52 Ancestors, 52 weeks #8 Heirloom

Our family heirloom is a pocket watch that was passed down from our Great-grandfather, Avery Brink Wight, to my Grandfather, Avery Bruce to my brother Avery James.

Avery Brink (spouse, Mary Eleanor Woodworth), born in January 1878 in Kechi, Kansas, served in the Spanish-American War (Phillippines) as well as being a Major in the Army during World War I.  After the war, he became a State bank examiner in Cashion, Oklahoma.

Funny (or sad, depends) story regarding the watch:  Mom and Dad kept it until my brother was old enough (my dad may still have it, not sure).  Along with several other valuable things, but not locked up.  When I was in high school, we took a family trip to Paris, France, as my mother was a French teacher and my sisters and I had been studying French for a couple of years in high school. We had hosted over two previous summers, French exchange students and they were ready to show us their “home.” We had friends checking up several times a day on our house, pets, and the property.  Even with all that “security,” someone broke into our house while we were gone.  When we returned, among other things, the cars had been taken, my mother’s camera, a reel-to-reel we used to watch 8mm home movies on (this is the one I missed the most!), but thankfully (!!) all the jewelry – including the gold watch – had been left behind.

My great grandfather moved from Enid back to Cashion after Mary Eleanor died and was an undersheriff, after 1946 until he died in 1955.

 

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