan and says I will have the pan when I turn 30 in a few more years. This pan has been used for nearly 70 years just for my grandma’s lemon cake and nothing else. My family has used it so much the metal has worn smooth. Grandma’s lemon cake is pretty much a family favorite, so we make it for birthdays, holidays, and sometimes just because. The pan is still in pretty good shape so hopefully it will go on for another 70+ years of lemon cake baking.
The pan is important for sentimental reasons. It has three generations of memories and of providing a favorite treat that goes back to my paternal family’s days in Scotland and Ireland.

Bethany, Oklahoma

This letter was written by my great great grandfather in 1837. My family has always found it humorous, and I thought I would share this because it's circumstances may resonate with some OKPAN readers. In the letter, my ancestor pleads with his father for money to get through the college semester. He also appears to be ratting his older brother out on skipping school.

Transcription:

Philada Febry 7 1837
Dear Father,
I arrived here safe on Sunday evening. Since I arrived I find it absolutely necessary for you to send your letter, if you have not sent it already prepare a duplicate and send it without delay. I have seen Mr. Walsh, he agreed with you in every particular that is a about the $400. I told Mr. Stryker about what Thomas told me, he seemed to be surprised at Thomas not having made up his mind about coming as he told him that he would come, he had better come down at all events and if he cannot make arrangements for one year he probably can for 6 months. They however want to hear from him immediately. Don’t delay Dear Father in sending your letter as I want it immediately. I am so busy that I cannot spend more time to write you a longer letter. In haste Yours te<?>
Andrew J Knox

Clemmons, North Carolina

These coins are special to me because my father and I collected all kinds when I was young. He taught me to look for special coins, we even used to go to the bank and ask if they had any silver dollars (sometimes you'd get one)! These connect me and my father not only in our love for American coins but also for each other.

Norman, Oklahoma

The Maasai gourd is still used by the Maasai people of East Africa to store cow milk.  This particular gourd was made during the 1980s and still smells like the charcoal that was used create the gourd.  This charcoal smell is still very strong.  The smell is strongly reminiscent of the rural houses that the Maasai live in.  When we get homesick for Kenya, we will open up the gourd and take a sniff.  It smells like home. 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

This clock was purchased in 1894 at the Chicago World's Fair by Mammie and Pappy, my grandparents. As a small boy I took interest in this clock. My Grandmother always told me the clock would be mine someday. At one time I kept my rattlesnake rattles in the clock. (Just a little anecdote).

Purcell, Oklahoma

This is an IH McCormick Model A Farmall, built in 1945, and bought by my grandfather in 1950. At the time he was still living on my great-grandfather's farm, and my great-grandfather bought it and used it when my grandfather was drafted into the Army. When my grandfather came back to the farm after his time in the service, he bought it back, and eventually passed it down to my father. We have used this tractor on our own farm and in our garden almost every year. We have lived in the same general area in Oklahoma for at least four generations, and for my family, this Farmall represents our family legacy. It represents our connection to the land, hard work, and our efforts to not let history be forgotten.

Greeley, Colorado

This is a model of my familiy's cabin that is located on Wabatongushi Lake in Canada.  The cabin was built in 1947 and has been in my family for over 60 years.  Sadly, the condition had deteriorated to the point where building a new cabin was cheaper than repairing the existing structure and it was torn down in winter of 2015 in preparation for the new construction.  Knowing how much the cabin meant to my family, my Fiance's Grandfather built this model of the cabin and it will forever hold a special place in my heart for many reasons.  It will forever be a reminder of the wonderful memories I have of that cabin and it also represents a bond between my family and my Fiance's family that will never be broken.  It will also serve as a type of memorial for my Fiance's grandfather as he passed away during the summer of 2019 and this model is one of the last he completed before passing.  He was a wonderful person, and an amazing model builder, and welcomed me into the family with opens arms from the moment I met him.  His first sentence to me was "Do you like chocolate?".  To which I answered "Yes".  His response was "OK good.  I like you already."

Norman, Oklahoma

My grandfather saved a lot of tickets from the OU bowl games my family has gone to over the years. One of these is for the 2001 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the bowl game OU has been to more times than any other and where we won the National Championship that year. We've always been a football family, and my grandfather, mom, dad, both of my maternal aunts and uncles, and now me and three of my cousins have attended OU. I've been going to football games since I was very young and that was my first bowl game, when I was seven months old. We go to home games all season and frequently travel to bowl games, and many of my favorite family memories revolve around these trips.

Belchertown, Massachusetts

My grandfather painted this upon returning to the US from service In France during WWI. As a teenager, he survived trench warfare,  being gassed, and buried under a building that collapsed on him. While recovering from physical injuries, he was offered art classes to help heal emotional stress. I imagine it worked as I remember him being a calm, loving man with just the right amount of humor.  While he never pursued art in later years, his daughter (my mom) went to art school,  and now I have retired and taken up that tradition. I find that art has very much become a part of me and my connection to family who are no longer with me, but have left their legacy.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

We always had Boston Terrier Dogs as pets when I was a child and were a huge part of my family. My parents and I saw this iron dog in an antique store on one of our travels together and I just knew we had to have it. He is as much a part of our family as all of our living dogs!

Bristol, New Hampshire

When I was given this pewter plate, I was told that either my Great, or my Great-Great, grandfather took this plate with them when they went to fight in the Civil War.  Both of them fought in the war, so we are not sure who actually owned this plate.  Maybe they shared it!  This plate is important to me because it is a link to two relatives I have never meet.  And because I just love history.

Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

I was born and raised in Australia, but have lived in the United States for almost 40 years.  Because I work overseas, there is little I can carry which reminds me of my Australian origins.  However, I do keep a two bladed folding 'rabbit knife' I've had since I was aged 9.  

The knife is simple with no adornments and typical of the type of blade an Australian stockman (akin to a cowboy) would've used working on a station (ranch).  It's the kind of pocket knife my grandfather, who was a  stockman and sheep shearer in the Australian outback, would've carried.  It reminds me of him, where my family has been and where I grew up.   

The pocket knife bears the maker's name  - "F. Mosley & Co. Ltd. Sheffield England' on the small blade and 'Mosley Rabbit Knife' on the lead metal bolster.  My research on the maker suggests it is about 100 years old. 

Norman, Oklahoma

This is miniature replica Mesa Verde Black-on-white mug I made at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (Cortez, Colorado) in 1991. I was an Anglo-American fifth-grade student attending a week-long school program to learn about Pueblo Indian history and culture. Our activities included visiting ancestral Pueblo archaeological sites, learning how to excavate (in sand boxes), and analyzing artifacts and learning how material culture is made. This mug, which reflects my poor artistic skills, was one of the results. The handle has long broken off, but I have carried it with me for the past thirty years to remember when I was first inspired to be an archaeologist, particularly focusing on the American Southwest and Pueblo history.

West Haven, Utah

These sheep shears were made in Sheffield England, by the Burgon Ball  Company, who have been producing shears like this since 1730.
I purchased a brand new pair in the mid 80s after my wife and I acquired a small flock of sheep, and took a sheep shearing class at Utah State University. For many years, I sheared sheep with these shears, before graduating to mechanical shears.
I am also honored to perform traditional sheep shearing demonstrations at historic venues throughout the state of Utah.
This chosen vocation is worlds away from my "real job"  in Computer Technology and Distance Learning.
I chose the shears because I have always been intrigued by technology and particularly historic and primitive tools. At face value these shears appear to be a simple cutting device. But, by employing multi tempered, high carbon steel, combined with specialized beveled blades and spring technology, they are an extremely efficient wool cutting tool.

Setauket, New York

These drinking vessels (we assume wine jugs?) have been handed down from the Spanish side of our family for over a century. We chose them to share because it's fun to think about how we still use the same types of objects today (and for the same reasons) that we did a century or more ago. We're going to be breaking these out for Thanksgiving this year and passing them around! We don't know as much as we would like about these but maybe someone else will know more: that makes them worth sharing.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I've had Sweetie Pie since I was four or five years old and my previous doll was run over by my Daddy's truck. She is porcelain and has real, rooted hair and moveable eyes. I used to have a bed and mattress set for her, but her clothes are original.

Iowa City, Iowa

When my dad was a little boy, he went to Florida with my grandparents and bought a tiny metal treasure chest with his allowance. Over the years, he kept the toy and filled it with coins and seashells from different places he traveled to. When my sister and I were growing up, he would show us the contents and let us add coins from our vacations. The object may be silly, but it's a helpful reminder of where we've been and represents years of memories for my family.

Woodward, Oklahoma

This hat represents the local grocery in Woodville, Mississippi, where I helped excavate mound sites for two summers. The owner was always very kind to the archaeologists that lived temporarily near this town.

Norman, Oklahoma

My parents received this bell from a family of missionaries who were working in the area around Lake Turkana in Kenya during the 1980s.  At that time, my parents were missionaries in south-eastern Kenya working with the Taita people.  My parents rarely went into the northern half of Kenya during their time as missionaries and kept this camel bell as a memory of their trip to Lake Turkana. 

Singapore

My wok isn't an antique, but it is given to me by my mom and a daily reminder of my life and culture growing up in Sichuan Province, China, a region known  for its flavorful food.  I have vivid childhood memories of my grandfather and mother chopping vegetables and preparing ingredients to be dropped into the wok.  The sizzle of food cooking, the aroma of spices blending are sensory reminders of foods unique to my province.  

My love of Sichuan food is inextricably intertwined with memories of family and my life growing up in the land of my ancestors.

Norman, Oklahoma

This Rose has been in my family at least since the 1860s when my great great grandparents moved from Ohio to Bates County, Missouri. Since then members of the family have taken cuttings and planted them in their gardens all over the US. It’s an old fashioned briar rose and when it blooms in early spring it is a mound of golden yellow and smells heavenly.

Moore, Oklahoma

This rifle belonged to my great-great-grandfather, who was a homesteader in Douglas, Wyoming in the early 1900s. He used it to hunt on his 160 acres of land to provide for his family. For every elk he shot, he carved a notch into the rifle, 17 in total. The stock has a carving that says "Meat In The Pot 1916, Douglas, Wyo." The rifle itself is an 1895 .30 Army chambered in a .30-40 krag round. It was Winchester's first box magazine design. This rifle was passed down to me from my grandfather, and to me it represents my family's values of providing for one another.

Oklahoma

When I was in the 6th grade, my aunt showed this coin to me and said that if I could tell her what it was, I could have it. She told me that she had found the coin in the family garden in southern Illinois when she was a girl, probably between 1925-1930. I was captivated. I had never seen anything like it. The coin was the reason for one of my first trips to the town library. Research can begin on a very small scale. The Red book of American coins was the only available reference and to my disappointment, I could not find this coin. Back then, I knew that the person on the obverse must be a president or someone important, but what was the image on the back with lions and castles? It did not look particularly American and I had not yet heard of coats of arms. Prospects for identifying the coin were dim.
About a year later, the Vincennes (Indiana) newspaper had an article about some historical archaeologists from IU excavating at old Fort Sackville on the banks of the Wabash River. Among the grainy photos of excavated artifacts, was my coin! Or at least part of it. A two-bit piece, cut from an 8 real piece, had been found. There were photos of both the cut piece and the whole coin.
Although our town was small, we had a coin shop. With my new clues, I visited the coin shop and found a book that provided the information I needed to identify the coin. The coin dealer also showed me a well-worn one real coin that looked just like my coin, only smaller. For one dollar, I bought the coin and now I had a collection of two coins! From that brief article, I was able to find other sources that helped be identify the king, not the president, on the obverse and to translate the inscription on the reverse. I learned something about the castles and lions.
The coin itself isn’t very impressive. It is very worn on both sides and only part of the date is legible. There is a large crack through the head of the king. Someone drilled a hole in it from both sides. Someone told me that Indians often drilled coins from both sides and wore them around their necks.
The local coin dealer said my coin didn’t have any value but he was wrong. To me, it was the most amazing thing that I’d seen up to that time…and I was learning its secrets! There were questions to be answered. How did this coin from Mexico find its way to southern Illinois? Who made the hole? Who wore it? Why was it drilled so that the king would be looking up rather than having the perforation above the king’s head so that it would hang like a portrait? I learned how to read a coin.
That coin put me on the path that I follow today. I am still interested in coins, mainly of Mexican and Spanish colonial origins. My archaeological fieldwork took me to Mexico and I learned a lot about Mexico’s rich history as well as its prehistory.
I am still fascinated by the stories that objects tell. Perhaps that’s why most of my career has been in museums, places where stories are told about objects. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to do fieldwork in different parts of the world; Illinois, north and West Mexico, Guam, and the island of Yap in the western Pacific. I’ve studied human remains, ancient and modern in detail to document their demographics, their maladies, and sadly, to determine how they met untimely and sometimes terrible deaths. Working in museums all of this time, I’ve developed exhibits and programs, and written extensively about objects and what they mean. Maybe after all, I’m just a story teller who is excited about the challenge of unravelling the secrets of an object and telling others about it.