Presented
to
Frank W. Meserve, Jr.
By
Preble Chapel S.S.
for Not Missing a Sunday
between Sept. 1926 to June 1927
I found it at an indoor flea market. It
caught my eye, not because bibles are hard to find—in fact, there are almost
always bibles jumbled into book stacks at flea markets—but because it was full
of clippings, notes, etc. It was clearly
a “family” item, and those lost items always make me curious.
Inside
the front cover was a newspaper clipping including a photo of Frank W. Meserve,
Jr.: Seaman Wounded In Sinking Spending
Leave At Home Here.
And
there he was, Frank Meserve himself, in Naval uniform (cap tipped back on his
head, eyes bold and clear, mouth slightly open in a half-smile.
He
was a handsome man.
I
bought Frank’s bible for ten dollars, and then I took it home.
I went through the entire book, picking out
the clippings and postcards, reading them all carefully (making notes as I went
along), putting them all back where I’d found them.
High school in Portland, Maine,
WWII enlistment in the US Navy, service in North Africa, Trinidad,
Newfoundland; wounded in the battle of Luzon; marriage to Bernice; a small
photograph of a baby, a clipping from a calendar—September 13, 1946—with his
handwritten note to his wife: Happy
anniversary...; a clipping of a photo of the winners at the July Fourth Old
Home Day parade, one of whom isCharles E.
Meserve who won first prize!
His son, I’m sure of it.
Another clipping had a photo of volunteers
who were working on the Cystic Fibrosis fund drive (first woman on the left? Mrs. Meserve); two colored bells cut
from stiff paper—clearly a school project; a spelling paper; a short article
from the Social Notes about a party Mr. and Mrs. Meserve hosted honoring their son Charles E. on his 11th
birthday.
You get the idea—a family record (of sorts);
lost to a flea market.
After a bit of scrambling, some research on
Ancestry.com and a few weeks of emails and responses, I found a relative of
Frank Meserve’s—a woman in Wisconsin
Lost...and found.
Deb, it was brilliant of you to rescue such a treasure, and truly generous of you to search for a family member of Frank Meserve's to whom you sent the bible. Hopefully she will cherish it, and all its lovely contents, in the way they should be cherished. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI do this often, Jennifer -- and have sent wonderful photos, certificates, etc., back to families of origin. It's the thrill of the hunt, I guess, and the joy of finding somebody, somewhere, who wants the items back.
DeleteA perfect lost and found story. You have to wonder who down the Meserve line looked at that bible with all those clippings and said, "Eh, toss it." By the way, I caught the "parade" connection to this week's theme. Slick. Very slick.
ReplyDeleteIt really wasn't close enough to be "on theme" this week, was it? But still, it fills the bill...And you're right: Who does that? Who tosses away things like this? Makes me wonder...
DeleteIt's a problem, working out how to dispose of memorabilia. All Sepians are good at sharing on the internet but what happens with following generations. I have already donated some of our original large group photos which contain people other than family to our State Library to make sure they are preserved and shared. Now they have been beautifully scanned and documented and are available online to anyone for all time. Well done in tracing a family member for the bible. I hope they truly appreciated the effort you went to.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem: nobody in the next generation is interested in memorabilia. Will be donating lots to the historical societies of Boston and Newton, MA and Boothbay, ME. At least I know things will be taken care of...
DeleteWell done! We need a special word for collectors like you, Deb. Treasure hunter is not right. Ephemerist? Good Samaritan?
ReplyDeleteI marvel at how the internet has enabled this research that was impossible only a few years ago.
I agree, Mike -- the research part is soooo much easier (and you must find this true as well). Sometimes, it's TOO easy, if you get my drift!
DeleteI love that you do this, Deb. I think this is an excellent use of both your skills and your time.
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you, Barbara! It certainly gives me great pleasure!
DeleteI guess I'd like to think that bible was accidentally chucked in with a bunch of books being given away, but who knows? I feel lucky in that I have at least one daughter - possibly two - who are interested in preserving family memorabilia so I won't have to worry about that.
ReplyDeleteYou are VERY lucky to have children who are interested! I don't have that, and will be donating lots of family ephemera to the historical societies of Boston and Newton, MA. That way, things will be cared for.
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ReplyDeleteTwo great finds, firstly the bible and then of someone who has a personal connection to it. You just have to hope it will be valued from now on!
ReplyDeleteHope so, Jo; I'm always saddened by finding things in flea markets, even though I understand that not everybody is as fascinated by family history as I am!
DeleteYears ago I bought a marriage certificate at an estate sale. It was quite large and had been poorly glued to illustration board. I kept it in a closet for several years and then decided to post it on my ephemera blog. Within a few weeks I received an email from a young boy who was doing a genealogy project for school. He said the certificate was from his great grandparents. I said, "That's interesting if it's true." I get so many people trying to lay claim to things that I rarely believe them. But a day later I got an email from his aunt in Colorado saying that indeed he was telling the truth. Having her answer a few pertinent questions I found that the certificate had somehow been overlooked when another auntie died and her belongings sold. So I sent the certificate to the family in time for a familiar reunion. The flip side is I did sent some photos to a woman several weeks ago of her long deceased parents and she never had the decency to say thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find and a nice conclusion.
It's fun (and rewarding) to make that connection, isn't it? I'm glad you found the right boy, the right grandparents.
DeleteThat's awesome Deb! How wonderful of you to go to so much work to return these precious items to the family.
ReplyDelete