Thursday, March 16, 2017

Treasure Chest Thursday~Gilbert's Bowl

It's interesting what people will save and what they will throw away.
When my grandmother married my step-grandfather she felt she needed to get rid of many of my grandfather's belongings. 
She even threw away the letters he sent her while serving in the Marines during WWII before his death in 1944. 
She felt she needed to give her all to a new marriage and leave the past behind.
So, it came as a surprise when I learned about a bowl when cleaning out her home in preparation for selling after her death.

Gilbert's Bowl
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Luckily, my mother knew the story behind this simple yellow bowl. Her father, my grandfather would eat from it.
Grandmom would never let my mom or her brother use it for fear of them breaking it.


Gilbert Ernest Roberts (1920-1944)
©Cheri Hudson Passey
Why out of all the things once a part of his life, did she choose to save the bowl? 
It's too late to ask her and she never told me about it the many times I questioned her about my grandfather, his life, and their short marriage. 
Azile and Gilbert
About 1939
©Cheri Hudson Passey
Perhaps a simple bowl kept in the cupboard could provide her with memories in a subtle way. 
Who would ever guess that she was thinking of him and the life they shared as she saw it there.

What do you have that an ancestor once used? 
Have you written the story for generations to come?

I would love to hear from you.
Thanks so much for stopping by!


Helping you climb your family tree.



6 comments:

  1. Love this post. There are so many odd things that I keep because my parents did. I wonder, did they mean to throw it out or was it treasured. I'll never know.

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    1. Thanks, Laura. I am so glad my Mom knew some of the story behind it. It may have been tossed otherwise.

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  2. Cheri, could it be that her second husband did not want reminders of the first husband around the house? A letter clearly came from your grandfather but the bowl could have belonged to anyone.

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    1. Her second husband was a kind and generous man. She married him a decade after Gilbert's death. I could be wrong, but I think it was her decision. Thanks, Colleen!

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    2. No need to apologize! It's hard to really know why our ancestors did anything! I appreciate your thoughts!

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