History Comes Alive

This article was written for The Oracle, the newsletter of the Daviess County Historical Society.

I got a huge surprise at the Daviess County Museum. My ancestors came to life for me.

Literally, that is not true. Perhaps just as well, you know? But I have seen things that connect to various generations of grandparents. And that doesn’t happen often, does it?

The following picture is an example of a wedding dress. The card reads, “Wedding Dress worn by Emma Jane Thomas. Bride of Lew Wallace Barber. October 6^th, 1886. Daviess County.” 

This is remarkable to me for several reasons. First, it’s a lovely dress. Warm tones with velvet patterning and buttons galore. It even has a matching hat. Second, it is here. One hundred twenty years later, we can see (but please don’t touch) what people wore then. It’s very attractive. Rich, even, in its own way. But not what we’d think of as a wedding dress.

A nearby sign says it was common for brides to wear the very best dress in their wardrobes for their wedding day rather than purchase a new, white dress especially for the occasion.

The third reason this is significant to me is that Emma Jane Thomas is my great-grandmother. Do you also wander through the monochromatic documents of public records, newspaper clippings, and hand-written letters to learn more about your ancestors? If so, you’ll appreciate how delightful it is to find something tangible in color. To imagine a person responsible for you being here, standing in front of you. You get a sense of size and proportion. Of style. Of … them.

If it’s white you’re looking for though, here’s my next favorite item.

The pants were worn by my great-great-great grandfather. The coverlet was made by my great-great grandmother. The sign reads, “Homespun Trousers. The linen was woven from thread spun from flax grown on the Barber Homestead in Veal Township. Note the buttons made of bone. Worn by George Houts (1791-1864) | Homespun Coverlet. Made by Aliza Katherine [Houts] Barber, wife of Aden Barber sometime in the 1830s. The flax was grown on the farm, then spun into thread and woven into the cloth.”

These items fascinate me. They are but two of thousands of items that tell stories of this area. Those stories probably link you and me. If not, you’re creating stories of your own and our tales may soon intersect. The lives we are living today are tomorrow’s history. Be thinking of what you want to hand down to the coming generations. If you need some prompts, come by the museum. We have so much to show you!