Treasure Chest Thursday

Treasure Chest Thursday is all about family heirlooms, things passed down that you value and cherish.

A few things to remember when I share this with you... one... my family kept very little. Family heirlooms are few & far between. Two... my idea of an heirloom & yours are probably a world apart. This is proven by the fact that one of my cherished heirlooms is this little red football.

Some history - I have three uncles on my mom's side - and I have special things I remember about all of them. They are all still living in Bradenton, Florida - Richard, Herman and Gary. Crazy they are! But each special to me in his own way.

This heirloom I am going to share with you is from my uncle Herman. The photo's below are of a young Herman Phillips all dressed up & going to the yearly football banquet, Palmetto High School, Manatee County, Florida, 1959. Also there you see a photo of him in his uniform and a copy one of many of the newspaper clippings showing his involvement in the football team.

Homecoming, Palmetto High School, fall of 1960, those little red footballs were tossed into the crowd. They had the name of the high school, the year etc on the side. A certain young football player got one of those footballs and presented it personally to his first niece, ME. He is amazed that still today I have this football. It sits on my desk, the lettering on the sides long worn off, but the memory of the hunky young football player who thought it important to get one of those for his niece will remain with me for as long as I walk this earth.

My grandsons see it on my desk and once in a while one will manage to get hold of it and run off, but it always comes back - to reclaim its special place on my desk & in my heart.

Do you have a special family heirloom? Have written about it in your genealogy software so that those who come after you know the significance of it?

Happy Researching!

Karen