Roper Family Heirlooms

Spending time scanning photos today.  

I'm trying to de-clutter and it took me YEARS to decide what to do with photos after I've scanned them.  Originally, I sorted and tossed the bad shots/multiples/unidentified persons photos, then scanned the rest.  Sometimes I scanned them myself, other times I sent them to Legacy Box (they didn't pay me for the mention; but I've been super pleased with their service and care for my photos.)

After I scanned them (or received the digital copies back), I'd label the digital copies, then toss the original photos in boxes sorted by family name.  So, I had 6 boxes of scanned photos, plus photos on an external drive because the sentimentality of throwing away family photos was too much for me.  

After over-thinking if for far too long, I finally decided to toss all the scanned photos EXCEPT the ones with historical value (the tin-types, or old b/w photos that have some unique value).  I also decided to back up my digital photos so that the external drive isn't my only copy.  I decided a free gmail account just dedicated to photos is what works for me; you may find another method.

This new 'system' lets me keep the photos that have antique and sentimental value but still clears up the boxes of photos that I kept 'just in case something happened'.  I'm not feeling like I'm throwing history away, but I'm also getting rid of the clutter.  Win-win!

My last post I shared about the Roper Furniture Company catalog and heirlooms; I found a few more photos today.  On the back of these photos were 'stories' about the pieces; written in my father's (J.G. Roper) hand. Some of the writing was covered by glue & paper, but I tried to get as much of the information as I could read.

The watch story:  "My father's watch and stand made <missing> Roper with gold chain. 2 - $5 gold pieces cuff-links and 1 - 2 1/2 gold as tie tack"  There is information about appraisal value in 1973.

"This Seth Thomas clock seven day included glass with silver. The clock was purchased 1871; Father gave it to his mother Bessie in 1945".  There are also some reconditioning notes and value.

"Grandfather clock purchased in Germany by grandfather.  Mr. Studebaker in 1868 and was town of Mishawaka clock time piece. In 1890 <covered>my grandfather (J.A. Roper)'s bank. in 1902 taken to the Roper Furniture Co.  In 1910 my father (Harry D. Roper) brought it to our home. Later, I, J. Gordon Roper had it overhauled completely."

Chair belonged to father's great Aunt and was her mother's from 1840.  Repaired and refinished with cane seat and back.

This antique oak table <missing> made by Roper Furni <missing> in about 1910 with a <missing> claw. Given to Mrs. Ornl (sp?) Stanford <rest is missing or unreadable>

I was thrilled to find these photos and the stories on the back!  However I *wish* my dad hadn't glued them into paper albums or had written the stories somewhere else.  Paper albums are not archival quality (who knew or cared about that back then), and well, if you write things on the back of the photo, then glue the photo to an album or something, the written words are pretty much lost.  

If you have photos that aren't digitized, get started on this project right now!  Not only does color and quality of the photos degrade with time, tragedies happen (fire, flood, etc.) and the names of the people in the photos fade from memory. Digitizing your photos makes them available for you and future generations to view -- providing, I suppose they have something compatible to view them with.  But I guess that's a worry for another generation.  

Thanks for reading!  

Roper Furniture Company

Roper Family, Long Beach House.  My dad James Gordon Roper is in the back, on the right near the pillar.

Today I received a comment on the blog about a piece of furniture from the Roper Furniture Company; it nudged me to dig out the digitized photos I have from that time in the Roper family history.

Growing up, to my knowledge, we had two pieces built by the Roper Furniture Company in the house.  One was a table and the other a grandfather clock.

J.A. Roper Home, Indiana

The Grandfather Clock is rumored to have been built for one of the banks in South Bend or Mishawaka, Indiana.  I've contacted a couple of historical societies there, but haven't had any luck verifying the truth of that rumor.  The family story says it was built and placed inside the bank for a number of years, then moved somewhere into the town square before moving into the Roper family home.  As the Roper Furniture Company moved from Mishawaka, IN to Dixon, IL at some point, and the family moved their residences as well, it's not clear at what point the clock moved into the private residence.

I do know the clock made the move to California when the family, for the most part, moved to Palo Alto.  And I do know that the clock was in my home in Hesperia, CA, moved to Oregon and finally to Washington with me. 

Roper Grandfather Clock, Hesperia, California

The table was in our home in California; unfortunately my mother sold it when we moved to Oregon.  If I'd realized the significance of the table at the time, I would have likely pitched a pre-teen fit in hopes that we could have taken it with us.  My father died when I was 12 and I hadn't yet realized the importance of history or family heirlooms or how much I would mourn the loss of a piece of my father's legacy.  You can't see the feet well in these photos, but they have "claws" on them. 

Christmas 1963

Christmas 1968

I remember as a young child finding that a bit scary, but as I got older they were just part of that table.  I had no idea how significant that detail was in the Roper line.  One of the things I found when going through old photos and boxes of memorabilia was a catalog from the Roper Furniture Company of their dining room furniture.  

Here's two of the tables with claw feet

And one more here.  

 Even the shipping costs from the time!  Wonder how that compares to shipping costs now!


















I also have an envelope I purchased from Ebay with the Roper Furniture Company Logo and postmarks from 1896, and a postcard with a drawing of the factory from 1909.

Thanks for letting me share these with you!