Same As It Never Was
My name is Clara and my ancestors have been making dolls for years. My great-great-grandmother made dolls in the basement of Prospect Place located outside of Dresden, Ohio.
Her name was Margaret Holmes. She was employed by the Adams family in 1876 to work on dolls for their children. She had her own little sleeping quarters and doll factory in the basement. She worked for them up until 1896 when Mr. William Cox went missing and his wife could no longer keep up with the staff and work around the home. My great-great-grandmother was 36 when she was let go from Prospect Place.
She later settled in a small home in Dresden and married my great-great-grandfather Chester in 1899. At the age of 40, my Margaret gave birth to a daughter, my great-grandmother, Lucy. Margaret and Chester lived in Dresden, working on a small farm up until their death in 1947 at the ages of 87 and 91 respectively.
My great grandmother Lucy married a fellow farmer, Robert Maxwell in 1918 and gave birth to my grandfather, Lester in 1927. Lucy continued on with her mother's legacy- creating dolls. She sold them at small antique shops around Dresden. She loved it and really found her passion and element. This heritage continued on.
My grandfather Lester married his high school sweetheart Rose in 1946 and thus, Lester and Rose Maxwell took over the family business of farming and crafting beautiful, hand-made dolls for young boys and girls to enjoy.
In 1951, my mother was born- God rest her soul. Susie Maxwell. I never got to know her. She passed away during child birth in 1970. So, after that, it was just my father Frank and myself. My father could never come to terms with my mother's death- nor could he come to terms with the fact that he had to raise a daughter on his own. One morning, he dropped me off at my Grandma Rose's house and never returned. We all assumed he couldn't handle it and started a new life somewhere. I was, of course, torn up about it at the time. What 8 year old wouldn't be? But my Grandma Rose and Grandpa Lester didn't skip a beat. They raised me like I was their own. Grandma taught me everything she knew. How to bake cookies, how to care for cattle, how to create the perfect gravy, and most importantly- how to craft perfect hand-made dolls, all with their own unique touch.
So, after years of perfecting my craft, I opened my own antique shop-
"Same As It Never Was Antiques" right in our home town.
It's all I've ever wanted.
I get to sell my great-great grandmother's dolls and other miscellaneous things she owned. Some from the Prospect Place that everyone knows and is particularly curious about.
I hope you've enjoyed a little back story on how "Same As It Never Was Antiques" came about.
Her name was Margaret Holmes. She was employed by the Adams family in 1876 to work on dolls for their children. She had her own little sleeping quarters and doll factory in the basement. She worked for them up until 1896 when Mr. William Cox went missing and his wife could no longer keep up with the staff and work around the home. My great-great-grandmother was 36 when she was let go from Prospect Place.
She later settled in a small home in Dresden and married my great-great-grandfather Chester in 1899. At the age of 40, my Margaret gave birth to a daughter, my great-grandmother, Lucy. Margaret and Chester lived in Dresden, working on a small farm up until their death in 1947 at the ages of 87 and 91 respectively.
My great grandmother Lucy married a fellow farmer, Robert Maxwell in 1918 and gave birth to my grandfather, Lester in 1927. Lucy continued on with her mother's legacy- creating dolls. She sold them at small antique shops around Dresden. She loved it and really found her passion and element. This heritage continued on.
My grandfather Lester married his high school sweetheart Rose in 1946 and thus, Lester and Rose Maxwell took over the family business of farming and crafting beautiful, hand-made dolls for young boys and girls to enjoy.
In 1951, my mother was born- God rest her soul. Susie Maxwell. I never got to know her. She passed away during child birth in 1970. So, after that, it was just my father Frank and myself. My father could never come to terms with my mother's death- nor could he come to terms with the fact that he had to raise a daughter on his own. One morning, he dropped me off at my Grandma Rose's house and never returned. We all assumed he couldn't handle it and started a new life somewhere. I was, of course, torn up about it at the time. What 8 year old wouldn't be? But my Grandma Rose and Grandpa Lester didn't skip a beat. They raised me like I was their own. Grandma taught me everything she knew. How to bake cookies, how to care for cattle, how to create the perfect gravy, and most importantly- how to craft perfect hand-made dolls, all with their own unique touch.
So, after years of perfecting my craft, I opened my own antique shop-
"Same As It Never Was Antiques" right in our home town.
It's all I've ever wanted.
I get to sell my great-great grandmother's dolls and other miscellaneous things she owned. Some from the Prospect Place that everyone knows and is particularly curious about.
I hope you've enjoyed a little back story on how "Same As It Never Was Antiques" came about.
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