Treasure Chest Thursday - Not just a dress

Back in the 1990's, after I had a couple of years experience at doing research, my father, mother, son and I went to visit my father's 1st cousin, Deloris Tharp Bloxam, who lived in Grove City, Ohio. While there the topic of family research came up and Deloris, who was born in 1929, told me family information that she had heard and remembered. As always, I was extremely thankful to get more first hand knowledge on the family.

While we were talking Deloris asked me if I had anything from my great-grandmother, Rhoda Wagner Self Tharp. I told her no, that nothing had come down to me from that side of the family. She told me to come with her and proceeded to walk to another room in her house. After arriving in the room and several minutes of her getting stuff out of the closet, she hands me this dress.

She then tells me that it was a dress that Rhoda Wagner, "Wag" as she is known in our family, made this dress. Deloris' father, Royce Tharp, had bought and given Wag the material so that she could make a dress for herself.

Well of course I oohed and aahed over it and said how cool it was that she had something from her grandmother....she then tells me that I can have it.

"What? Stop the bus! You are letting me have it. Oh Deloris, I could never have this."

Or something like that was my response. But she insisted on me having it. She said that she had memories that would last her a lifetime of her grandmother but she wanted someone to have it that understood how special it was.

So now, thanks to my wonderful cousin, I am the owner of the dress that my great-grandmother made with own two hands and even wore.

Finding them and their family on the census....great
Knowing where they are buried or having a picture of them.....wonderful
Having something that they owned, made or used......Priceless.

Hope you enjoyed, glad you stopped by and please come back again ;)