Family Heirlooms

[Peyton A]

Every family has the thing.

The one that’s survived wars, moves, and may have been obtained via less-than-legal means. Nobody remembers exactly where it came from, but everyone agrees it’s priceless and absolutely not for sale.

Drop a pic, tell the tale—who owned it, how it survived, and what part of the family history everyone suddenly changes the subject about.

 

[Doug Patteson]

This is a twofer. One from my side and the other from my wife’s.

The rifle is a Model 1895 that my GGGrandfather used to protect and hunt on his ranch in the Davis Mountains not far from where @Terry Houin hunts Aoudad. Family lore is that he used it to cross the border in pursuit of cattle rustlers one year, returning many days later exhausted pulling a mule train piled high w the hides of the rustled cattle. He wouldn’t ever talk about it.

The buckskin war party shirt is from my wife’s grandfather who was a BIA agent at the turn of the century on Crow Agency. We don’t know anything else about it.

 

[Rjohnson.307]

Couple Shin-Gunto Army and Navy Officer swords brought back by my Grandpa. Okinawa, WWII

 

[Peyton A]

This is a twofer. One from my side and the other from my wife’s.

The rifle is a Model 1895 that my GGGrandfather used to protect and hunt on his ranch in the Davis Mountains not far from where @Terry Houin hunts Aoudad. Family lore is that he used it to cross the border in pursuit of cattle rustlers one year, returning many days later exhausted pulling a mule train piled high w the hides of the rustled cattle. He wouldn’t ever talk about it.

The buckskin war party shirt is from my wife’s grandfather who was a BIA agent at the turn of the century on Crow Agency. We don’t know anything else about it.

Those are both killer. Love the cattle rustling story and that 1895 is a looker. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Peyton A]

Couple Shin-Gunto Army and Navy Officer swords brought back by my Grandpa. Okinawa, WWII
View attachment 1664
View attachment 1665

Badass. What capacity was he serving in at Okinawa? Corpsman?

 

[Rjohnson.307]

Badass. What capacity was he serving in at Okinawa? Corpsman?

He was a Marine and Purple Heart recipient in Guam. I can't remember what his MOS was, I'll report back.

Edit *Guam, not Iwo Jima

 

[Peyton A]

He was a Marine and Purple Heart recipient from Iwo Jima. I can't remember what his MOS was, I'll report back.

I’m actually a Marine Corps historian. If you want to PM me I can send you screenshots of the muster rolls he’s mentioned in as well as his casualty records.

 

[Peyton A]

He was a Marine and Purple Heart recipient in Guam. I can't remember what his MOS was, I'll report back.

Edit *Guam, not Iwo Jima

For Mr. Johnson and the Forum, he was a BAR Gunner with C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Marines and was wounded on July 26th, 1944 on Guam, his first and only day in combat.

 

[Rjohnson.307]

Awesome, Thanks again!

 

[Cagney]

View attachment 1680
For Mr. Johnson and the Forum, he was a BAR Gunner with C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Marines and was wounded on July 26th, 1944 on Guam, his first and only day in combat.

Now this is pretty freaking cool. Hell of a party trick.

 

[thebuckhorton33]

My Grandfather was the Police Chief in a smaller town in the Arkansas delta, this weekend he gave me his service pistol. A Smith and Wesson model 19-4 in .357.
God willing it will never leave my future bloodline.

 

[Hammer]

One of the "heirlooms" I found in a file hidden in the back of a cabinet after my Dad passed away. I could never pry any details out of him while he was alive, no matter how much I prodded him, and I learned some pretty astonishing things after he passed. Not many people have heard of the CIC, much less what they did, but if you know, you know...

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

Just seeing this thread! Love it! Attached is a pic with wine bottles that shows my great grandmother's Stevens .22 and my Grandfather's 1906 Winchester pump .22...
The other one shows my great grandfather's pocket watch from the 1800s...
In the other picture with the bobcat is my Grandfather's old WW1 helmet and in the other one showing the bayonet, it's his WW1 bayonet as well as some of my own "souvenirs" from Libya 1986...
I love family heirlooms!

 

[safetekk]

This tube is a prototype from the very first experiments to find civilian uses for nuclear energy after WWII. I got it from a friend that passed away who was a World War II seaplane pilot and Princeton trained physicist who cofounded the company responsible after the war. He had many of these tubes and they were all prototypes so there's probably not another like it on Earth. I received quite a few artifacts from his estate including a 1800s gold scale, a WW II seaplane sextant, and some interesting old weather and atmospheric devices. I suppose I should hope the damn thing isn't radioactive but it might be a bit late now . .

 

[Chris M]

This tube is a prototype from the very first experiments to find civilian uses for nuclear energy after WWII. I got it from a friend that passed away who was a World War II seaplane pilot and Princeton trained physicist who cofounded the company responsible after the war. He had many of these tubes and they were all prototypes so there's probably not another like it on Earth. I received quite a few artifacts from his estate including a 1800s gold scale, a WW II seaplane sextant, and some interesting old weather and atmospheric devices. I suppose I should hope the damn thing isn't radioactive but it might be a bit late now .View attachment 6122 .

The bluing on the spring acceleration coils is generally a classic sign of stray radioactive materials in these prototype multi layer isotope isolation chambers.

 

[HowieR]

This is the only heirloom that loops back to Grandad, he was wearing it when he passed, I reallly never knew him, dad gifted it to me in the mid 70's , A 1967 V3V2 110 with the sheath. Someday a grandson will get it (I hope).

 

[safetekk]

The bluing on the spring acceleration coils is generally a classic sign of stray radioactive materials in these prototype multi layer isotope isolation chambers.

Actually I think that's just oxidation on a copper plate.

 

[safetekk]

Always an interesting conversation piece.

 

[Chris M]

Actually I think that's just oxidation on a copper plate.

That seems a much more plausible explanation!

 

[Wade Burns]

I don’t have a picture of it, as it is at my parents house but we have a grinding stone from my Comanche side of the family that has been passed down. My great great Grandfather was the War Chief Tabinanica. He fought at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, etc. he was noted for raiding down into Texas and Mexico. The grinding stone is of a Mexican variety so it likely was stolen lol.