The Material Legacy

Blanket Chest

This chest was the property of my great grandfather, Samuel S. Johnston (1806-1886), and was given to me by his daughter Mary Ann Johnston Cardinal (1842-1935) who was my grandmother.

I am not sure of the origin of the chest. It may have come with S.S. Johnston when he emigrated to the United States from Ireland. Or, it may have been an army chest acquired when he served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War and Civil War.

The chest was made of only six boards: one each for bottom, sides, ends, and lid. When I received it (about 1923), the chest was in sound condition except for the split lid. Also, the molding along the front edge of the lid was gone, one hinge missing, one handle missing, lock inoperative, the lid and lock of the inside compartment missing, and the exterior scarred from handling. The original dark blue paint was intact, but scratched. The damaged lid had been reinforced, using cut nails. See the secret drawer under the inside compartment.

Recognizing its value as a family heirloom, my mother and father fixed it up for use in the house. The missing molding was replaced on the lid front edge, casters added, a strap (made from my father's old pants suspenders) installed to hold the cover, and the entire chest covered with a coat of varnish-stain.

I undertook restoration over a period of time ending in 1983. I removed the varnish- stain, retaining the original paint, strengthened the cover with dowels and screws, and applied two coats of paint of a color maatched to the original by the proprietor of Monte's Paint & Decorating. To preserve the wood, I painted the previously unpainted bottom exterior and applied a colorless spray finish to the entire inside. In the process, I had a hinge made by a blacksmith at Heidgen Co. (115 S. Broadway, Green Bay) to match as well as possible the original. The original is on the left and the copy on the right. Leather handles for both ends were made for me by a shoe repair shop; the original brass plates are on the right end, those on the left I made from a piece of new brass plate, screws are new.

Sewing Chair

This low wooden rocker belonged to my mother, Lillie Strahl Cardinal (1877- 1948). I don't know when or how it was acquired, but I remember it as an old chair when I was a child.

Originally, the chair was finished with a dark brown stain and had a brown cane seat (fragments of the cane are still there). In the late 1920's, Mother installed a dime store plywood replacement seat. At some time, one of the six back splints was broken; I removed the opposite one to maintain symmetry when I painted the chair gray in the 1950's.

Billfold and $1 Bill

Owned by Gilbert H. Cardinal. [Large size bill; 1923 silver certificate.]

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)