why is this old stuff important?
There are many items that have been passed down, from generation to generation on my dads side of the family. My Uncle Hugh and Aunt Crystal have all of these family heirlooms, but will be passed down to me.
One very treasured item, that has no value but is priceless to my family, is a World War 1 framed poster given to my great grandfather for his service in the 351 St. Heavy Field Artillery. My great-grandfather William Shepard Rickmond joined the service February 28th 1918, in Pittsburgh, PA. The framed poster has a beautiful photograph of a American flag, bald eagle and even has a small war scene. There also is a photograph of my great-grandfather and a quoted signature from President Woodrow Wilson.
Not only does my family have treasured items, we also have artifacts that have been past down. There’s money orders from 1852, stock bonds from 1867, and even love letters exchanged between my great-grandparents. My family has an “Over There” flag from World War 1 with two stars on it. The stars represented how many family members were fighting for our country.
Holding a treasured item gives you memories and great thoughts about your family. I think about what my family went through during these times and if my family didn’t have any of these items we wouldn’t know the history of our family. We wouldn’t know who our great-grandparents and we wouldn’t know what our family did or who we even were 100 years ago.
