A Piece of History Moving to Indianapolis

This weekend, my siblings and their families and I are all traveling up to Michigan for my Grandmother’s estate auction. I think we all make this journey with mixed emotions. On one hand, it will be nice to have Grandma's estate all taken care of. The burden will be lifted from our parents’ shoulders. No more 2-hour trips to check up on Grandma’s place or to do more maintenance. On the other hand, this is goodbye: goodbye to a place with so many memories, to furniture and artifacts that have been in the family for decades, goodbye to a farm that has withstood the test of time.

Each of us grandkids was asked if there were particular items we wanted to keep for our own. I didn’t have to think very long and hard about that one at all. I have always been fascinated by the rocking chair that sat in Grandma’s living room. I remember that chair in the attic bedroom at my great grandparents’ home in southern Illinois. There it sat in the attic, facing the door near the old pump organ. I had to sleep in that attic bedroom once, and I vaguely remember hearing a story about how someone had died in that chair and how if you were really quick and careful, you could still catch the chair rocking back and forth on its own.

When I was young and my Great Grandpa died, that chair moved to Michigan to my Grandma’s house, and my fascination with it only grew. I tried to sketch it a few times, but I couldn't capture it well in my notebooks. It has a dragon carved into the back and a few other ornate details, but other than that, it just looks like a typical rocking chair to me.

And so when my Mom asked me if there was anything I would like, I put in a request for that rocking chair, and since no one else wanted it, it will be coming home with me on this trip. I don’t know how old it is. I don’t know that it is valuable or worth much at all, but to me it is a sentimental favorite.

After describing the chair to some friends and co-workers, I wondered if there were any photos of the chair, and then I recalled that I had a picture of a relative in that chair. I couldn't remember who exactly, and so I dug around through my scans this morning and found this old worn photo. It is my Grandma’s grandparents, Jane and James Dexter. I know, they are deliciously frightening and don’t look like the most charming of folks, but everybody had a scowl in photographs back in the day. And yes, if you will note, my Great, Great Grandfather is sitting in the chair--the chair that will soon be moving to Indianapolis. I’m very excited to have a little piece of family history moving in with me. As for the haunting scenario, I’ll keep you posted...