52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 8 - Heirloom

Once again I am behind! But I'll catch up this week! 

I think the word "valuable" is pretty subjective, but this has been in the family for several generations.  I went to visit Aunt Millie a couple weekends ago and she was so kind to give this to me.  I am still just so excited over it and so appreciative.

The generations it belonged to:
Great Great Grandpa Peter Bax born 2/12/1880
Great Grandma Veronica Bax Gerling born 2/9/1903
Great Aunt Millie :)
Now me!

It is a trunk that by what Aunt Millie told me that when GGGpa Peter's mother died, he packed with his clothes to go live with his older sister.  However, I wonder if it wasn't that his father died instead. More about that after these fabulous photos!

As I stated earlier, Peter Bax was born in 1880, he was the seventh child of Joseph Bax and Sophia Constantine DeBruijne, and the 8th child over all (Joseph had been married once before Sophia and had one child).

In 1884 when Peter was only four years old, his father passed away.

"Bax, Joseph - 45 yrs. farmer, 6 Oct 1884 6am, born and married Germany, in Mo. 20 years, died Jim Henry Twp. Coma caused by effusion into the brain, result of extended phlegmonous erysipelas;of the face 10 days, buried St. Elizabeth 7 Oct."

Further research showed a family story passed down through an adjacent Bax family states that he may have been gored by a bull.

It was after this event that perhaps Sophia needed help as she was now a widow left with 7 children ranging from 17 years and younger. Theresa, the eldest daughter of Joseph Bax and Sophia would have been 19, and likely the sister that Peter would have been sent to live with. Unless it was perhaps one of JOSEPH's sister's he went to live with instead.

If Theresa, she was most likely out of the home, since according to her husband, John Lueckenotte's obituary, as well as the 1900 census, they were married in 1884. I am still unable to find their marriage record on ancestry, but their first child, Annie, was born in May of 1885.

Unfortunately the 1890 census was burned up, and so I am unable to say where Peter was living at the age of 14, and by 1900 he was 20 and most likely on his own anyway. He isn't at least, living with his mother ,who remarried.  His mother, Sophia, remarried August 23, 1887 to William Tolken. Perhaps after doing so, Peter came back to live with her, although it may have been only until he came of age.

Peter's younger sister, Sophia, age 18, in 1900 is listed as living as a servant in the household of Joseph and Mary Castrop. I'd have to do a little more digging to see if they are related in some way, or if she was in fact, just living there as help.

Back to the trunk though, Aunt Millie said that it had been sitting at Great Grandma Veronica's, and was gathering dust and dirt dobbers and she asked if she could have it, and that is how it passed from her to Aunt Millie.  And now on to me :)

I think its just wonderful, and have it sitting in my office where I can look at it next to my family pictures that I'm slowly getting up on the wall.