This antique fob watch together with the gold bow brooch and fob chain (pictured) is one of my family heirlooms. It belonged to my maternal grandmother, Flora (“Nan”). Nan gave it to me when I was in my teens. At the time Flora would have been in her mid to late 70s.

My grandmother cherished this beautiful timepiece and brooch, but she wanted me to have it. Despite its age, the watch kept perfect time. What a prize! I wore it for many years with great pride and delight. No-one else I knew had a watch like mine! In fact, in a photo of the staff of Blackwater High School (my first teaching appointment when I was 22), I’m pictured wearing the watch and gold bow brooch pinned to my blouse.

My grandmother’s timepiece dates from the early 1900s.

I believe Flora is wearing the watch (attached by a different brooch) on the bodice of her bridal gown. Can you see it? My maternal grandparents, Donald William Beaumont and Flora Jane Balchin, married on 26 April 1911. I’ve often wondered: Was the watch a wedding gift? Flora possessed few precious items of jewellery (my grandparents and their families were not wealthy), and this was one of them. I know she treasured it.

This early 1900s fob watch combines functionality and ornamental beauty. The watch’s case is made from sterling silver, with the crown, stem and loop coated in gold. The dial (or face) is surrounded by a silver border featuring a finely engraved plait design. A creamy white enamel face bears neat black Roman numerals. Twelve tiny gold dots equally spaced between the numerals add a touch of elegance to the face. Two dainty ornate steel hands rotate to show the time. The gold-plated minute hand is slightly longer than the black hour hand.

The reverse side of the watch case is exquisite. It consists of a shimmering turquoise-blue guilloche (machine-patterned) enamel base and a floral bouquet overlay. The miniature bouquet comprises delicate hand-painted gold and silver foil flowers and a silver foil bow.

A small dainty Victorian gold bow brooch complements the lovely timepiece.

Unfortunately, the timepiece is no longer in working order. Some years ago, the winder snapped off. (You may notice that the winder is missing from the top of the watch, near the loop or fob.)

I assume a skilled craftsman will be able to replace the winder and return the watch to working order.  

How my collection of family heirlooms began

The fob watch and accompanying gold bow brooch is not the first precious item my grandmother Flora gave to me.

When I was a little girl, Nan gave me an old postcard. It has a fabric insert, organza embroidered with the words “To my Sister”, richly embellished with dark pink roses and greenery. I have always cherished it, mainly because it is so beautiful.

It was years later that I realised its significance and came to appreciate the story behind the postcard. Dated 6 October 1917, the postcard was sent by “Harry” to his sister “Flora” during World War I from “Somewhere in France”.

The story behind the postcard is the subject of Henry’s World War I postcards to Flora (September 11, 2015).

I possess yet another family heirloom that came by way of my grandmother Flora. It’s an old treadle sewing machine. The machine is a Singer, Model 27, made in the USA in 1900. It’s more than 120 years old! And it still works. How’s that for good workmanship?

This machine is one of 35,800 Model 27 units produced by the Singer Manufacturing Company at its factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA, from May 1900. All steel, these sewing machines were designed to be repaired rather than replaced. That is why many remain today, some in collections, others passed down through families and many still in perfect working order (just like mine).

Actually, my parents bought this machine for me in the 1960s, a gift for my 11^th birthday. I learnt how to machine-sew on this old beauty. And I’ve been a keen seamstress ever since.

In the early 1970s, when I no longer used the treadle machine (I had my own electric sewing machine by then), I gave it to my grandmother, Flora. My treadle machine was in much better condition than the one she owned. Nan was in her late 70s at the time, and she was still making her own dresses using a treadle sewing machine!

Nan lived until she was 94. After she died, my mother asked me if I would like to have Nan’s sewing machine (my old treadle machine) as a keepsake.

“Of course,” I replied, without hesitation. “I would like my children to learn to sew on it.”

And they did. Just like me.

More than forty years have passed since my mother arranged for the old treadle sewing machine I received as a gift so many years ago to return to me. It stands proudly on display in the hallway of our home, and I walk past it numerous times each day. Needless to say, it’s one of my prized possessions.

For more on this story, read The old treadle sewing machine (May 24, 2017).

Precious items my maternal grandmother kept

I knew my grandmother Flora well, and I know for sure that she was not a hoarder. Any items she kept meant a lot to her. Fortunately, the majority of Flora’s keepsakes are now in my possession, having been passed on to me by my mother. I count all of these items as special family heirlooms.

One is a nineteenth century family Bible. The Bible belonged to Flora’s mother, Julia Tryphena Balchin (nee Knight), my great-grandmother. Inside the Bible’s front cover is the inscription: “Mrs Balchin, From Mrs Corry Smith. May 28^th 1883.”

Inside the back cover of the Bible is a record of the names and dates of birth of eight of my great-grandmother’s ten children (including Flora, who was Number 5). There are also the dates of death of several family members, including Mrs Balchin herself (“Mother”), who died in 1900 when Flora was 12. It is likely that Flora penned this entry. My mother added the dates of death of Flora and Flora’s brother (I recognise my mother’s handwriting).

Clearly, this 1883 Bible is an invaluable family history resource. Indeed, the story of the Bible, the Balchin family and (in particular) Julia Tryphena Balchin (my great-grandmother) is the subject of Family history and the family Bible (August 1, 2017).   

For me, the Bible is precious because it provides me with a tangible link to my great-grandmother. I did not have an opportunity to meet and get to know this lady (she died long before I was born), but I have something she held, and used, and loved – her Bible.

Another one of Flora’s keepsakes is a lock of hair. For Flora and her husband Donald, it helped keep alive the memory of their third child, Thyra Grace, who died unexpectedly on 19 April 1920. A beautiful child and much loved, Thyra Grace was just 15 months old when she died. The cause of death, supposedly convulsions, was never confirmed. This sad chapter in Donald’s and Flora’s early married life is the subject of A lock of hair: A treasured keepsake (January 20, 2018).

Among the family heirlooms my mother passed on to me are a number of original items from Donald’s and Flora’s 1911 wedding. These items include two of the couple’s original wedding photographs – one of the bride and groom (pictured earlier), the other of the wedding party. As a child, I remember the former, set in a huge dark timber frame, hanging prominently in my grandparents’ lounge room. Today I have this photograph (reframed) hanging prominently in my own home.

As well as my grandparents’ wedding photographs, I possess their original marriage certificate (pictured) and one of their wedding gifts. The latter is a set of two silver serviette rings, one engraved with Donald’s initials (“D.B.”), the other engraved with Flora’s initials (“F.B.”).

Two more items that belonged to my maternal grandparents

Family heirlooms can include jewellery, timepieces, clocks, musical instruments, furniture, toys, postcards, letters, diaries, Bibles, books, photographs, photograph albums, artwork and needlework. I’ve already provided details of a several of these. But there’s more.

Another item belonging to my maternal grandparents that my mother passed on to me is a chiming mantel clock. It’s one of many such clocks manufactured by the Ansonia Clock Company (New York, USA) in the late 19^th century.

I recall the clock sitting on a narrow shelf above the combustion stove recess in my grandparents’ kitchen. It made a distinctive mesmerising “tick-tock” sound that still resonates in my head. Without fail it chimed once on the half hour and every hour the number of times corresponding to the hour.

The clock features a beautifully crafted dark brown timber fretwork case with star cresting, an off-white dial with black Roman numerals and black hour and minute hands, chrome pendulum, and front-opening door with a central floral decal and ivy border etched on the glass. The clock stands 57 cm high. It comes with a key and two winding arbors on the clock dial.

I also possess an antique German-made Harola button accordion that belonged to my maternal grandparents and possibly one of their brothers before them. There were a number of self-taught musicians among the men of the Beaumont and Balchin families. They played the accordion, mouthorgan or piano. 

Family heirlooms that connect me to my paternal grandparents

From my paternal grandparents Charles and Elsie Proposch I have just a few family heirlooms, although those I do have I value immensely.

Without doubt the most treasured item is Elsie’s wartime diary. My grandmother’s diary and what it represents inspired the title of my website “Love in a little black diary”. It’s the subject of my story A mother’s love (and a little black diary), which I published on my blog on October 24, 2015.

I possess two other items that connect me to my paternal grandmother Elsie. One is a doll; the other a marcasite brooch.

My grandparents gave me the doll when I was three years old. It’s been in my possession almost my entire life (and that’s a long time). It’s an early 1950s all-composition mama walking doll. Its head, torso and limbs are made of compressed sawdust and glue, skin-coloured and lacquered. Joints at the shoulders and hips allow the doll’s arms and legs to move. A mama crier came embedded in the doll’s torso. It squealed “Mama” when turned or tipped. The doll’s head came with pretty blue sleep eyes (they opened and closed), eyelashes, sweetheart red lips and a dark wig of life-like hair.

You can read about the doll and how I remember my grandmother Elsie in Nana in Melbourne: Joy and a joy-giver (September 5, 2015).

My father acquired Elsie’s marcasite brooch following his mother’s death in 1963. My mother wore it for a number of years before passing it on to me. I love brooches, and I wear it often on special occasions. Many people notice it, as it is very beautiful, and compliment me on it. This gives me an opportunity to speak about my grandmother Elsie and how much she meant to me.  

My paternal grandfather Charles Proposch was a commercial artist. He was particularly gifted at drawing. But he also loved to paint, and he produced many beautiful oil paintings. I grew up knowing about my grandfather’s profession and love of painting, as my parents had two of his oil paintings hanging proudly and conspicuously in the lounge room of our home.

One is a city scape showing Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills (Melbourne) during autumn. It’s definitely my favourite.

The other is a portrait of my parents in their war service uniforms. Charles faithfully reproduced their portrait from the 6” x 4” black-and-white photograph the couple posted to Elsie and Charles following their engagement. Charles presented the portrait to the newlyweds when they visited Melbourne after their wedding. The painting, oil on canvas, is one I have known all my life. It’s a striking likeness of my father and mother.

After Charles died, in 1975, my father acquired another four of his father’s paintings. My father died in 1999. When my mother came to live with me and my husband in 2003, my grandfather’s paintings came with her. They had been passed down from my grandfather to my father and, following my mother’s death, they were entrusted to me. I have six of my grandfather Charles’ oil paintings, all of which he painted in the 1940s. I am so grateful to possess these works of art, as they are perpetual reminders of Granddad Proposch, his God-given gift and my heritage through him.  

Later additions to my collection of family heirlooms

Among my family heirlooms are numerous items that link me directly to my parents. Besides an extensive collection of family photographs, negatives and memorabilia, my mother Evelyn also passed on to me her wartime photo album, photographs and newspaper cuttings.

Evelyn served in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) between September 1942 and March 1945. Her wartime photo album provides a record of that significant period of her young life. I’ve written previously about this in My mother, a young woman (May 6, 2016), My mother’s years in the WAAAF (Part 1): Brisbane (April 22, 2018), and My mother’s years in the WAAAF (Part 2): Rockhampton (April 22, 2019).

Evelyn met her husband-to-be, Lieutenant William (“Bill”) Proposch, an Australian Army officer, at a dance in the Brisbane City Hall in 1943. They married at St Paul’s Cathedral, Rockhampton, on 26 March 1945.

My mother died in 2011. Following her death, I gave her eternity ring (a ring purchased many years after the couple’s marriage) to one of her granddaughters and her sapphire and diamond dress ring to Evelyn’s other granddaughter. But I kept my mother’s wedding ring. I wear it every day, on the ring finger of my right hand, in memory of my mother and father, and their long marriage.  

Another legacy from my parents is a collection of war service medals, tags, patches and certificates. I have those of my father, mother and uncle. During World War II my Uncle Allan (my mother’s youngest brother) served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Following my mother’s death, I decided to have my father’s and mother’s war service medals and a small selection of their war service memorabilia framed. I consider this to be a purposeful way of displaying and preserving these special heirloom items.

Last, but not least, I’ve inherited my mother’s recipe books. They include two cookery books (one dating from 1934, the other from 1949) and several scrapbooks and notebooks containing her handwritten recipes. Since I launched my website and blog in 2015, I’ve shared a number of my mother’s handwritten recipes, and the stories associated with them, in the FOOD category of my blog.   

Keeping the memories alive for future generations

At the same time I’ve been preparing this article, I’ve been studying Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew’s gospel, chapters 5-7). As a person who values, collects and protects family heirlooms, I’ve been reflecting on the relevance of these words of Jesus:  

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

And these:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:24-27)

One commentator (writing in Scripture Union’s Encounter with God daily Bible reading notes) points out that God is not opposed to us having possessions and money and seeking good health. According to the commentator, the problem is this: “Just what are we valuing – where do we fix our eyes? What are our priorities?”

For me, Jesus’ words are challenging. In what or whom am I trusting and living for? Given my likely span of days (80 or 90 years, God willing), am I making the best use of the time I have left? My grandmother Flora died in 1981, aged 94; my mother Evelyn died in 2011, aged 95.

Whether I have 5, 10 or 20 years left before I pass from this life to the next, I ask myself: What should I do with all these family heirlooms? After all, I know I can’t take them with me!

Most of my family heirlooms have little or no monetary value. Their value is almost entirely sentimental.

Many of these precious items have been the subjects of stories on my blog. Researching, writing and publishing the story of an item is one way I can perpetuate the memory of the person(s) associated with that item.

But the question remains: What should I do with my collection of family heirlooms?

This is what I plan to do before I die:

• Give items to family members who will value and preserve them
• Give or sell items to collectors who will value and preserve them
• Donate items to a historical society, museum, state or municipal library
• Put remaining items into storage allowing family members time to decide what to do with them.

I know that parting with many of these precious items is not going to be easy.

Do you have family heirlooms that you are attached to? Do you identify with the difficulty I am facing?