Two Family Heirlooms

We have several interesting items I would call heirlooms. These have been tucked away safely, but unfortunately, our daughters know nothing about them or their significance. My goal this year is to document these heirlooms with photos and stories, printed up in a Shutterfly book. Then if they decide not to keep the items, at least they know the background story and its provenance. This post was originally written for Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun in 2017. I am updating the content.

Opera Glasses
The first item is a pair of opera glasses that were given to me by my aunt, Virginia Gertridge, who told me they were owned by her great-aunt, Elizabeth Gleeson. Nothing was written down and I do not remember her exact words as I received the gift. It is possible that Virginia’s mother, Anna Sullivan Hork, had the opera glasses first and then they were passed down to Virginia.

Clues about the glasses. They are stored in a leather case which is falling apart. Inside the lid is written “A. N. Wright, Importer, Portland, Or.” Checking Ancestry.com, an A. N. Wright was listed in Portland city directories from 1891 to 1906. A. N. Wright was listed in the Watches, Clocks, and Jewelry section of the classified business directory, at 293 Morrison. In the household listings, he was listed as Amos N. Wright, jeweler at 293 Morrison and living at 403 Larrabee.^[1]

Looking online for mother-of-pearl opera glasses brought up several sites selling old opera glasses with a wide variety of sale prices. Back in 2017, there was a pair like mine valued at $600. Today, most are priced under $100. Many seemed to have been made in France.

Elizabeth Gleeson (1865-1942) was the daughter of John Gleeson and Margaret Tierney. She never married. She may have given the glasses to her niece, Anna M. Sullivan Hork sometime in the late 1930s. They both were living in Southern California before my grandmother moved to Napa with her children in 1940. It was also possible that Anna or her daughter, Virginia, received the glasses after Elizabeth died in 1942.

Straight Razor
The second item is a straight razor that belonged to my husband’s great-grandfather, Amos Gorrell (1837-1928). This item came with two notes, one written by Amos’ son, Joseph Norman Gorrell, and the other note typed by Joseph’s daughter, Ada M. Gorrell Thomason. 

The handwritten note says:

“This razor was given to my Father by Arthur Gorrell, then was sent to me after my father’s death. It is a fine Razor. I think Arthur had it hollow-ground. Keep it in its case.”

Ada typed the above note and added, “Grandfather Amos Gorrell died I think in 1928. My father, J.N. Gorrell, gave razor to me before he died in 1960.”

Sometime later, Ada gave the razor to her brother, George Joseph Gorrell, who in turn, gave the razor to his son, Norman Gorrell. That is how we have possession of it.

Shutterfly Book
I am working on a Shutterfly book depicting images and stories of the artifacts and heirlooms we have that have been passed down. Here is an example of a two-page spread. 

What's holding me up is photographing the items. Some are stored away and are not easily accessible.

#52Ancestors-Week 8: Heirlooms

This is my seventh year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe.

I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

---

[1] R.L. Polk & Co, 1906 Portland City Directory, pp. 1165 (Amos N. Wright) & 1353 (A.N. Wright), digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Aug 2017). 

Copyright © 2024 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.