Going back to where it all began . . .

Time has a way of making us forget when, where, who and why. Nevertheless, remembering at least a little of the memory is a good thing. Such was the time I first visited Reynolda House Museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

 I think it was about 20 years ago since I first set my sights on what would become our Family Museum. On page 9 of my book Create a Family Museum and Save Your History, the story is told with pictures. When there was an opportunity to go back to see the house museum, we; my daughter, husband and I, went back, though this was the first time for my husband.

It was a cold day in February and the museum was not crowded. I had made arrangements ahead of our visit to let them know that I was coming to tour Reynolda House and was very excited to visit the Attic in particular. When we arrived we were greeted by a docent and after a short talk, showed us the way to the house for a self-guided tour.  This was good since all three of us are house museum enthusiasts.

Little had changed in the house since we were last there. When we did it was with a large group touring the house and we did not get to see everything. But we remembered and were thrilled to see it again. My husband, being a master carpenter, was very impressed with the architectural edifices.

I was anxious to get to the attic and when I saw the tight twisted stairs going to the attic, I was thrilled. I actually didn’t remember the stairway and wondered how all of us on the tour made it up  there. Once we got up to the attic, I just stared at the displays. I did not remember how large the space was, so I was doubly thrilled.  

We first went into a smaller space that was dedicated to the Reynold’s Family children, circa 1910-1949. The preserved collection of toys, clothes and photographs were outstanding.  


Then we went into the larger room, we looked into every glassed-in display at some of the most beautiful and exquisite clothing that survived over the years. 

 Most of the apparel belonged to Katherine Reynolds and her two daughters. Additional suits, coats, military uniforms and accessories belonged to R.J. Reynolds and others. Here are some pictures from the collections.

Taking a rest, we sat on a whimsical circular sofa circa 19^th century. As we did, I pondered on how my visit 20 years ago impressed me so much that not only did I created our own Family Museum, wrote a blog and a book on how to create a Family Museum.
 https://heritagebooks.com/collections/recent-publications


Life is full of surprises and Reynolda House was one of the best. http://reynoldahouse.org/

 

So start your Family Museum today. If the Reynold's Family and my family can, you can too!

 

 

30 Years of Collections . . . and still growing!

Today is my son, Charlie’s, 30^th birthday. In celebrating him and his accomplishments, here is the story about his side of The Children’s Museum.

Charlie's shelves are loaded with all sorts of things. Baby sneakers, music boxes (he fell asleep to many a tinkling tune), endearing bronzes of his hand and foot (remember bronze baby shoes? They're gaining newfound nostalgia fueled by social media). Sesame Street dish & cup, statues & his baby blanket and stuffed animals.  Bunny reigns!

 

 

 

His fascination with trains was overwhelming. I think every boy and girl plays with trains. Depending on the level of interest, a collection of trains can be, like it did for Charlie, take over his bedroom, down the hall, and under the tables.

He loved Thomas the Tank Trains and Brio. There were never enough Brio tracks, especially the curved ones. Eventually, there were too many trains, so he donated some of them to “Toys for Tots.

After the trains came the blimps, then submarines, followed by WWII destroyers and aircraft carriers. From there his interest turned to cruise ships, with an insatiable interest in the Titanic. There are models and drawings of ships, and literally tons of books on sea-going vessels and novels.

Charlie became so scholarly on the Titanic that he tried out for a part in the traveling production of TITANIC, The Play. He didn’t get the part but because of his knowledge, the producer asked him to become the dramaturge, which is like a playwright. Charlie loved being on stage and appeared in many local productions. His favorite play was Oliver, because he played multiple roles.  

Cub Scout memorabilia, especially Derby cars, are displayed with pride, as is his many bowling trophies. Charlie loves adding things and soon he is going to need a museum of his own.

 

 

Charlie was home schooled from the fourth grade through high school. Everyone in the family was his teacher; Papa did science and math, his sister Tiffeni taught English and history, and Mom taught art appreciation and filled in when needed. We all had a blast and Charlie kept a large

scrapbook of his work. Because of its size, it is stored behind the curtain on a shelf, along with more drawings, projects and precious memories of his school days.

And today he will receive birthday presents of all kinds and it is certain that eventually some of them will go into his museum. His collections give him a sense of pride and shows not only him, but family members and friends, the learning journey he has traveled, the paths he has taken as he mastered the subjects that interested him . . . a virtual resume.  

This is the reason our Family Museum exists: to keep, display, protect the many things that have and continue to part of our life, our heritage.                                                                      Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Ready for the New Year? I am . . .

 . . . Because when something is new, you feel embolden to give it your best shot. That is what this New Year is going to be for me, giving it all I got to blog about the many reasons why everyone should have a Family Museum in their home and other places.  

There are many topics and stories I will share with you in hopes that they will inspire you to save your heritage for yourself and your family and all the generations that will follow. As I mentioned before, I am writing a book on my blog and with diligence and patience, it will be available as soon as possible.

And now that all the gifts have been opened, put in their proper places, don’t forget to put something of this Christmas and holiday season into your museum, wherever it is located or what it is in. If you need to put it away for later, that’s fine, but don’t forget about it. Jot down on your calendar what and where you saved it, so when you are ready to display it, it will be at your fingertips.

Life moves so fast sometimes, memories can become blurred like the scenery outside the car window as you speed along the highway. When you have to stop, do not look down at your phone, radio or any other thing that distracts you from looking out the window. Take that moment to take in the sight before you, taking a deep breath, stretching your arms and hands, and mostly your eyes, for there are so many things that we don’t see that need to be seen. So as you wait for the light to switch or take your turn at the stop sign, just look around.

As a gesture of appreciate and encouragement, I offer this, one of my most favorite songs that heartens you to look around. These words and melody always made me feel good and that is what I wish you to feel. So take this moment to listen and look around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dkaOldegIo

Written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Sergio Mendes, Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. Spirit Music Group.

 

And what a great year this will be.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Goesel

Family Museum Curator

Collecting vs. Saving: Archiving Family Keepsakes

Here’s that word again . . . Organization. But instead of focusing on the physical aspect of organizing, let’s turn our efforts to quantifying, i.e.: purpose, vision, itemizing, detailing, cataloging, and then creating.
 
Objectives: the reasons you want to archive your family keepsakes. What is your motivation? Is there validation in your intention? The catalyst can be a simple incentive, such as saving that antique meat grinder of her grandmother’s. Or your father’s cigar box. Sit down and have a talk with yourself and then share your thoughts with your family. Saving should be fun and not burdensome. Give it, yourself and your family time.

The Plan: Architects and designers start out with a vision. What’s yours? Here is a chance to get back to basics by actually taking pencil, paper and a ruler in hand and draw out how you envision your archival space. Sketch an image. When my family decided to create our Family Museum, I sat down and drew a picture, measuring the available space along the way. Ask the family for their ideas, how they see it. Make this a family affair.

Documenting: Start by taking a photograph of each heirloom. Record which relative owned the object and tell the object’s story. What is it? Who owned it? And why is it important to the family? Place photographs in boxes, a box for each person. Once the boxes are filled and others are needed, do so. Once the photographs are in their proper box, organize each box, starting with dates, and if no dates are found, give a good guesstimate. There are many photo-journaling sites that have a variety of online tutorials and products that offer guidance on how to document photographs. Visit this site and you might recognize a familiar link.  https://www.mycanvas.com/ 

NOTE: A post from 04/2014, I wrote about making Memory Boxes for each family member. During our lifetimes, we accumulate many little things that mean a lot and instead of stashing them in a non-descript box, make a Memory Box. Fill it with all those odd-ball things and as the post said, give it as a present. You will be surprised at how thrilled the owner of those things are and glad that you took the time and thought to save it for them. Hopefully, they will take it from there.   http://howtocreateafamilymuseum.blogspot.com/2014/04/thanks-for-memories.html

This is also the best time to create an inventory. Look at it this way – you are organizing the future. History as taught us that if it were not for the physical inventories taken by households from the past, diligently logged into and recorded in both small and large books for posterity, how would our descendants know what we had. They wouldn’t.
Also, this is a good time to make vocal recordings. Voice is magic. Document it! http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/getting-the-word

Separating: Here comes the piles! Stacks and heaps of paper, however, don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill. All of these physical records can be organized, a little at a time. The importance of the papers should be considered first. What kind are they? Property Deeds, Wills, Certificates. Get file folders, title each one and put the corresponding documents in that folder.
Once this is finished, digitize the paper documents. Check this site for help. http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/ 

Objective/þ, Your Plan/þ, Documenting/þ, Inventory/þ, Recordings/þ, Separating/Digitizing/þ. Now you are ready to create your Family Museum. Check out this post: http://howtocreateafamilymuseum.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-to-build-family-museum-building.html on building materials. Then read this post on where there is space: http://howtocreateafamilymuseum.blogspot.com/2014/03/where-there-is-space-in-your-home.html 

As you peruse these and other posts, many of your questions will be answered. The purpose, the rationale, the function and the intent should be foremost in your mind: your Family Museum is where to . . .
"Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future."  Quote by: Mattie Stepanek 

In the Merry Month of May

 

The month of May is one month full of fanciful events. Mother’s Day, Holy Communions and High School Proms. Each one of these celebrations produces items of remembrance that hopefully are kept and cherished over the years.  And these special things should be displayed and protected in your Family Museum.

 

Let’s start out with Holy Communions.
As this is a Catholic ceremony, so for all blog readers who are not of this persuasion or have interest in this ritual, it still may offer some edifying entertainment for you, especially the fashion aspect, because, believe you me, there is much ado about preparing for this Holy Day for both the little girls and guys.

I made my Communion when I was 8 years old. The ceremony was held at the Sacred Heart Church in Chicago. I can’t remember how many of us marched down that long aisle, but I do remember my dress and shoes. They were both borrowed from a cousin who was several sizes larger then me both in dress and shoes. I think the veil was new. I also received a little white purse, my own prayer book and rosary beads.  What I do remember more than anything was the party afterwards. All the Italian relatives came and they all ate, drank and sang to their hearts content. This picture of me proudly standing in the living room is a testimony to keeping the family heirlooms: I still have the piano, the vase sitting on top of the piano, the picture hanging on the wall, and even the chair. Gracious! Time sure flies.

My daughter Tiffeni wore this beautiful Communion dress hand-made by her aunt. She look very angelic and as proud as could be, marching down the aisle of the St. Mary’s Church in Mokena, Illinois. Afterwards, as tradition goes, a fine party was held in her honor with of course all the Italian relatives on my side (the ones that were still living) and a few Lithuanian’s from my father’s side. And family and friends from her father’s Norwegian/Germany side.  Great party!

Next came my son Charlie’s Holy Communion, celebrated at St. Bead’s Church in Williamsburg, VA.  He wore a traditional navy blue blazer and white shirt with a white tie. A tie clip adorn the tie.  His pants were white, but not for long. After the ceremony, he received a candle, prayer book and the little statue decorated his cake.

Again a large party with family and friends. Charlie said he didn’t remember much of that day, however, all the saving bonds he received went to buying his first dog, Sophie. Now that’s special!       
Mother's Day is next!