This old gentleman was my husband's maternal grandfather. (Isn't JR adorable?)
JR's Granddaddy Bill was quite a character.
He was raised (or at least spent some time) in this house north of Toronto in about the 1870-1880s.
He was many many things.
He trained to be a pharmacist in Canada then immigrated the U.S. in his 20s.
He farmed a bit in Montana
He owned a drug store there also.
During the Great Depression he would trade products in his store for whatever services the people had to offer.
According to my MIL he would bring home men (mostly) for lunch without telling his wife. They would feed them then put them to work for the day. I have hundreds of photos from that time period because of a lot of down on their luck photographers came to his store for supplies. (she usually wasn't pleased. Not because she had to feed them but because then she would have to have her picture taken without dressing up first. I know this because I asked my MIL why her mother always looked a little put out).
He was also a Wildcatter.He bought hundreds of shares of oil stocks from 1918 to 1927.
The last coupon clipped out of these stocks was September 1928.
Now they are only lovely reminders of him.
We also think that they are beautiful in their own ornate way.
So I guess they are worth something after all.
Love,
M
M
Wow. Those are incredible. It must be amazing to have so many mementos from previous generations.
ReplyDeleteI agree, JR IS adorable. Those keepsakes are great, you're so lucky to have them! My mom has some similar items from my great grandparent's farm, including hand-written livestock inventory (complete with hand-drawn pictures) and other great things.
ReplyDeleteThose are definitely worth something. What great reminders of family history.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed of all the goods your ancestors saved over the years.
ReplyDeleteDid you frame the certificates? That would be cool decor.
You are so lucky to have those pictures and artifacts.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post.
PHST: I'm very blessed. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I post a lot of old postcards & memorabilia.
ReplyDeleteMichelle: It is wonderful to have so many mementos. Great for my kids also.
ReplyDeleteCasey: Doesn't JR's hair remind you of someone. That's right Graham.
K: Aren't they cool?
Kath: JR's family were pack rats. You know me, I put everything on the walls.
You are a girl after my own interets. If I ever would get my collection of genealogical stuff together .....
ReplyDeleteOh well...Thank you for this neat step back into the past.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/
I would frame those suckers! They're beautiful! I love mementos from the past.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, where are you storing all this stuff and why have I never seen it!? You have to pull all this stuff out and show it to me and tell me all the stories behind them. Or is this just a ploy to make sure I read your blog regularly?
ReplyDelete-DIL
CCG: I plan to frame them in the future. Aren't they cool?
ReplyDeleteVal: I'm torturing you of course.
Those are awesome! My dad loves that kind of stuff. He bitches about my grandma and her hoarding, but he was over the moon when she found a receipt for the first car my grandpa ever bought.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post. Thanks so much for sharing your family memories. I think your great-grandfather-in-law would be proud!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos--my brother recently scanned and digitized some of our old family photos and emailed them to me.
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