{"id":10632,"date":"2024-02-20T23:59:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T05:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/?p=10632"},"modified":"2024-02-21T00:09:09","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T06:09:09","slug":"the-locket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/the-locket\/","title":{"rendered":"The Locket"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

“I looked at your picture today, you know I have four besides the one in my locket,<\/p>\n

and it made me feel home-sick or love sick or something like that.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Letters\"\"<\/h2>\n

The words in the quote were written upside down on the top of a letter from Nellie Peelle to Joe McCracken in August of 1913. Joe, who was 20 years of age, had gone out of state to work in the fields, leaving his 19-year-old “girl”  Nellie behind. It was one of several letters that they wrote that summer. The letters between them were a mixture of everyday happenings and sweet romance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe would discuss things along the lines of  his work and how far he was from a town.  Nellie would respond to his statements and tell him about local happenings, such as, the rain, church, or their friends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nellie always seem to give off a vibe of a very proper lady.  She never appeared to me to be as strict and rigid as her sister, but definitely proper.  This makes the romantic banter between them all the more interesting.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In their letters, both admitted that they were sweethearts and that they loved the other.  Nellie told Joe, “I sure do get lonesome on Sunday evenings or when I go somewhere.”   She also indicated that everyone knew she was his gal and that no one had tried to make a move for her in his absence.  She also told him never to change his looks, but she teased, “What are you going to do next sprout a mustache?  If you do I’ll_____________ (pull it out)” And, just about the time Joe’s letters seemed to be mundane, he would throw in a statement, such as, “I am as ever a boy that will always love you.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Seven months after this letter was written, Nellie and Joe married.  Clearly, they were in love and it wasn’t just a matter of needing a mate or convenience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Joe McCracken’s photo on the left. The right is Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, but Joe’s photo reflects over it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Search<\/h2>\n

It has been at least 15 years since I first read the letters between Nellie and Joe, my paternal grandparents.  When I read the statement about the locket, I wondered what it looked like and if it still existed.  I didn\u2019t remember seeing my grandmother wearing a locket and I hadn\u2019t heard anyone mention it.  Thus, the search was on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photographs<\/h3>\n

I first started going through photographs and enlarged any that showed a necklace with a pendant.  However, I didn\u2019t find anything that clearly looked to be a locket.  One of the pictures from when they married showed a necklace of interest, but upon further research, it was determined not to be a locket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Very faint photo of Nellie (Peelle) McCracken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Does The Family Know<\/h3>\n

I asked my dad about the locket.  He didn\u2019t remember a locket, but said that if it still existed, he figured that his mom had given it to one of his sisters.  His guess was his oldest sister O\u2019Ella or his youngest sister Kay.  However, any of his six sisters might have had it.  Only one of his sisters was still living.  So, most of my questions about it were directed toward my cousins.  However, no one seemed to know anything about it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In early 2009, I was talking with my cousin Ava about it. She said that she had her mother\u2019s jewelry box, but she hadn\u2019t looked through it and missing her mother who had passed a few years earlier she sounded hesitant to do so.  To my surprise, she messaged me sometime later and said that she had looked in her mom\u2019s jewelry box and that she thought she had found the locket.  It had no chain, but the locket was intact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inside the locket was a photograph of a young Grandpa Joe. No doubt it was the very same photo that Grandma Nellie mentioned in her letter all those years ago.  On the opposite side was a very, very faded photo of Grandma Nellie.  The locket had survived and had indeed been handed down to her oldest daughter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was very fortunate that it was found before Ava\u2019s passing and that it was transferred to me to preserve for future generations.  To someone not looking for it, its significance might have been missed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Becoming An Heirloom<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t know exactly when Grandma Nellie got the locket.  Perhaps it was a gift from her family or her sweetheart.  But, the letter shows that it is now over 110 years old.  It is more than just an \u201cold\u201d item that the family owned.  The photos inside make it special and the letter documenting its existence makes it extra special.<\/p>\n

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