"Heirloom" - The Wood Family Watch

When my dad turned 21 in the mid-1960s, he inherited an heirloom watch from his father.

Dad wrote to his father asking about the watch's history; and my grandfather, John "Johnny" Egbert Wood (02 November 1919 - 29 December 1996), responded with the letter shown below.  The people mentioned in Johnny's letter are:

• My father, the addressee, "Son"
• My paternal grandfather, John "Johnny" Egbert Wood (1919-1996), letter writer
• My paternal great-grandmother, Susan "Susie" Bowers Wood (1860-1933), referred to as "Mother."
• My paternal great-grandfather, Albert Houston Wood, Sr. (1880-1967), referred to as "Daddy."
• My paternal great-great-grandmother, Susan Elizabeth Ford Bowers (1825-1901), mother of Susie Bowers who is shown above.
• Catherine Montye Foster Wood (1883-1965), wife of Albert Houston Wood, Sr. and my grandfather's mother.
• David Trousdale Foster (1880-1949), brother of Montye Foster Wood and Johnny's maternal uncle.

To further aid in understanding the context of the letter, here is a visual representation of the direct line lineage discussed in the letter:

Shown above the line of descent from my paternal great-grandmother to
my paternal grandfather. My father and I follow below Johnny in this lineage.

Page 1 of Johnny's original letter.

Page 2 of Johnny's original letter.

Transcription of the two-page letter shown in the above two photos.

In addition to the information in this letter, my dad shared with me that he had ascertained that the watch was made about 1903, as my grandfather had guessed.  Dad had to replace the casing of the watch, due to beyond-repair breakage, in the mid- to late-1980s.  The original watch case was circular, and he said it showed off the watch face much better than the current casing.  Also, the watch used to have a gold expansion band.  Dad replaced the expansion band with the leather one pictured after the gold band wore out in the 1980s.  The watch's crown (i.e., winder) has a stone set in it.

This heirloom turns 115 years old this year, and it's still worn almost daily and keeps on ticking.  What a wonderful treasure to have in the family!

Bibliography

• “Old Gold.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Feb. 2018.
• “Elgin National Watch Company.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2018.

This blog post is part of +Amy Johnson Crow's 2018 #52Ancestors Challenge, as well as a #TreasureChestThursday post.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2018 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint or repost this in full or in part or use excerpts from it without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put creating this.

"Longevity" - The Litaker Sisters

When I think about my family tree and longevity, my maternal great-grandmother, “Nanny,” and her sisters immediately come to mind:

Full Sisters (daughters of George Franklin Litaker, Sr. and Molsie Jane Talbirt(a.k.a., Talbert) Litaker), including Nanny, in birth order:

• Ola Lenetta Litaker McBride (14 May 1898 – 18 Aug 1991), who died at the age of 93.

• Faye Elizabeth “Nanny” Litaker Litaker (28 Aug 1901 – 26 Oct 1995), who died at the age of 94.

• Blanche Lucille Litaker Faggart (22 Aug 1906 – 12 Jul 2007), who died at the age of 100.

• Mary Elva Litaker Weddington (24 Mar 1911 – 20 Dec 1998), who died at the age of 87.

Half Sisters* (daughters of George Franklin Litaker, Sr. and Carrie White Dove Litaker) in birth order:

• Margaret Mae Litaker Swarigen (16 May 1891 – 09 Mar 1982), who died at the age of 90.

• Lacie Carrie Litaker Cox Harris (16 Jul 1896 – 11 Oct 1981), who died at the age of 85.

I grew up around Nanny, Aunt Blanche, and Aunt Mary; and they were all kind, loving, funny, and generous women.  I feel so lucky that I was able to know them.

All of the sisters except Lacie, who move to South Carolina circa 1913, lived their entire lives in Cabarrus County; so they were surrounded throughout their lives with close and extended family and lifelong friends.

I'll share some pictures of the sisters, as well as of a couple of places that were significant in their youth.  I don't have a photo of Mae, so I'm including her husband's obituary, which mentions her, instead.

The Litaker Farm House on South Union Street in what was then
Township #11, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.  This is where the
Litaker sisters grew up.

The Litaker School in Township #11, Cabarrus County,
North Carolina.  It was built by George F. Litaker, Sr.; and it is where his youngest
 four daughters attended primary school.

Aunt Ola and her
daughter, Nancy Elizabeth, circa 1921. 

Nanny with my cousin, Heather, on her left and me on her right.
Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina. About 1973/1974.

Aunt Blanche - late 1960s/early 1970s.

Aunt Mary (far right) with her daughter,
Marian Young Weddington (far left).

Obituary for Aunt Mae's husband,
Harrison Brack Swaringen.

Aunt Lacie in Lakeland, Florida.
February 1960.

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* Nanny had one other half-sister, Nellie Gray Litaker Smith (1890-1907), who lived into early adulthood.  Nellie suffered from mental illness, which was prominent throughout her mother's family.  From news reports, it seems she most likely committed suicide.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2018 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint or repost this post in full or in part or use excerpts from it without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put creating this.

This post is part of +Amy Johnson Crow's 2018 52 Ancestors Challenge.

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