I can't resist a cabinet full of curiosities, or shelves full of oddities. Because my grandmother can't part with anything, especially anything "antique" or of value, her house has always been full of various yet to be discovered objects. Though heaven help anyone who searches, you'll have to dig through boxes of wasted time in order to find the interesting needle in the haystack.
As a child this provided hours of entertainment. I went through a good mountain of post-it notes labeling my name on the contents of grandma's house.
There is one specific cabinet, now in her office, which as a child she always prohibited me from exploring. It's mostly full of office supplies now (heaven knows what happened 90% of the contents) and she has a second sense for anyone going through anything. A constant state of alert that her children might be "cleaning out" things she needs. When I found myself alone for a significant chunk of time with the cabinet I decided the more interesting contents which remain needed some documenting. At least if things now get lost in the rubble, or packed off to some secret storage unit - I will know they did at least at one point exist. I have only vague memories of some items, now gone - including a set of photographs of my great-great-grandmother in Germany at the turn of the century which have apparently been moved to a "safer" location. Mom, any ideas where?
Locked without a key. Frustrating!
Velvet autograph book with metal accents.
Love this.
Inside.
In lovely hand:
To My Friends,
Write but a name, a word or two,
That memory may revert to you.
Sincerely Yours,
Cora Lantz
Who I only know as "Cocie" - pronounced "Co-key" - I know you were wondering.
Love this little "Down on the Farm" sketch.
Inscription: When in this book you chance to look, Just think of me and close the book.
(Dated April 18, 1892)
Another autograph book.
Love this print.
Friend Rose,
When distant hills divide us And you no more I see Remember that ??? W.C.B who wrote these lines to you.
Truly Your Friend,
W. C. Black
Stevens Point July 9th / 89
The tome below is an interesting case of multiple ownership.
Inscription:
This is the property of Ms Christenah Lantz - Written this 18th day of January 1837 - by her son John D Lantz.
On the opposite page:
This would be that same Cora (Cocie) from the first autograph book, née Lantz.
Also note - this is book no. 352
So far we have:
Christenah Lantz - 1837 (Guessing Christina, née Maphis)
Mrs. Geo. W. Giede (b 1875, d. 1956)
Pfalmen Davids (1814)
Here is where the provenance gets interesting.
Because, if you recall
this piece of art, my Nana (whose hand I'm guessing this is) isn't the most accurate in her.
She writes:
To Patsy (my grandma)
Psalmter belonged to Anna Hosteller Wissler 1829 (Mother of Elizabeth Henrietta Wissler Myers-Lantz) and daughter of Bishop Jacob Hostetter of the Mennonite Church and wife of Christian Wissler. (Your Great Great Grandmother).
First off the only Mennonite Bishop I could find names Jacob Hostetter died long before Anna was born. And I have no idea where the 1829 came from since the opposite page clearly shows that in 1837 John Lantz was writing in the book.
Cora is the daughter of Elizabeth Henrietta Wissler Myers Lantz, so I'm curious how the book belonged both to her father's mother or grandmother (Christina
Lantz ) and her mother's mother (Anna Wissler).
My vote would clearly be for this book to have clearly come from the Lantz family and not the Hosteller-Wissler side...except, in faded ink at the back of the book I found this,
Anna Wissler (written 3 times) Is my name
I'd draw a diagram to figure out how the little book transferred in-laws, and make some conjectures, but I have given up on the pages giving me the answer and honestly it makes my head swim keeping the names straight.
