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 hat.
My maternal grandfather Orvin Davis was one hat-wearing
man. I most clearly remember him in this felt fedora.
 |
| Lucille and Orvin Davis |
However, it is a straw hat that had some kind of
emotional pull that caused him and my grandmother to save it despite being
broken.
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| Granddaddy's hat |
 |
| Closeup of where the hat is broken |
Granddaddy owned the hat at least as early as 1925. He
and his cousin Ben Davis showed off their sons both born that summer.
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| Ben Davis and Ben Jr. Orvin Davis and Orvin Jr. |
The
boater Granddaddy was wearing was the perfect summer hat handwoven with
thick straw. The inner band even promises that the hat is “Cool &
Comfortable.”
No matter who made the boater, a striped ribbon hat band
was typical for the style. Granddaddy’s hat was made by Champ and was marketed
as a mid-range item, probably costing no more than $7. Currently on eBay, a
vintage Champ boater is going anywhere from $38 to $102. Both are in far better condition than mine.
You can't put a price on sentiment.
Wendy
© 2018, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
