A Peek Inside - Hope Chest List

I mentioned that I have been visiting relatives and that I spoke with my mother-in-law, Ione, about her hope chest. She worked on it for quite some time, beginning when she was about ten years old. Sometimes, nearer the time of her marriage, she felt like she didn't do anything but embroider. Next time I visit, I want to set aside time to talk more and take pictures of things Mom still has saved. She mentioned that after things wore out from use, she ripped off the decorated edge and saved her hard work. Ione recorded a list of items she had completed in her wedding book.

5 quilts, 10 pair of pillow cases, 40 dish towels, 10 hot pads, 6 doilies, 5 dresser scarves, 3 table cloths, and several dish cloths. She also collected a lamp, a chair, a footstool, a sewing machine, china service for 12, silverware for 8, a book about nursing (she attended a Red Cross home nursing course,) and a cook book. She also counted on several gifts received from her aunts and friends to complete her household necessities.

A Peek Inside - An Old-Fashioned Gift

While I was visiting family, I had a chance to talk to my mother-in-law about the hope chest she made when she was a young girl, preparing for marriage. She disappeared for a few minutes and came back with these lovely pillowcases. She said they were a gift from her best friend's mother on the occasion of her marriage. It was a beautiful gift, wouldn't you say? I can see that I need to spend some more time in her basement with a camera. She has used the pillowcases often, and kept them so well for more than 50 years. They still look almost pristine. I just thought you might like a peek at the kind of work that went into a hope chest many years ago. If you zoom in on the last picture, some of you may be able to duplicate the pretty crocheted edging. One of these days, I'll try to write proper directions...

Grandson

 My favorite part of the recent trip to Idaho was reading and playing with my grandson Blaine. He is such a cutie! What a blessing to me to spend some time with my family...

A Peek Inside -- Scrapbooks and Family History

Genealogy and family histories are a traditional item to include in the hope chest, at least in Mormon families. Happily, I have managed to include some of these in Miss Abigail's hope chest. This is the first scrapbook I made for Abigail. It has her birth story, which was pretty harrowing, and pictures from the first year of her life. I've also been slowly working on a personal history of my own life to share with all of my children. I'm on my way home from Idaho with scanned pictures, genealogy and other memorabilia of my father's life. Plus, I have 10+ hours of recorded interviews with my mother about her life, which I hope to use in a family history.

Because I am a faithful Mormon woman, genealogy and family history is a responsibility in my life. But I also see it as an opportunity to become better acquainted with my ancestors and to pass their stories on to my children. I'm a link in a long chain and I certainly want Miss Abigail to feel the security of her strong family ties.

Do any of you have family records and stories to pass along? I hope so.