52 Ancestors: Conflict

The thing about coming from a large family is if there is something special about your family, something that isn’t a photograph or something that can be duplicated, only one person can have it. It’s just a fact.

My great-grandma Ida Borchert Gall was the oldest of six kids. Before my grandma Pauline Gall McCallum died, her aunt Katherine (Ida’s youngest sister) gifted her the family bible, which my mom then inherited. I do not know why Katherine didn’t pass it down to her direct descendants.

 

Pauline McCallum and Katherine Howell
I found this picture with corresponding information (in my mom’s handwriting) tucked inside the Bible.

 

However, this has created a conflict within the family. Others are upset that they were not given the Bible, while my mom has no problem sharing the content, but does not want to give it up.

 

AvWUMuoGQvmvcCbOroZezQ
Borchert family bible.

me3pESKZQmqQbKzLdV8msg

 

The Bible is stamped from Cincinnati, where the last four children were born and the family lived between 1887 and 1897. The pages are coming loose, and there are some momentos (mostly written in German) tucked inside.

 

vTWltVTeSdeNDf14YDD8Zw
Bible from German Methodist Deaconess Home in Cincinnati, Ohio.
zvHSCaP8THmsIPNzPdmXOg
The spine and pages are coming loose.
L83qMTEKT9GYfjknlu0MTQ
A memento stuck in the pages of the Borchert family bible, from Lincoln Glee Club.

 

The Bible is nothing special: it is written in German and is starting to fall apart. It does list the names and birth dates of all the children, including Katherine’s descendants.

 

6FeNKstTRDiuCbX47RwyBg
The pages from the family bible. I am unsure what the last entry is (if anyone can help out!).
NP3LqDlsTv2d1wwMzicDuw
The children of Hermann and Dora Borchert.
%w3ASjgPSF6NVAZs122w2g
The descendants of Katherine Borchert Howell.

I love this heirloom and being able to see my great-grandma’s handwriting. We don’t have much from her side of the family, so this is really special.

Thanks for reading! With my new menu, on the homepage, you can click on blog and it will dropdown 52ancestors, so all the back postings are easy to find!

Until next time,

Meredith