Heirlooms

Heirlooms

I absolutely love heirlooms. Each one brings back so many memories of a person, a place, or a certain time. I have to admit I find it difficult to not keep everything. I’m sure many others feel the same way. I also often wonder what happened to all the items that belonged to my more distant relatives. For today though, I would like to write about two heirlooms that I hold dear, both being passed down to me from my mother.

The first one is a cameo ring that belonged to my great grandmother Elizabeth “Lizzie” Reilly. She was born in 1859 in Hamilton County, Ohio to her Irish immigrant parents. She was the first born child of John Merryn Reilly and Matilda (maiden name still unknown to me). By 1865 Lizzie, her younger brother and sister and parents had moved to Brooklyn, NY (per 1865 NY state census). Then by 1870 the family had moved to Philadelphia, PA. with a new addition to the family - another brother. Lizzie was 11 years old in 1870.

        In 1886 she married John Koetzle Jr. in Philadelphia, a confectioner (candy maker), whose parents had immigrated from Germany.  John and Lizzie  lived their married life together in Philadelphia and had eight children, one of which was my maternal grandmother Florence Koetzle. Florence married Clarence Wilbur Harley in 1913 and they settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey a few years later. They had two daughters, the first of which died after only living a few days. Their second daughter Dorothy, was my mother.

Lizzie Reilly and husband John Koetzle

It was my mom who gave me this ring many years ago, telling me that it belonged to her grandmother Lizzie. She knew both grandparents well, and was fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with them as a child and young adult, either in Philadelphia or on vacations at the shore in Brigantine, NJ. She adored them both so much. This ring is the only item I own that belonged to Lizzie. I never knew her, as she passed away five years before I was born. 

I have no idea how long my great grandmother had this ring, or on what occasion it might have been given to her. That part is a mystery. I do have a few photos of her, and once in a while I will get them out and examine them to see if possibly she might have been wearing it.

Lizzie’s parents are the biggest brick wall in my family history. I have no idea where in Ireland her parents were from, and no idea of her mother’s maiden name. Her father, John Reilly, is a challenging person to research, as his name quite common with many different spellings. 

Besides census records and other sources, it is thanks to DNA testing that I have been able to find a DNA match for my Irish line. I found, and made contact with a third cousin who is descended from one of Lizzie’s brothers. However her family also has no information that would help break down this brick wall. I haven’t given up though. More DNA tests and records are available every day.

Interestingly, in census records starting in 1870, John Reilly’s family had a “domestic” living with them named Mary McDowell. She was even buried in the family plots after she passed away in 1903. I often felt she could be a key to unlocking this mystery, but no luck yet.

The second heirloom I would like to highlight is a plastic apron most likely from the 1950’s. This apron belonged to my grandmother Florence Koetzle, mentioned above. 

                

        Florence, or Flossie, as she was called (Nanny to me) loved everything that sparkled. She had the most amazing aurora borealis jewelry, among many other pieces. I believe that if the “Bedazzler” had been around back then, she surely would have owned at least one. You see, to make this plastic apron a little more her style, she hand-sewed sequins on the pattern printed on the apron. I have worked with sequins a little myself, and I know the amount of detail and time this would have taken. 

I just love the fact that she made this apron her own! And I also love that every time I pick it up I can picture her sitting in their home in Ventnor, NJ meticulously sewing on these sequins.

But Nanny was much more than a sequin-sewing lady. In her younger years she was  a milliner, and later in life she worked as a medical librarian in the Atlantic City hospital. She also cooked and kept house in addition to her career jobs. Oh, did I mention she also loved to do oil paintings? The photo of her and I together here shows one of her paintings on the wall. The more time that passes, the more I realize how amazing she was. We were very close, and I miss her so very much. She passed away in 1986 at age 79. I was away in college at the time, so I didn’t give her a proper farewell. So in a way, this is a small tribute to her. Love you Nanny !

Nanny and me (age 10 or 11) with one of her oil paintings on wall