The Material Legacy

Child Chairs

The four chairs have interesting histories.

The green straight chair was bought by her parents for my wife, Beatrice Ferslev, when she was four years old (in 1919). It was used specifically for her to sit on in the one-seated family automobile while her older sister sat between the parents and the younger sister sat on mother's lap.

The other three chairs were given to me after my *cousin's children outgrew them (about 1915). The training chair was a brown color – stain and varnish –; we never had the tray. The "kitchen" chair was red enamel. I remember the rocker as yellow – probably a stained or natural finish. When Uncle Abe Frei brought the training chair from Spokane, Washington, out to the ranch on Indian Prairie, he was embarassed; so he put it in a burlap bag. I named the chairs for ranch horses – Major (training chair), Queen (kitchen), and Flo (rocker) and drove them with string lines. The chair backs and rear legs still show the wear from being dragged across the floor. I still refer to them by name.

Comode

This piece of furniture was my Grandmother Cardinal's. I don't know its previous history, but she gave up house keeping in 1913, so it must have been old then. It was a dark stained finish, painted white in the 1920's for use in our bath room. One of the towel rack bars was broken as early as I remember and has been removed.

Butcher's Clever with sword handle

Used in Napolean's army.

The sword handle was probably a replacement, used instead of a regular handle because no other was available.

It was later found in a Wisconsin blacksmith's trash pail.

The rescuer brought it home and his wife used it to cut kindling. (Early 1800's.)

It travelled with them to Washington [state] and back, when it got its real workout chopping wood (1930's).

Diary

Gilbert H. Cardinal

Mostly during War with Spain (1898). He served in Porto Rica [sic].)

Orange spoon

For eating oranges cut in half.

Field Tools

These tools belonged to my father, Gilbert Cardinal, prior to 1920. Most of them were probably in 1917 when we moved onto a farm at Oneida, Wisconsin.

• Double-bitted axe (handle replaced about 1965)
• Scythe
• Wooden hand hay rake (I turned replacement teeth in 1985)
• Garden spade
• Two three-tined pitch forks
• Corn knife
• Post hole digger
• Buck saw
• Lantern
• Short-handled square shovel (this was discarded by C&NW Ry in 1920's)

Shop Tools

Acquired by me during high school years (1927-31) or before.

• Work bench (made for me by my father)
• Vise
• Claw hammer (marked Alty on handle)
• Push drill (Mr. Punch)
• Auger bits for brace (6/16″, 8/16″, 10/16″)
• Countersink bit
• Twist bit (¼)
• Brace
• Marking guage
• Try square
• Large screw driver (square shank, wood handle) (bought for me by my Uncle Sam Cardinal)
• Screw driver set (3 in 1)
• Wooden handle containing may tools
• Jack plane
• Carpenter chisels (½″ ¾″)
• Spoke shave
• Hand cranked grinder