A gift in a box from the basement

This evening we visited my husband's uncle who has been finding little treasures in his basement over the last 6 months about family history. These treasures are bits and pieces from Great Grandma Martha's trunk that his Uncle Boots sent to him periodically. After thumbing through its contents we found college diplomas, newspaper clippings about Martha's children and a very old photo of Martha's Grandfather, John Leonard Wood.

The yellowed scrapbook pages and tissue paper-like letters and correspondence thrill me. The stories they reveal are simple but intriguing and some are even humorous. I wonder what it was like for their family back in the 1920s and 1930s.

Martha was known for her public speaking abilities and the box contains several letters of invitation for her to speak at various events. Her children George and Martin (Boots) were also quite active in forensics and dramamtics as the box holds many articles about competitions and plays they were in. They even excelled in the culinary arts during their teen years winning several awards and ribbons (beating out most college age girls) for their famous cream puffs and strawberry shortcakes!

If only the trunk itself could be located. I can't imagine how much history it holds. I fear it is lost forever. Tonight was a pleasant surprise though.