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.

Child's Dishes

This set of china is a small tea set for children to play with. There are also two pewter castors.

These items belonged to my mother, Lillie Strahl Cardinal, and date back to her childhood in the 1880's. I do not know exactly how or when she got them, but they were among her prized possessions.

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.

Game Board

This game board measures about 29″ square with mesh pockets at the four corners. It was patented by The Carrom Company, Ludington, Michigan. This is Style E, No. 1 Archarena. It is designed to play Carroms (registered) and checkers on one side and croquinol on the reverse side, as well as many other games. It came with an instruction book (now lost) covering 57 games (I think). Playing pieces are wooden rings in red, green, and clear, black. There are also two wooden cues 26″ long.

The game set was bought in 1918 or 1919 by my father, Gilbert Cardinal, while we lived at Oneida. He particularly enjoyed playing Carroms with my mother and me.

A few of the rings have broken.

Diary

Gilbert H. Cardinal

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

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