Is this a box of unrelated stuff that your ancestor wanted to get rid of, or is there some inherit value in this trinket box? This is a dilemma we all will face at some point in our genealogy lives.
At first glance, there does not seem to be much of family value, with the exception of the photo. Of course, the photo in unlabeled so it is anyone’s guess who the people may be. What other items have been included in this box?
- A little black day book of Mary O. Scott. It measures 3″ x 4″. The book has the year 1909. It also has a place – Morgantown, WV. It appears to be a day-to-day account of the happenings of Mary O. Scott from Jan 1, 1909 to Jun 14, 1909.
- Badge with the First Avenue School “Excelsior” printed on it. On the reverse side, we see the badge was made by the Ohio Badge Co.; 1231 N. High St.; Columbus, O.
- An Embosser manufactured by Roovers. It has been stamped “Monogram Embosser Pat. Feb 6, 1912”. The initials cannot be seen without stamping a piece of paper.
- Vintage Ketcham & McDougall Retractable Brooch Key Chain. It has a key attached to it. It is small, round, gold tone with a Celtic knot design. Further research reveals the company has been around for decades. It was located in New York and specialized in the manufacture of gold and silver thimbles among other novelties.
- Two Lane Bryant envelopes.
- An envelope that has been embossed with the included embosser. The three overlapping letters appear to be N-A-S. Inside the envelope was the unlabeled photograph and operation instructions for a Kroehler Davenette bed.
- The Blue Book of Telephone Numbers with some names, addresses and phone numbers.
- A little brown spiral notebook with the word ESTATE written at the top. Inside the little brown notebook is a blank check belonging to Mrs. Mary Groves of Carpenter, Ohio. The check was from the Vinton County National Bank in McArthur, Ohio.
To give a sneak preview, inside the little brown spiral notebook. With additional research, there is some information that potentially could give insight into the family. On the first page of the notebook, we find the name Nellie Alice Scott. We have a death date given as Sept. 11, 1960. Also, we are given the date December 30, 1936. This is when Nellie may have been issued a Social Security Number.
The next blog will focus on connecting the dots and creating a narrative based on research and the contents of the trinket box. Based on the narrative, you can decide whether it is just a trinket box full of stuff, or a treasure box with some gold nuggets to be found.
