Stop the presses!!

Okay, I said I was starting something new, I didn't say that I wouldn't change my mind.  I find posting something new each day takes some serious discipline, something I apparently do not have going forward. I have lots to share but pressed for time in the day to do it right. For those that post to their blog each day my hat goes off to you. So on that note I will attempt to post something each week or at least once a month. I hope that does not disappoint any one.

Speaking of presses, after my mom passed away and the decision was made to move my dad into a assisted living facility the task at hand was to clean out the old farm house which they had lived in for nearly 35 years. So fair to say there were a large number of items to be divide up among my siblings. A few items had been designated to each of us by my mom's wishes and I was the lucky recipient of a antique dresser in what was once my sisters bedroom and then mine after she moved out. I new that it was old and was passed down to my mom from her mom and dad. 

                                                What took place days after getting it home was what surprised me.

The dresser over the years had been neglected a little (actually a lot) and required a little tender loving care before I was able to put it back into use. So I took it upon myself to gently scrub off several layers of dust and grim and remove a few favorite peace stickers that I had put around the mirror. I had taken note during the cleaning process that on the back side of the dresser the name Anderson Furniture Company was stamped on the back. I then decide that the slats holding the mirror in place were loose and should be tightened to prevent the mirror from falling out. Carefully as I removed the slats and began to secure the cardboard backing that was to protect the back side of the mirror, I noticed that there was another layer of paper. Lifting the cardboard I exposed a newspaper dating back to 1898. The paper was from the Brantford Expositor dated June 7, 1898 Vol.  XCXVI no. 7548 published in Brantford Ontario in southern Ontario. I contacted the paper to see if they could tell me more about the manufacturer of the dresser and to my surprise they  were able to help me out, they still publish a paper today.
Here is what they replied with:

Dear sir:
The newspaper you found would indeed be a copy of the Brantford Expositor, which began publication in 1852. It is always a thrill to find such hidden treasures as they add provenance to your antique by setting a time period for which it was made and/or used. I did a quick search on Google and found that the Anderson Furniture Company moved to Woodstock in 1895 from Walkerton, Ontario where it had been started by O.G. Anderson in 1887. Woodstock is about 20 miles from Brantford. Walkerton is a drive of about two hours from Brantford. Walkerton is in Bruce County, Ontario. Furniture making was an important industry in Bruce County in the late 1800s and early 1900s and furniture made by those early companies were of excellent quality and are highly desirable. Count yourself lucky that you have such a piece to enjoy and treasure.

Heather Ibbotson
Brantford, Ontario

My mom had once said that if I wanted the dresser it was mine and that it belonged to Granma and Grandpa Pott. I always thought that she meant my grandparents (her parents), but obviously it was her grandparents Thomas & Maria. After speaking with a couple other relatives they agreed that it was passed down to my mom's parents and later to her and then to me. I do feel very lucky to be the caretaker of such a wonderful heirloom. I would love to here about other family heirlooms.