My Swedish Grandmother Maja and family have left behind treasures which each tug at heartstrings linked with cherished memories.
What are your family heirlooms?, and why do you hold them to be treasures?
In 2004, exploring the attic of grandma Maja’s daughter, Linnea, I found a treasure chest almost tossed out with the trash.
Linnea was Maja’s final surviving child and had inherited her mother’s steamer trunk. The trunk originally transported special things from Sweden to adorn Maja’s home in Chicago.
Finding family treasures within the trunk initiated a 16 year expedition to pull together a memoir of Grandma Maja’s Swedish family history. Genealogy connections may be linked to persons and events.
In my book: My Maja A Grandson’s Tribute I include some 50 pages of photos. In my view, all of the images qualify as heirlooms.
Heirlooms: Treasure? or Junk?
Welcome to My Maja “Heirloom” Show and Tell Museum
So here on display is a brief family museum tour of select Maja Family heirlooms. The treasures are accompanied with a brief explanation sharing some perceived significance.
The first group of heirlooms to be shared are special items that all came in the steamship trunk originating in Grandma Maja’s home in Sollefteå Sweden.
The photos are from Maja’s albums. The jewelry was worn my Maja and her mother, Ida. (See the portrait below displaying the broach in the upper corner)
The hand painted plate displays the Källgren house in Sweden. The beautiful clock once hung on the wall and mostly likely was inherited as a remembrance of Maja’s father who died the year before she set out for America.
The copper butter molds were used at Christmas to make the smorgasbord table extra festive. The antique thermometer may have come from Maja’s grandparent’s croft.
