Documenting Heirlooms – Lisa Stokes Heritage Research

_MG_0342c — Reading lamp from my husband’s Grandma Mary Carney Stokes, a doily tatted by my Grandma June Hinman Forsyth, antique books from my parents and mother-in-law, and a decoy duck that I painted.

My niece Tayler, a professional photographer, took these beautiful pictures of our family heirlooms. We had so much fun setting up the shots. For some shots, we mixed some of my own old items with the heirloom items in my possession. Unfortunately, my memories of who owned a few of these heirlooms have faded. I regret not gathering and writing down the information years ago. I’m in the process of asking relatives to help me identify these items. Here are some tips to help you preserve a record of your heirlooms.

TIP #1: When an heirloom comes into your possession, ask the giver questions about the item. Then write up a label for each item answering: who owned the item, the year the item was most likely created, a description of the item, stories about the item, the provenance (line of possession) of the item, and the item’s storage place. Keep the label with the item or take a picture of the label with the item. I keep all the descriptions together on a Google Sheets called “Heirloom Catalog.” You could also add a thumbnail to each description in your document, so future generations have a catalog of the heirlooms. Below is one of my descriptions of doilies crocheted by my Great-Grandmother Huskinson.

Here is a partial screenshot of my heirloom catalog. I can share this with family members so that when I’m no longer around, my children and grandchildren know what each heirloom is, who owned it, where we are storing it, and the provenance line. The added thumbnails will also help them recognize the item if the label gets separated. For privacy reasons, I redacted the names of living relatives in the provenance line. The unredacted citations are in my private copy of the heirloom catalog.

It’s also good practice to include a source citation on the item label. As mentioned above, you could add the citations to a research log or your heirloom catalog.

Here is my basic heirloom citation:

Citation Template: Item description], [owner or creator and details], (owner’s birth and death years), [date of item, if known], [place item was obtained or created, if known], [additional details]; [item] privately held by [name], [address], obtained [year], [storage place- optional]. Note: [list individuals in the provenance line as needed].

Most citations begin with the creator of the item. My template starts with the item because most heirlooms were not created by their owner. I also like the citation to flow like a sentence, such as in the example below, “Rag doilies crocheted by Della Eliza Dunton Huskinson…” I think this allows more straightforward wording of who made or owned the item. If you prefer to begin with the creator, feel free to adjust the template. To learn more about crafting genealogy source citations, read my blog series Genealogy Source Citations Simplified.

Source Citation: Rag doilies crocheted by Della Eliza (Dunton) Huskinson (1890-1971), place and date unknown; doilies privately held by Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1993, stored in Huskinson heirloom box. Provenance note: Della Huskinson to June Wallin to [living son] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.

TIP #2: Take an individual snapshot of each heirloom item. Cluster items for fun and get creative with the background and arrangement of the heirlooms. Try finding a pleasing light source and turning off the flash.

This is a collage of various items. The oil lamp on the left was owned by my husband’s grandmother, Mary Cecile Carney Stokes,¹ In the middle is a bread pan owned by my great-grandmother, Weltha Eliza Hartley Hinman.² The canning jars on the right are from my grandmother, June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth.³

TIP #3: Take time to record information about the item in the metadata and file name of the photo. Add thumbnails to your master document.

Doily with meta data — This is a photo of a doily that my grandmother June Hartley Hinman Forsyth tatted for me in 1993. We have used it as a decorative display in our home ever since.⁴

TIP #4: Share the photos with your family on Google Drive, in an email, on your blog, as printed photos, or even in a scrapbook. Ask family members for help identifying items if needed.

_MG_0957c — This crazy tube of lipstick is either from my Great Grandma Huskinson or my Great Grandmother Hinman. Hopefully, family members can help me figure it out.⁵

TIP #5: Store delicate heirlooms in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, and preferably in dark conditions. Store photos in acid-free protectors or boxes. Read the following blog by Archival Methods for more detailed information about heirloom storage.

I hope these tips have helped inspire you to create a record of your family heirlooms! Thanks again to Tayler for taking these beautiful photos for us.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

_MG_0107c — This pitcher was given to Charles White Hinman and Weltha Eliza Hartley as a wedding present in 1916.⁶ The tatted doily is the same as above

_MG_0285c (1) — Some of these tins belonged to June Hinman Forsyth.⁷

_MG_0049c — This button jar belonged to my husband’s Grandmother, Mary Cecile Carney Stokes.⁸ The jar was given to my husband by his aunt.

_MG_0577c — This set of doilies was made by Hulda Caldwell and given to George Kenneth Forsyth and June Hartley Hinman at their wedding.⁹

My great-grandmother Della Eliza (Dunton) Huskinson’s silver pitcher.¹⁰

_MG_0923c — This is a box of items that I’m trying to identify. The beeswax is the only item marked and belonged to June Huskinson Wallin.¹¹

_MG_0210c — These marbles were my husband’s when he was a child. The stuffed dog was my daughter-in-law’s when she was little. The antique book *My Book House* was given to me by my parents. We acquired the *Games for Boys* book while my husband was working in Cub Scouts.

The blessing/christening dress on the left was worn by my nieces and my daughters.¹² The blessing/christening dress on the right was worn by my mother.¹³

_MG_0075c — This pipe tray was owned by my husband’s grandpa, Edwin Guilford Stokes. My husband remembers walking through Grandpa’s pipe smoke while he was smoking because he liked the smell.¹⁴

_MG_0536c — June Huskinson Wallin’s trunk contains old scrapbooks, documents,and photos.¹⁵

Oil lamp owned by Mary Cecil (Carney) Stokes (1906-1990), date and place unknown; privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in office. Provenance note: Mary Cecil (Carney) Stokes to [living daughter] to Jack Stokes.
Bread pan owned by Weltha Eliza (Hartley) Hinman (1887-1974); privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in antiques box in garage. Provenance note: Weltha Eliza (Hartley) Hinman to June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth to [living daughter] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Canning jars owned by June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth (1921-2009); privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in glass front kitchen cabinet. Provenance note: June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth to [living daughter] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Doily tatted by June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth in the late 1980’s while living in the Philippines; privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], stored on entry table. Proveance note: gifted directly from June to Lisa in 1993.
Lipstick tube, owner unknown; privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in miscellaneous heirloom box. Provenance unknown.
Etched glass pitcher, wedding present given to Charles White Hinman and Weltha Eliza Hartley on their wedding day in 1916 in Cardston, Alberta, Canada; pitcher privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 2014, stored in glass front kitchen cabinet. Provenance note: Weltha Eliza (Hartley) Hinman to June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth to [living daughter] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Various tins owned by June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth (1921-2009); privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in antiques box in garage. Provenance note: June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth to [living daughter] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Button jar owned and collected by Mary Cecil (Carney) Stokes (1906-1990); jar privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in sewing room. Provenance note: Mary Cecil (Carney) Stokes to [living daughter] to Jack Stokes.
Pink doily set made by Hulda Caldwell and given to George Kenneth Forsyth (1916-2016) & June Hartley Hinman (1921-2009) at their wedding in 12 May 1943 in Cardston, Alberta, Canada; doilies privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 2009, stored in Forsyth-Hinman heirloom box. Provenance note: June Hartley (Hinman) Forsyth to [living daughter] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Silver pitcher owned by Della Eliza (Dunton) Huskinson (1890-1971); privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored on brown shelves. Note: Della Eliza (Dunton) Huskinson to June Jeanette (Huskinson) Wallin to [living son] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Trinket box, original owners of each item unknown, privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in heirloom box in master bedroom. Provenance note: June Jeanette (Huskinson) Wallin to [living son] to Lisa Wallin Stokes.
Baby blessing dress, worn by various baby girls in the Wallin line beginning in 1987; held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1992, stored in heirloom box in master bedroom.
Baby blessing dress of [living owner], 1944, Cardston, Alberta, Canada; privately held by [living owner], [address withheld].
Pipe tray owned by Edwin Guillford Stokes (1904-1973); privately held by Jack & Lisa Stokes, [address withheld], obtained in 1996, stored in office. Provenance note: Edwin Guillfordd Stokes to [living daughter] to Jack Stokes.
Suitcase owned by June Jeanette (Huskinson) Wallin (1913-1992); privately held by [livings son], [address withheld], obtained in 2018.

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