Tuesday, April 3, 2018

A to Z April Challenge: C is for Corner Cupboard


When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!) With this challenge I begin my book of Heirlooms.

is for the Corner Cupboard that once belonged to my great-grandmother Mary Frances Jollett Davis. Corner furniture was popular in the 19th century, probably because it saved space in the room. The purpose of cupboards was storage. In the kitchen they held dishes and cookware. In a hallway they might have held bed linens.

Corner Cupboard https://jollettetc.blogspot.com





Since Mary Frances’s cabinet is a simple one-piece construction with flat panel doors top and bottom, I conclude that it was likely intended strictly for storage rather than display. Anyone wishing to show off fine china and crystal would have had a cabinet with a glass door on top. Despite any intentions suggested by the solid door, the other pretties I have inherited are on display with the door open.

When or how Mary Frances acquired this pine cabinet is not known. However, it is certainly old enough to have been one of her original pieces of furniture when she and Walter Davis married in 1890. Most likely she used it in the dining room of their home in Shenandoah. When she went to live with her daughter Violetta, the cabinet went with her.

Corner Cupboard https://jollettetc.blogspot.com

Violetta’s living room is where I remember seeing the cabinet and feeling sorry that she could do no better than all that old furniture. Oh my, how my views have changed over the years.

When Violetta died, my mother and my cousin Bobbie were tasked with disposing of Violetta’s things. Each was free to claim what she wanted either for herself or on behalf of other family members. If there was something they both wanted, they drew names. Of course, Momma and Bobbie both wanted the cabinet, but Momma was the lucky draw that day.

When our parents died and my sister and I went through the same process, I said I would fight her for the corner cabinet. Fortunately, we didn’t have to fight. We made sure that for every item one of us claimed, the other took something of comparable size and value. Momma’s Empire-style sideboard was my sister’s choice. There is nothing “second place” about it!

Empire style sideboard https://jollettetc.blogspot.com

Wendy
© 2018, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

22 comments:

  1. Both pieces you and your sister hsbrnarr beautiful. Yes I used to tell my mother oh don’t save all these old antiques for me... I want new modern furniture. Then I married and I wanted it. Lucky for me as I’m an only child so no drawing straws for me! But that’s also a curse as my house overflows and my kids don’t want! Oh well! Hopefully they’ll want the heirlooms I’ve blogged on! I look forward to reading more!!!

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    1. I doubt my kids are interested in any of my stuff either.

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  2. That's a wonderful corner cabinet. It looks good with the china pieces inside. It is nice that the people in your family each have memorable pieces.

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    1. Thanks, Colleen. It is a revelation to me also how much stuff I have from generations past.

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  3. I need a corner cupboard like that one! I have a corner that has two short walls so that straight shelves are awkward. I once had a smaller one, but I gave it to one of my cousins when I moved to this small house. It would have been perfect for the spot, but not as perfect as yours. Both of your pieces of furniture are beautiful!

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    1. I can see how shelves would not work. Inheriting a cabinet is certainly nicer than going out to buy one wondering if it will fit.

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  4. Until I see one in use I have a problem believing the open doors are restricted ny the walls.

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  5. Those are such beautiful pieces of furniture. I live far from where any of my ancestors lived, including my grandparents and haven't inherited a single piece of furniture, so I am so jealous! To have a treasure filled with even more treasures is wonderful!

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    1. I used to think everyone lived like us, inheriting stuff from previous generations, but I guess not. In Barry’s family, his grandparents’ things went directly to estate auction and the family didn’t get anything unless they bought it.

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  6. Really enjoying your A - Z series. Hoping to do something similar some day!

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  7. What a beautiful cabinet - I'm so glad you didn't have to fight her for it, although her furniture is beautiful, as well. I'm always so happy when I have something of my ancestors that I can actually use!

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    1. Something still useful really is the best. Some things can feel more like a burden.

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  8. Got your 'C' covered with corner, cabinet and you could have thrown in cupboard. Truly either piece chosen would be a winner...both treasures.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

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    1. I think my sister and I are both pretty lucky to get such nice pieces.

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  9. I have inherited a corner cabinet, and it has a glass door on top. Unfortunately I don't have a corner that can take it in my house at the moment :(

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    1. Such a pity. Glass doors make it really convenient for display without taking up wall space.

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  10. You are lucky that your Momma got lucky! It is sure a beaautiful corner cupboard.

    My Genealogy Challenges

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  11. I love the old furniture I have acquired or inherited from family. Your family had some very nice pieces!

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    1. Thanks. Working on this challenge has surprised me time and time again as I rediscover what I have inherited.

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