He Found His Great Great Grandfather’s Secret Chest. Inside Are Some Amazing Historical Items
A year ago, we found this trunk in my grandfather's house in the gargage after his passing. He never told anyone about it, and what we found inside amazed us.
The chest was full of amazing historical items that were left in there for many, many years. Digging through the items, we soon realized the trunk once belonged to my Great Great Grandfather, JC. There was so much stuff that it would take ages to photograph and put it on here, so I have chosen the most significant items in it.
One of my favorite items I had found in the chest was this John Deere Farming Companion booklet.
It had my Great Great Grandfather's handwriting all throughout it. Most were farm-related calculations.
There were also advertisements throughout the pamphlet.
Another favorite item of mine was tube of elixir name "Liquozone" that supposedly cured everything. This type of "medicine" is where the term snake oil comes from.
Three leather items. Extremely soft.
An old level. If you look closely you can see the bubble.
This is a box that once housed a colt revolver. Inside was a bullet, a few letters, and a gun cleaning rod.
Oddly, there were three pairs of glasses in the trunk. The blue pair at the bottom are the most interesting. People have told me they were shooting glasses, maybe sunglasses or maybe even glasses use to read invisible ink.
The trunk was also filled with antique books dating back to the early 1900's. These are just a few.
The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan is a religious book still read today by Seventh-Day Adventists. It had these interesting page colors on the sides.
The book is full of amazing illustrations. (The Vatican below)
My Great Great Grandfather was a mason, and I never knew this until I opened the trunk. This book was printed in 1944.
It is full of essentially the complete rules and symbols of the freemasons.
Not only was my Great Great Grandfather part of the Freemasons, he was also part of the Scottish Rite, which is a higher level of the Freemasons. This 10k gold ring is given to Scottish Rite members. On the inside of the ring, there is a Latin phrase that reads: virtus junxit mors non separabit. This translates to "Whom virtue unites, death will not separate."
Here is the Scottish Rite acceptance letter.
There were hundreds of letters in the trunk. This is just a small stack.
This letter is from a friend who is glad that my Great Great Grandfather is feeling better, but is sad about the drought. There are very many handwritten letters that discuss many things.
Along with being a mason, my Great Great Grandfather was a socialist. It was common for farmers of his day to be one.
A socialist pin.
A pamphlet with the Chevy logo on the back.
Along with being a Socialist and Freemason, my Great Great Grandfather was also part of the Anti Horse Theft Association. He was a busy man.
Lastly I'd like to leave you with this colorful map of Europe. Notice the change of Germany's border and such.
Thank you for viewing this album. I am very lucky to possess so much fascinating history.
Credit: cluckinho.