June 19, 1907

On June 19, 1907 my great-grandmother, Mary Frances Viers was married to Melvin Jackson. This is their 100th wedding anniversary.
For their honeymoon they boarded a train in southwestern Virginia bound for the Jamestown Exposition. The 300th anniversary celebration lasted from April to late fall 1907. The 400th anniversary of Jamestown is in progress now.
Great-grandfather Mellie died of appendicitis 7 years later and Mom Jackson was left with 3 children under the age of 6. Newly widowed she learned how to sew from a mail-order Butterick course, taught school, and never dated again. I have written before about their 2 daughters, my grandmother Annie Lee and great aunt Francis. This trunk was her main luggage for the train trip. It probably contained what might be called her trousseau. Perhaps it contained some of her hopes and dreams. The trunk was recently passed down to me. I began to wonder where such a large item could be bought in the early 20th century. Bristol, maybe? Perhaps from a Sears and Roebuck catalog? I began searching for the catalog that was closest to 1907 and found a reprint of the 1902 catalog on Ebay. When it finally came my fingers eagerly thumbed the pages. My detective efforts were rewarded, I think. There is a strong resemblance between my trunk and the one in the catalog.
I have been accused of being competitive, to a fault, by some. I plead no contest.
Mom Jackson was... resilient. I hope I inherited some of that.