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Treasure Chest Thursday: Mary Theresa Helbling’s Salt & Pepper Shakers

Dutch-style salt & pepper shakers with tray, owned by Mary Helbling.

Helbling Family (Click for Family Tree)

Collecting salt and pepper shakers was a big thing in the 1950s and even before and after. One collector written about has over 55,000! (And those are pairs, so 110,000 individual shakers!)

The above S&P shakers belonged to Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray, who thankfully did not have that large of a collection. These were always favorites, though.

Mary was the daughter of William Gerard Helbling and Anna May Beerbower.

These S&P shakers are called ‘lusterware,’ and one antique dealer stated they were from the 1940s.

The tray is about 2-1/2″ long and 1-1/2″ wide; the houses are each about 1-3/4″ high, 1″ deep, and 3/4″ wide. Each roof on this set is actually a soft gray-blue, and the tray is an iridescent white. These shakers came in other colors as well.

Their value on one website was only $11.50, so truly, it is sentimental value that is important here. These are objects Mary loved, and part of the treasure chest of items she left to those who loved her.

Little Dutch girls and boys and windmills were popular images at various points during the 20th century. These S&P shakers suggest a stylized bit of a Dutch influence, being tall, narrow, and having a steep roof. Mary liked the cute Dutch items available, including a pitcher and mug set she had. She would be SO amazed to learn that her Springsteen family was really Dutch, and lived in New Netherlands!

New Netherlands= Dutch New York City— Manhattan and Long Island! The first-born Springsteen of her line was born in Bushwhick, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 1664! (They would be amazed to know how much their land would be worth today.) We will have some of this exciting research coming up on the blog in the near future.

DNA and some wonderful sharing- including a post from this blog detailing an obituary shared by Mary’s brother, Edgar Helbling- broke open the whole mystery of the Springsteen family. So please share your family heirlooms, and get your DNA tested! The results can lead to wonderful family stories, and new cousins.

And sentimental feelings about salt & pepper shakers. Especially today, on the anniversary of Mary Theresa’s birth.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family heirloom.
  2. Mary apparently did not know that she was named for her German paternal great-grandmother, Mary Theresa (Knipshield) Helbling (1810-1891). Sure wish we had been able to learn about her heritage while she was still with us.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Tuesday’s Tip: The Griffin Family Coin and Family History

1881 Morgan silver dollar engraved with birthdates of the Griffin family. It has a pinback, and was purchased on eBay many years ago. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Tuesday’s Tip: Look everywhere for family history information.

On this Valentine’s Day, it is fitting to feature this wonderful “love token” on the blog.

No, we are not related to the Griffin family, but it would be nice to find someone who is a descendant.

So, what is a “love token”?

During the late 1700s, through the 1800s and even up through World War II, coins were sometimes used as an inexpensive and personal form of memento, jewelry, or good luck token. One or both sides of the coin would be filed or sanded down and rubbed smooth. Designs, words, names, initials, would then be hand-carved into the soft metal of the coin. Sometimes areas were cut out of the coin, enamel or raised metals would be added, or it might be cut into a shape other than round. The finished token might be gold-plated, or more rarely, a gold coin was actually used for the token.

These engraved coins are often called “love tokens,” as a sweetheart might make and give a special coin to celebrate a wedding, anniversary, special event, or just their love. Coins were engraved by soldiers in bunkers (“trench art”), by farmers during a cold and dark winter, by factory workers in the evening after many long hours at work, or at fairs and expositions. Examples of this art might sport very simple or even crude engravings, some punched with a nail or sharp object, or very fine, elegant art cut by a professional engraver. A pinback could be added, and sometimes more than one coin would be made into a brooch. The coins could also be made into a bracelet (love token bracelets were quite the rage at various times), or added to a watch fob; less often were the coins made into pendants to wear as a necklace. A gentleman might even keep one of these special coins in his pocket, for good luck, or wear it as a stickpin. Engraved coins were given not just to sweethearts, either- other family members might receive a personally engraved coin, with initials or the relationship, such as “Mother,” or one might be a remembrance of a special trip. Love tokens were used in other countries as well as the United States, and may be found on the coins of various countries.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The above coin is an 1881 Morgan silver dollar, one of the most popular coins ever made because of its beauty. One side of the coin was filed down, lines drawn across and a branch of leaves added along both the right and left curves of the coin. The top of the coin has the word “Born” and then names and birthdates were added. The bottom center appears to have the date 1901 with a small design on either side.

Transcription:

Born
T. Griffin   Mar. 25 185?
B.      ”         Apr. 19th 1859
R.      ”         Mar. 23rd 1881
M.     ”         Apr. 22nd 1883
E.      ”          July 15th 1885
A.      ”         Nov. 7th 1887
G.      ”         June 15th 1890
L.      ”         June 10th 1893
C.      ”         Jan. 23rd 1896
H.      ”         Aug. 29th 18??

Reverse of 1881 Morgan silver dollar engraved with birthdates of the Griffin family. It has a pinback, and was purchased on eBay many years ago. (Click to enlarge.)

My hypothesis is that this coin was a gift from T. Griffin to his wife, B. ___ Griffin, and it listed the births of their children. If both husband and wife were born in 1859, they would have been about 22 years old in 1881. Their marriage was likely around 1880, estimated from the birth of their first child.

Perhaps the silver dollar was a gift to the wife at the birth of their oldest child in 1881. (Do people still collect coins from the birth year of their child? It was common at least 20 years ago.) Then, twenty years later, in 1901- perhaps as a 20th anniversary gift, or even a Valentine present?- the saved coin was engraved and lovingly given to the mother of eight. She would have worn it proudly, especially since the “worth” of a woman back then was highly correlated to the number of children she could bear.

Please note that the above is just a possible description of the background of this love token- we have no proof for any of it. It has been challenging to learn more about this family, especially since only initials are used for first names, and “Griffin” is a fairly common name. Since the coin was sold on eBay, we may never know how many times it changed hands or travelled to another town.

Our hope is that someone researching the Griffin family name will find this post, and compare the engraved information to known family members. If any of our readers know more about this family, or have suggestions for finding them, please contact us at the blog!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Coin owned by author.
  2. “Darling, Can You Spare a Dime? How Victorians Fell in Love With Pocket Change”–
    http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/how-victorians-fell-in-love-with-pocket-change/
  3. “What are Love Tokens?” by the Love Token Society– http://lovetokensociety.com/history/love-tokens/
  4. Of course, coin collectors are horrified at the defacing of coins for love tokens, and there are some coins that would have been worth quite a bit of money had they not been engraved with an image or words. Love tokens are, however, a delightful reminder of our past. They would have been cherished by their owners and proudly worn, and some, such as this coin, can even tell a family story.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
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Sentimental Sunday: John Broida’s Chair?

Likely John Broida's chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe.
Likely John Broida’s chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe.

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

This chair, thought to have belonged to John/Zelig Broida, has been passed down in the family, and it is now needing a new home. The current owners are downsizing, and need to find a new family member to appreciate its history- ASAP. Are you a descendant of John Broida (1857-1938)? Please contact us through the blog if you are interested in owning this chair.

Likely John Broida's chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; close-up of carved backrest.
Likely John Broida’s chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; close-up of carved backrest.

The story is that the chair was given to a non-Broida family member, and Bess Dorothy (Green) Broida (1891-1901), married to Philip E. Broida (1887-1952), one of John’s sons, took it back and gave it to the current owner, a Broida descendant. She was adamant that the chair needed to stay in the Broida family. Unfortunately we do not know much more about the history.

Likely John Broida's chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; detail of carved backrest.
Likely John Broida’s chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; detail of carved backrest.

John Jacob or Zelig, whose surname originally was Karklinsky, changed his name to Broida after arriving in the United States about 1874. John and his wife Sarah Gitel Frank (1859-1901) were originally born in Lithuania. At that time, Lithuania was a part of Russia, and the town he came from was called Eišiškės (AKA PolishEjszyszkiRussianЭйши́шки/Eishishki, BelarusianЭйшы́шкі/Eishyshki, Yiddishאײשישאׇק‎/Eyshishok). The Jews were  the largest percentage of the population, and it was a thriving town, or Jewish ‘shetyl.’

Likely John Broida's chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; close-up of carved backrest.
Likely John Broida’s chair, brought to US from Eastern Europe; close-up of carved backrest.

It has been suggested that this chair came from Eastern Europe with John Broida, so this chair may have originally come from Eišiškės. If he immigrated to the US about 1874, the chair would be at least 142 years old!

Please do let us know if you have an interest in this chair- it would be a shame for it to go outside the family.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Eišiškės– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eišiškės
  2. See Eliach, Yaffa. There Once Was A World: A 900-Year Chronicle of the Shtetl of Eishyshok. Boston: Little, Brown, 1999 for more information about the town and population through the years beforeWWII.
  3. We have quite a few posts about the Broida family published in the past- just click on “Broida”under the “Families” heading on the left side of the blog, or use the search box to learn more about John and Gitel and their children.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Those Places Thursday: 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair Souvenirs

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
1904 St. Louis World's Fair Metal Machinery Hall Souvenir Tray.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair Metal Machinery Hall Souvenir Tray. (Click to enlarge.)

Trays and plates were common and popular souvenirs of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. These could be displayed on a bric-a-brac shelf, used for mints or candies, or placed on a dressing table, where the owner would be reminded of the enjoyable time they had at the Fair.

(Again, I apologize for the quality of the pictures.)

1904 St. Louis World's Fair Goofus Glass Plate Souvenir- Festival Hall and Cascade Gardens.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair Goofus Glass Plate Souvenir- Festival Hall and Cascade Gardens.       (Click to enlarge.)

Yes, this is really called ‘Goofus Glass.” Here is the reverse, so you can see the painting:

1904 St. Louis World's Fair Goofus Glass Plate Souvenir- Festival Hall and Cascade Gardens- reverse
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair Goofus Glass Plate Souvenir- Festival Hall and Cascade Gardens- reverse. (Click to enlarge.)

Many of the metal trays were finished to look like copper, which was very popular during the Arts & Crafts/Craftsman movement prevalent  during the early 1900s.

1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings. Left: Palace of Machinery. Top: Cascade Gardens and Terrace States. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings. Center: Louisiana Purchase Monument. Right: Palace of Liberal Arts. Top: Cascade Gardens and Terrace States.                          (Click to enlarge.)
1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings. From left: Palace of Varied Industries, Louisiana Purchase monument on top, Union Station below; and Palace of Electricity on right. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings.
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Round Metal Tray Souvenir-7 Fair Buildings. Left top: Palace of Machinery. Left bottom: Palace of Varied Industries. (Click to enlarge.)

I hope that you have enjoyed this series that looks back to the souvenirs that our ancestors might have purchased during their trip to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. They would have enjoyed the memories of their time at the Fair for many years, reinforced by these objects that would have a place of honor in their home. Our ancestors were probably in awe of all the wonderful things they saw at the Fair that looked forward to the technology of the future- they would be amazed at how much farther our world has progressed, far beyond imagination!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Goofus glass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofus_glass

2) Purchased artifacts, not our family heirlooms, in author’s collection.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

Sentimental Sunday: More Souvenirs from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Letter opener-front.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Letter opener-front. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Commemorating the Louisiana Purchase Centennial was the theme for many World’s Fair souvenirs. This letter opener has an image of the Cascade Gardens, but also a beautiful eagle, symbol of America. Native Americans are depicted on front and back, and a globe joins the handle and blade, reminding us that the Lewis & Clark Expedition traversed the huge expanse of the lands of the Louisiana Purchase.

[Again, I apologize for the quality of the images. These items are hard to photograph, especially at night.]

Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Letter opener-back.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Letter opener-back. (Click to enlarge.)

Souvenirs might have sentimental meaning in later years, an opportunity to recall pleasant times with family and friends (or perhaps, with NO family or friends around). Many souvenirs held a special place in the home, whether one kept them for oneself or gave them as a gift to the neighbor who fed the dog while one was off traveling, or to a family member who had to stay home. Anna May Beerbower Helbling was one of the latter. May collected silver spoons, and many people brought them to her from many places, since she could not travel in her later years. She had leg ulcers and was often bedridden- the family thinks she probably had diabetes, in the days before insulin. She may have benefitted from the introduction of insulin in 1921 when she was 40 years old, as family remembers her beloved husband G. W. Helbling giving her injections, but the damage of diabetes may have already been done. The lack of good antibiotics at the time also likely compromised her health.

1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons. (Click to enlarge.)

Often silver plate so they were more affordable to the middle class, collectible spoons were common souvenirs around the country, and at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair as well. The spoons in these images were purchased, not a legacy of May Beerbower Helbling. Her collection as I know it did not include a World’s Fair spoon, though she did collect before that date so maybe that spoon ended up with another family member. (It seems strange for her to not have one, but she was a newlywed that year and money may have been very tight.)

1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Palace of Liberal Arts
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Palace of Liberal Arts. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Palace of Transportation
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Palace of Transportation. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Palace of Electricity. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons_reverse
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons_reverse. Cascade Gardens at the top, and Louisiana Purchase Monument below. Marked “U.S. Silver Co.” (Click to enlarge.)

Some World’s Fair spoons were a finer quality, and sterling silver, such as this one produced by Mermod-Jaccard, a fine jeweler in St. Louis.

1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard (a St. Louis fine jeweler).
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard, a St. Louis fine jeweler. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard, a St. Louis fine jeweler. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard, a St. Louis fine jeweler. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard (a St. Louis fine jeweler).
1904 Louisiana Exposition Souvenir- Spoons- Cascade Gardens; Sterling from Mermod-Jaccard, a St. Louis fine jeweler. (Click to enlarge.)

Hatpins were another useful souvenir of the fair. Both hair and hats were very big at that time, and the hatpin would hold the hat on through fairly big winds, since it went through the hat, the big hair, then the hat again (sometimes). Having a souvenir hatpin showed folks back home that you were a well-travelled lady.

Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-2 enamel hatpins.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-2 enamel hatpins. (Click to enlarge.)

These hatpins are enameled, and some of the enamel has come off of the fleur-de-lis hatpin, a symbol of the French settlement of St. Louis and surrounding areas. The red, white, and blue of the pennant reflect the French flag that flew over St. Louis for so many years; the fleur-de-lis sported those colors originally too.

Hatpins became a favorite collectible of mine because of a story told about Anna May Beerbower, discussed above. May was born in 1881, and was probably in her later teens before she started dating. May had gone on a date to a movie, possibly circa 1897-1903, which would have been a silent movie with an organist providing appropriate music for the action. The lights went down and the couple settled in to enjoy the movie. May felt a hand wander to her knee, which was covered by her long dress of the time. She moved the hand gently, since she was a gentle woman who could never even kill a bug. The hand, as male hands are wont to do, returned soon after to her innocent knee. May calmly took the hatpin out of her hat and stabbed the errant hand with it. The movie was finished in silence by the two of them, with hands in their appropriate places. She did not go out with him again.

Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-2 enamel hatpins.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-2 enamel hatpins.

May and G.W. married in 1904, so I like to think of the two sweethearts strolling through the fair. Maybe G.W. bought her a hatpin such as one of these. They also took friends to the Fair, and there is, somewhere in my treasure chest (but not in my digital images), a letter from their friends, thanking them for the enjoyable visit and tour of the World’s Fair.

Watch fobs would have been very useful souvenirs, too, that also showed one’s sophistication in travel and looking forward to the future, as was the Fair’s theme.

Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Watch Fob-front.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Watch Fob-front. (Click to enlarge.)

The French fleur-de-lis is seen in the top panel, the Palace of Machinery is next, with the impressive Cascade Gardens below. A U.S. shield with 1904 to denote year of the Fair, and the round medal at the bottom promoted the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. “1803” is on the left, “1903” on the right. Uncle Sam is on the left with the US Capitol in the background, and France on the right with her Eiffel Tower in the background, handing over the signed Louisiana Purchase documents. (The Fair was planned for 1903 originally, but they waited until 1904 so that more states and foreign nations could participate.) Napoleon, who ruled France at the time of the Purchase, is depicted on the left side of the medal, and President Thomas Jefferson on the right. The words, “Historic Souvenir” make the medal a bit less imposing, I think, but at least no one could try to sell it as an original.

Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-Watch Fob-reverse.
Souvenir of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair-Watch Fob-reverse.(Click to enlarge.)

The reverse of the fob begins at the top with the fleur-de-lis, and then showcases St. Louis’ Union Station, which many of the Fair tourists would have passed through as most travelled by train. Union Station had opened in 1894, the largest passenger station in the country. It became the busiest as well, and those of us of a certain age will remember standing at the edge of the many tracks inside, with the acrid smell of the new diesel train engines and the loud hiss of the older but more beautiful steam engines. The station has now become a multi-use hotel-retail-restaurant-convention center, and is a great destination in St. Louis to visit today.

The next panel showcases the 1874 engineering marvel that connects St. Louis to Illinois, the Eads Bridge. It was the longest arched bridge of the time, and made wide use of the new material called steel for its arched trusses, which were considered daring and unproven to handle the weight necessary for such a bridge. The construction of the bridge was novel in that it was the first use of cantilevered support exclusively, and its very deep pneumatic caissons were some of the few used at that time in bridge construction. St. Louisans were very proud of their bridge, and featuring it on this watch fob was one way to tell the world that while St. Louis might be an older city, it was looking forward to the future with advanced engineering and city planning.

The bottom section states, “Louisiana Purchase Exposition St. Louis 1904.”

Souvenirs of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair- 4 pins plus watch fob/medal.
Souvenirs of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair- 4 pins plus watch fob/medal. (Click to enlarge.)

The metal piece to the upper right above may also have been used as a watch fob, or attached to a bar-pin and worn as a medal. (There may have been a top portion that is missing.)

Many of the US states had a pavilion, and small buttons such as the above  would have been procured there. I don’t know if these would have been given out or purchased- more research needed. The pin on the bottom right has some water damage. These pins are likely celluloid on metal backings.

A last few of my 1904 souvenirs will be featured in an upcoming post.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Items in the collection of the author, but sadly, they are not OUR family heirlooms, but were those of someone whose descendants did not appreciate heirlooms.

2) St. Louis Union Station- http://www.stlouisunionstation.com/about/

3) Eads Bridge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eads_Bridge

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.