This chest of drawers was brought up the Missouri river by my Great Great Grandmother when that branch of the family settled in Montana four generations ago or so...
The tatting that decorates it was done by my Grandmother...
Pretty little candle stick doilies in a larger thread under each candle...
Lovely, small dresser scarves on either side...
...and a matching scarf in the middle.
This is truely a family heirloom, decorated with what are now family heirlooms.
These drawers are filled with Grandma's linens as well...this is an absolute treasure trove! I feel blessed to have been allowed to select a few things from those drawers to take home with me...so many things to treasure.
That is a very unique treasure indeed. In that time period for it to have made the trip from Missouri to Montana was out of the ordinary, very little heavy furniture made the trip. Not until the railroads came into existence did large furniture survive the trip.
ReplyDeletewonderful to see.
From what I understand it came up the Missouri River by steam boat from St. Louis...I think sometime in the decade after 1884 when my Great Great Grandparents married.
DeleteI can't help but ask who is going to keep the chest of drawers! It's just beautiful!! And the wonderful doilies were made to fit a couple of generations later!
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed with this fabulous story! I can't even imagine that trip up the Missouri River! I'm assuming by steamboat?
For now it is to remain on the home farm. The farm is going to be kept in the family, so a number of treasures are to remain there where they can be enjoyed by visiting family. I am not sure how the trip up the Missouri occured, I think they went to St. Louis to do some business and brought this back with them by steamboat...Great Great Grandma was born in Nevada and they Married in Fort Benton, MT where Great Great Grandpa Griesbach was a business man, he started out as a soldier when the fort was being built and then went into business as a market gardener and then pursued other things later on as things went well. I am not as knowledgable on exactly at what point that chest of drawers made its journey as I might like to be. I'll have to ask my Dad if he knows...
DeleteOh. My. Goodness. What a treasure! The chest is a beautiful piece of furniture, and the doilies that adorn it are wonderful as well. What fun to wonder about the hands that have touched these terrific heirlooms :)
ReplyDelete