This Grandfather Left Something Fascinating Behind...
Saramarie0622
Published
05/05/2014
After this grandfather passed away, he and his family were going through the belongings left behind and getting things organized. In the garage, they found a large, old trunk. They had never seen it before nor did they know what was inside.
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This is the trunk. The only person that knew it existed was his own wife. -
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After opening it, one hinge snapped. It was very fragile. -
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These were the covers of the two top chest compartments. -
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And this is what the underside of the lid looked like. They weren't able to determine the origin of the artwork. -
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Once the top compartments were opened, the family was shocked to find so many letters and documents from the early 1900's. -
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Then, the bottom of the trunk was filled with even more stuff. -
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Its hard to say why he had this weird book from 1911 -
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With its extremely strange pages. -
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It seemed like pretty serious stuff. -
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Lots of illustrations, like the one seen here, were in the book. -
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Another book, copyright 1900. -
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It, too, was filled with pictures. -
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A brief history of the United States from the 1900's. -
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This booklet was found in an envelope which was sent to a man named JC Malone. Apparently he was the Great Great Grandfather of the person who found the chest. -
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They then assumed that this was JCs chest. -
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Many letters were about farming, as he was a farmer in New Mexico and Oklahoma. However this symbol on the envelope looked familiar -
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JC was a freemason. -
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There were many freemason letters. Lots of them were asking for donations. -
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This was his official masonry card. -
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And his notice of his dues. -
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The postcard pictured here is of the Masonic Temple Building in Chicago, which is no longer standing. -
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JC also kept this medical brace, a truss. -
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The truss was a common device back then to help alleviate the pain caused by an inguinal hernia. -
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This used to house a revolver, there was even a bullet and gun cleaner inside. -
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This pamphlet for an elixir was also in the box, probably to help JC with his stomach issues. -
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A pro-socialism button was found at the bottom of the box along with other socialist items. -
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The card seen here is possible a card for the Farmer-Labor Party. The party lasted from 1918-1936. It was based on socialism. -
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This certificate is for three shares of The Oklahoma Leader Co. 10share. -
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Tickets for Trades Day in Rush Springs, OK, probably a resource for farmers. -
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Four pairs of spectacles were found in the box, all prescribed by Dr. Haux. -
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The blue tinted ones could have been sunglasses, or maybe even used to see hidden messages -
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The last notable thing found in the box was a lithograph map of Northern Europe from the Centennial School Supply Company. His grandfather kept this trunk and kept it a secret for years. It was a shock for the family to discover that the great-grandfather was a card-carrying freemason. So much can be learned about family history from items found like this its truly fascinating.
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