Mystery in History
Are You Surrounded by Your Ancestors’ Possessions?
The Steamer Trunk in the Room
Why do we make family trees? Why do we look for documents that contain our ancestors’ signatures? What drives us to save boxes of old photographs? What motivates us to display knick-knacks from bygone days? What even is worth keeping?
In our house, I could walk around and easily see many items that belonged to someone in my or my partner’s family. Our house feels like an ongoing reminder of who we are connected to and where we came from. I feel lucky to have every item.
One particularly important piece is a steamer trunk that dates from my spouse’s great-grandmother’s immigration. She immigrated from Finland in 1903 at age seven with her family during the height of the steamship era. Given that she was a child at the time, the trunk probably belonged to her parents.
The trunk is not an especially valuable antique on the open market. It is made with thin wood coated with tin and wrapped with wooden straps and brass hardware. The inside is missing the original shelf but still has the original artwork on the…
