Treasure Chest Thursday: Preston J. & Vella Duncan Stogner 50th Wedding Anniversary Photo

Preston Jefferson Stogner and Vella Duncan were united in marriage on 29 January 1921 in Walthall County, Mississippi.   They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with their children in 1971.  In the above photo, they are seated with daughter Eddie Rea.  Their sons, shown on the back row, are (left to right)- Clyde, Alton, James, Felder and Jefferson Preston "J.P."  This lovely family photo was contributed by Mrs. Artherine Mullins Stogner.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Granny's Biscuit Bowl

Wooden biscuit bowls, also called dough bowls, were a standard household accessory in the kitchens of our ancestors.  Most often these hand-carved bowls were used for nothing but biscuits.  I inherited this one from my mother.  She said it originally belonged to her grandmother and it was passed down to her mother.  I feel so blessed to have this precious heirloom as part of my family collection!  It is probably close to a century old, if not more.  I'm curious about the type of wood it was carved from- it is a soft, velvety wood, or has it become soft from aging?  I would like to one day take it to an antique expert and get more information on it.  I can just "picture" my great grandma standing in her kitchen with her hands in this bowl, turning and kneading dough for homemade biscuits- there's just no telling how many biscuits took form in this old wooden bowl.

Treasure Chest Thursday: A Mother's Love Statue

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother"

~ Abraham Lincoln ~

This beautiful treasure was a Mother's Day gift from my parents to my grandmother, Susie Johnson.  It was given to her in the early 1970's.  After Granny passed away, Mom regained possession of it and kept it on display, usually in her bedroom.  I had always told Mom that if something ever happened to her, I wanted the statue.  I was granted my wish.  I don't know why I was always fond of this piece.  Maybe because it reminds me of the tenderness between a mother and her young children and the bond between them.  I now have this nearly 40 year old statue displayed in my bedroom.  

Treasure Chest Thursday: Mom's Antique Italian Vase

I have an antique porcelain Italian vase which was given to me by my mother several years ago.  She acquired it at a flea market while we were living on the westbank of New Orleans.  For many years, the vase had its place in my parents' formal living room.  There is a story behind this vase, one that I'm sure my brother Tony still remembers.

The year was probably 1974 or 1975.  We were living in Marrero, Louisiana at the time and we were about to make to trip to Mississippi to visit relatives.  My siblings and I sat in the car, waiting for Mom who had gone back into the house to quickly grab something she had forgotten.  We could tell when she exited the house that she was angry.  She stormed toward the car and began interrogating us.  She wanted to know how her vase got broken and who did it.  Of course, every one of us proclaimed our innocence in the crime.  Examining our faces, she sought for clues as to which one of us was lying.  It didn't take long for her to figure out it was my youngest brother Tony (the culprit of many mischievous acts at our house).  

She then flung open the back door of the car and pulled Tony out, demanding an explanation from him.  His story was that he and his friend Trey were playing marbles in the hall and one of the marbles rolled into the living room and while trying to get the marble out from under the chest the vase was on, Trey knocked the vase over and it broke.  He didn't know how to fix the vase so he just propped it back on its base.  

Mom then marched Tony back inside the house.  The rest of us got out of the car and waited on the curb in silence.  Mom rarely spanked us and when she did, it was usually a few taps with her house slipper.  For reasons unknown, she usually left the spanking up to Dad.  When Mom and Tony returned to the car, we loaded up and left for our trip.  We sat in silence most of the way.  We didn't want to push our luck because we knew Mom was already angry.  Tony got his butt whipped that day, not because the vase got broken but because he lied about it.  

This little story has been cause for laughter at some of our family gatherings in the past.  To hear Tony tell the story, Mom didn't even ask any questions.  When she realized her vase was broken, she knew immediately that Tony was the guilty one because he was blamed for everything.  She stormed out of the house, went to the car and  literally pulled him through a 2 inch opening in the car window then beat him nearly to death. One would just have to know my brother's comic expertise in telling such family stories- he can tell them with a dead on serious face while adding a lot of humorous sarcasm, sort of like Larry the Cable Guy.  

In any case, the vase was glued back in place and one would have to look at it very closely to even notice it had once been broken.  I have no clue as to it's material worth, but I wouldn't trade it for anything simply because of its sentimental value ;)

Treasure Chest Thursday: Charmed

Several years ago, I acquired a charm bracelet from my mother which, she stated, belonged to my Aunt Bertie Johnson.  The bracelet was made during World War II and the charms are symbolic of that period- hand grenade, soldier, missile, bullet, land mine, airplane, and U.S. military emblem.  

Mom stated that Aunt Bertie received the bracelet from a "boyfriend" who was stationed overseas during the war.  Since Aunt Bertie is no longer living, I can't inquire about the story behind the charm bracelet.  Was the "boyfriend" her future husband, James Moree, or was it someone else?  Mom didn't know.  I know very little about the man that married my Aunt Bertie.  He died when I was seven years old.  Maybe I can get more information from someone in the family at our reunion later this year.  

Treasure Chest Thursday: Quilted Memories

My brother Tony and his wife Dena gave me a special gift for Christmas 2008.  This was just after the first anniversary of our Mother's death.  I wrote about it in my personal blog that year.  I decided to share it here as well.  

Tony and Dena presented me with a very special Christmas gift... as I opened the box, I was nearly speechless. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this quilt. This is no ordinary quilt. This quilt was sewn from cotton pieces cut from my late Mother's "moo-moo's".

Mom stayed at home most of the time. Therefore, she dressed comfortably; she wore roomy cotton dresses which she called her "moo-moo's". Each year for Mother's Day or Christmas, I would buy Mom a moo-moo because I knew how much she enjoyed wearing them. Some of these cotton dresses were simple, yet a few were more dressy with weaved designs, embroidery or small rhinestones on the yoke. Since she rarely left her apartment, Mom would save the dressy ones to wear in public.

Weeks after Mom's death, Tony asked me to ship him some of Mom's moo-moo's. I sorted them out and chose one to keep to myself and gave one to my sister, then shipped the remaining ones to Tony. I placed the moo-moo I decided to keep in a clear plastic bag and tucked it away in a chest full of memoirs from Mom's life.

Tony delivered the box of Mom's dresses to a lady who designs memory quilts. He had quilts made for each of Mom's children and for Dad. What a loving and thoughtful gesture! As I opened the gift and unfolded the quilt, reflections of Mom were envisioned through my eyes. As I ran my fingers over the colorful squares of cotton, I remembered Mom wearing the various dresses. I remembered her favorite everyday moo-moo's were the green and blue plaid one and the rust colored one. I remembered she wore the black and gold paisley dress, or the black and white floral one when she went to town. The blue and white striped moo-moo was a sailor design with small sailing boats embroidered on the yoke.

I will treasure this memory quilt for the rest of my life. Thank you, Tony and Dena, for your thoughtful gift and for bringing back a part of Mom... through memories that will last a lifetime.

From my personal blog, originally written December 15, 2008

Treasure Chest Thursday: Photo of Thomas Edward Stogner & Susan Cordelia McCain

Thomas Edward Stogner was my great-great grandfather.  He married Susan Cordelia McCain on March 19, 1895 in Marion County, Mississippi.  They both died before I was born so I never had the opportunity to meet them.  Before I began my family research over 16 years ago, I didn't even know of their existence.  Grandpa or Grandma Stogner never spoke of their parents or grandparents.  I found out later in life there were several things they never spoke of, at least not in my presence.  I wish now that I would have had an interest in our genealogy while I was younger and my grandparents were still living.  I often wonder how many family stories I missed out on because I lacked interest in our history back then.  

I was thrilled when I met Artherine Stogner a few years ago.  She and I began a conversation about the Stogner family and she informed me that she had some photos I might be interested in.  I could barely wait to see them!  I drove out to Mrs. Stogner's home a few days later and together we shared tidbits of information about our Stogner family branches and browsed through old photo albums.  One would have to be a family researcher or genealogist to understand the intense excitement I felt when I laid eyes upon this old photo of Thomas & Cordelia Stogner.  Seeing the photo "brought life" to these ancestors that I never knew.  Until that point, I had only their names and dates in my database. Mrs. Stogner also had photos of some of the other children of Thomas and Cordelia Stogner.  She was generous enough to allow me to bring the photos home so I could scan and copy them.  I am grateful to have met her- I now have a few more pieces of family treasure.  

Recently, I've met another Stogner family member online- Bill Reagan.  He and I have exchanged information and photos as well.  I will be posting some of them in the future :)  

Treasure Chest Thursday: Photo of Minerva Warden

This is my FIRST post for Treasure Chest Thursday.  The idea came from visiting other genealogy blogs.  Several genea-bloggers write about specific topics on certain days of the week.  I think it's a wonderful and creative idea!  Now, on to today's treasure from The Treasure Chest:

Several years ago my Mom had given me an old pair of eyeglasses that belonged to her mother.  The eyeglasses laid upon a cotton swatch inside a small white box.  One day I opened the box to peek at "Granny's" old eyeglasses and as I pulled the eyeglasses from their resting place the cotton swatch fell out, revealing a "hidden treasure".  There, beneath the cotton swatch, was an old photo.  I flipped the small black and white photo over to see if it revealed a name.  Sure enough, the words "Minerva" were scribbled in pencil on back of the photo.  

Mom was surprised about my find.  Apparently she didn't realize the photo was there either.  She informed me that Minerva was "Harriet's mother".  Harriet Woodard was married to Granny's (Susie Johnson) father, Robert "Bob" Johnson.  Mom nor I understood why Minerva's photo was tucked inside the box that held Granny's eyeglasses but, nevertheless, I was excited to find it!  It is the ONLY photo of Minerva Warden that I have.  

Minerva Warden married Thomas Riley Woodard.  The family resided in Lumberton located in Marion County (now Lamar), Mississippi in the late 1890's through the early 1900's.  The Warden and Woodard families are bricks in "My Brick Wall"- I have accomplished very little in my research on them.  I have no knowledge of Minerva's parents or siblings at present.  From my own estimates, Minerva was born probably between 1850 and 1860.  She lived to be an elderly woman, as evidenced by her photo.  She was likely in her 80's or even her 90's when this photo was taken.  Her husband, Thomas Riley Woodard, had died in his late 30's leaving her a widow with 7 children that I have knowledge of.  

I hope to one day find out more about Minerva and her family.  For now, Minerva's photo is tucked back into its original resting place beneath Granny's old eyeglasses, a part of our family's Treasure Chest.