Family Heirlooms

This family heirloom has had an interesting history. It has served a useful purpose in our garage for the past 35 years and now looks great after Carolyn's refinishing. Here is what Elaine wrote about it: 

"This table was part of the bedroom furniture give to Charles and Anna (Schneider) Koch as a piece of their wedding furniture when they were married in Pickney, Missouri on February 26, 1880. They moved to Seward, Nebraska, in1903.

In the following years, it was used by their daughter Christine (Dixie) Koch for a bedside table (while she made her home with Albert & Flora Flowerday from 1919 ‘til her death on Thanksgiving Day 1964.

The table was kept by Albert and Flora, passing it on to Elaine and then to her daughter Carolyn who has now refinished it beautifully for her home here in Seward.

Since the Koch’s were talented furniture makers, it may have been crafted by one of the Koch’s." There is also an interesting story on a bench that came about the same route.

Here is what Elaine wrote this afternoon about the Bench: 'This bench was made by Charles Koch for his family to sit on at the family table. Their children consisted of Settie, Meta, Millie, Anna, Carl, Amanda, Lydia, Flora, Della (lived only about a year), Dixie (Christine), and Verna.

The bench was made from a tree in their back yard in Missouri. In 1905 the family moved to a farm northeast of Seward where they farmed. When his health failed, they moved to house on South Columbia in 1918. After he died in 1920, the family moved to a house in the 100 block of south 4^th street in the downtown area. When Grandmother moved to California in the 1930’s to help Verna with her little ones, Flora took the bench to the farm.

Flora & Albert brought the bench along when they moved to Seward in 1956. Following their Estate auction in 1982, their daughter Elaine kept the bench in the attic of their home. Now Julie and John have it in their beautiful home in Seward to enjoy."