Treasure Chest Thursday: Great Grandma and Grandpa Madsen's Wedding Bowl

This beautiful porcelain bowl and silver serving spoon were given as wedding gifts to my great grandparents, Lars Hansen Madsen and Johanna Bruhns Madsen, on their wedding day: April 4, 1917. Lars (also known as Grandpa Louie) immigrated in 1908 from Risemark, Ærø, Denmark. Johanna was born and raised in Tracy, California. They were married in San Francisco, California, and made their home in and around the Livermore Valley, including the little towns of Murray and Altamont, which no longer exist. There, they raised three children: Lloyd Harold (b. 1918), my maternal grandmother, Donna Marie (1919-1966), and Rae Harriett (1921-2010).

As you can see from the tape on the bottom of the bowl, my Great Aunt Rae gave this bowl to my mom at some point (I'm not sure when because it had been proudly displayed for years in our home).

The other piece of tape illustrates a funny little family tradition my immediate family has: my sister, Cindy, and I somehow started putting our names on masking tape and "marking" the family heirlooms that we eventually wanted to nab. Now, we aren't at all the type of family who fights over the family loot. It's become a bit of a joke, really. For example, I've been known to "tag" an item that I know my sister covets, just get her hackles up (all in fun!). Or, she'll put my name on something she knows I detest. Mom once even put rolls of masking tape and markers in our Christmas stockings. That year, about 10 years ago, when my mom and dad's new Border Collie puppy came to live with them, I half-jokingly wrote my name on a big piece of tape and stuck it to cute little Blaise. I'll still claim her if Mom ever wants to give her up!



Of course, I was thrilled when Mom noticed how much I loved Great Grandma and Grandpa Madsen's wedding bowl and decided to bequeath it to me. I'm enjoying it now, and hopefully someday I'll notice that one of my nephews has discovered it and taped their own name to the bottom...