Family History Plays a Part

Blog post by Ciara Gold


I love family history! I think I may have inherited my mother's "genealogical" gene. She's quite the bloodhound when it comes to finding information on ancestors.

My grandmother's parents (mom's side) have an interesting story. My great grandfather came over in the late 1800s and settled in Georgetown, Texas. He had a farm where he grew cotton but at one point in time, he also ran an ice cream parlor in town. His sister was still in Switzerland along with his future bride. Great grandmother was born on the "wrong side of the blanket" and because of her illegitimacy, was doomed to domestic work with little chance at a good marriage. She agreed to come to America and marry my great grandfather without having met him, on her friend's recommendation alone. Her friend being great grandfather's sister. 

So that's the watered down version and one of these days I plan to write a story just for them. They must have gotten along fairly well because they had a long and fruitful marriage.

Because of our family love of handed down heirlooms, I tend to use some of these items in my stories. Great grandfather's story led me to search for the demitasse spoon that came from his ice cream parlor so I could share it here. Alas, I have temporarily misplaced that spoon but it led me to the rest of my collection. I haven't looked at it in years but I'm wishing I'd pulled it out sooner. Among the odds and ends I've collected over the years are two salt spoons.


The cowboy of the old west didn't have access to salt shakers like we know them. Instead, salt was put in cellars.  These cellars would be common practice until around 1940 and of course, to dip into these small bowls of salt, one usually used a small salt spoon. I'm having a hard time picturing the gruff ole cowboy using one of these dainty items. I imagine on the trail, they didn't use much salt as that would have been a luxury.

I found another spoon that has always sparked my curiosity. It's hand wrought by a Native American tribe. I spent time researching and I believe it's of Navajo origins dating before WWII, early 1900s. When I hold it, I feel connected to the four winds as reflected by the symbol gracing the tip of the handle.

The historical western I'm working on now features a blacksmith. Not your typical "cowboy" but he has all those wonderful qualities we assign to the "cowboy". While he's not a silversmith, he would have to go through some of the same steps a silversmith might enjoy to make various metal items, only on a grander scale. Pounding hot metal is no easy task. I plan to write more on this topic later. Anyway, the spoons have sparked an idea for a scene so I guess I'll close for now.

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