Week 8: Heirlooms

A couple of weeks ago the prompt for the 52 weeks 52 Ancestors was: "Is there a special item that's been passed down in your family? I wanted to share the three special pieces I have. 

This is my maternal grandmother Minnie Elizabeth Chaplin cameo ring. It is very tight on my little finger,either she had small fingers or I have big ones. I have worn it on very special occasions but never for daily use. Being a nurse rings have to be practical, this is beautiful but not practical. This ring was given to my mother's older sister Beatrice but she had three boys and when I was born she gave it to my mother. The setting sits up almost 1/2". I have never seen this worn by any family member, not even in pictures. It was saved for me. My Aunt Bea was a lot of fun and made be feel like part of the family.


This Cameo pin belongs to my Mom's mother or grandma Mildred Corkish. (My second Mom) I do remember my Mom wearing this pin. Again since I was the only girl I was given this pin also. I think maybe I worn it once. Mostly it lives in the safe. I'm not a fancy dresser so I have no idea what I would wear it on. It sure is a beautiful cameo. I might just have to find something to wear this on!!



My Mom (second-mom) Annette Carolyna Corkish worked as a nurse. She was an army nurse during World War II and she was the nurse who took care of my mother Edith Inez Chaplin, when she died of breast cancer. I can remember her working at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing. This is a picture of the charm bracket her co-workers gave her in 3-6-1959 from the OBS staff. This is just before we moved to Florida. She obviously was well liked by her co-workers. And yes she is the reason I became a nurse. She never wanted me to be one, she said the work was hard. I never regretted my decision to be a nurse.

When I was looking for my treasures and after I saw them again I realized I had forgotten how many I really have. Finding all these things made me feel very blessed. Something I think I tend to forget. My family tried hard to make traditions to have and to pass down. I trying to survive after the lost of two mothers before age 17, I felt the pain and lost but forgot the good stuff. This has helped me to remember.