Unidentified Family Objects: April 2008

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

1 Diploma and 3 Photos (part 2)

Mr. Richard (the elder) can be seen in this old photographic drawing.

Description:
Mr. Richard (the elder) is situated in a decorative frame with gold highlights and fancy carvings. His photo is severely cracked in several places. In the photo itself, Mr. Richard is posed wearing a top hat, bow tie, and jacket with vest. The reverse is dangerously cobbled together with nails and twine.

Unique Marks:
None.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

References:
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

Friday, April 25, 2008

1 Diploma and 3 Photos

Location:
These items were a bit easier to find for the UFO Team. Seeing as their size made them somewhat difficult to store, they were one of the first things we looked at. They are also quite heavy and very fragile to handle, so care was taken when turning them over for the photography sessions.

Description:
The diploma was issued to Benjamin Richard from the Broken Bow Business and Normal College. He completed the "Commercial" course of study in March of 1905.

Unique Marks:
The glass is cracked and missing in the bottom left corner.

History:
The Broken Bow Business and Normal College was located in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Lloyd E. Epley was the Principal. Photos of the College and its students can be found here.

Photos:

References:
- Library of Congress, Prairie Settlement, Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters. Retrieved on April 25, 2008 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/award98/nbhihtml/pshome.html
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.
- Patterson's College and School Directory of the United States and Canada By Homer L. Patterson. Retrieved on April 25, 2008 from http://books.google.com/books?id=iPqLXwe6tSwC&d

Treasure Box (Part 3)

Description:
The next item in the box is a pair of earrings. They are clip-on in style and have a bronze or plated bronze appearance. The fronts have a V-like shape with flowers on either side while the middle is plain. The reverse has the clasp.

The final items in the box are a series of receipts spanning the first twenty five years of the 1900s. First is a Pleasant Valley Telephone Company receipt. William Richard paid four dollars for the "Maintenance of the line and central dues." Next is an identification card for William Richard. His brother was his emergency contact and lived in Hershey, Nebraska. This is followed by another phone receipt and a receipt for the purchase of one share in the phone company for twenty five dollars. This is finally followed by three more receipts from the phone company.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Treasure Box (Part 2)

Description:
Next out of the box was a hair cutter. The black wrapper/holder was an odd waxy-paper-like substance. The metal device is aluminum and has a curved handle stamped "GEM MFG. CO. PAT. PEND. DETROIT, MICH." The other end has teeth on both sides set at regular intervals. Attached to the tooth-end is a one-piece razor with two edges. The bracket holding the razor is stamped "GEM SANITARY HAIR CUTTER PATENT PENDING." Both handle and blade show some signs of rust.

The first belt buckle is brass in appearance and color. It shows signs of wear and has small amounts of a green patina. The reverse of the buckle has a toothed lever used to hold the belt in place.

The second belt buckle is likely for the tip or cap of the belt end. It has a design cut out that looks like Asian or Greek characters. The reverse has three prongs or tabs that appear to attach it to the belt.

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

Monday, April 21, 2008

Treasure Box

First order of business. Welcome back UFO viewers!

Second order of business. The UFO Team has determined that the footprint we are leaving on Picasa is quite large. Too that end, we have created a new UFO portion on Picasa so you can navigate with more ease to find the photos you are looking for. Our photos from this point forward will be housed in the UFO II portion where our older photos will remain in the old UFO portion.

Location:
This treasure of a Treasure Box was found in the usual place. The bottom of a container mixed in with all the usual detritus of life. And until opening it, the UFO Team had no idea what mysteries lay within.

Description:
The box itself is about the size of a largish paperback book. It is made of sturdy cardboard and is tan in color.

The first item removed from the box is a padlock. It is dense and heavy, possibly made of solid brass. There is a keyhole in the front and a smaller opening in the rear. The lock opens and closes but does not appear to lock. Across the locking part there is a stamp that resembles "Eureka Lock WKS."

History:
Unknown at this time.

Photos:

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Norwegian Family Photos - Day 40

This will be the last installment of the Norwegian Family Photos. We hope everyone enjoyed the 40 days and nights of photos. If you can identify anyone, please don't hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, the UFO Team will be taking a much needed hiatus until April 21, 2008. Please tune back in then for new Unidentified Family Objects.

Woman in shiny dress