Most of us have a connection to the
past that only goes as far as our grandparents. For many, it is usually just an odd snapshot from a past reunion,
a remembered story about a long-lost relative, or names in an old family
Bible. Some of us only get to
experience our ancestors from genealogical information we discover in books and
online. But what if an artifact from a
distant ancestor seemed to travel through time to find you. What would you think? Divine intervention? Coincidence? How would you feel if it happened to you twice? Well just ask Allison Houston Olson, because
she’s experienced it.
“I received a phone call from my good
friend, Julie Baggett Burroughs. She called to tell me about a
sale occurring at an antiques store near my house,” recounts
Allison. Some old student desks that
were being sold in this particular store had interested Allison; however, after
arriving and inspecting the desks, she decided that they weren’t what she
wanted. This is where the story could
have ended, but it took an incredible twist.
She turned to her mother-in-law who was accompanying her, and asked her
if she wanted to have a look around.
They entered the first antique booth and found several interesting items
on display.
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| Portrait of Sarah Luvenia Malone Falls 1852-1899 |
“An antique photo resting on a lower
shelf caught my attention. While looking at the photo, I commented to my
mother-in-law that I could not understand why on earth people would sell old
photos of their family members. As I stood up, my eyes immediately rose
to the items on the wall above my head. What I then saw produced a lump
in my throat and caused my heart and emotions to race. Directly above me
was the 18”x20” original framed photograph of my great-great grandmother!” she
recalls. “I couldn't catch my breath.”
"That is my great-great
grandmother, that is my great-great grandmother,” she remembers telling her
mother-in-law excitedly.
“Are you sure?” her mother-in-law
repeatedly asked her.
“I am positive!” Allison replied.
She had just
found an antique photograph portrait of her great-great grandmother, Sarah Luvenia
Malone Falls! She knew that was who it was because several
family members had copies of the original photograph portrait, but the whereabouts of the
original were never known. Allison goes
on to say that her grandmother, who has passed away just a year before, had wondered about what had happened to that
original photograph of her maternal grandmother.
“Almost exactly one year later, I
locate it in an antiques store, “ Allison says, “ With hands shaking, I
took the photo off the wall, walked to the cash register, and told
the owners that the photo was of my great-great grandmother. The owners
questioned me, so I gave them her name. They turned the photo over
and there on the back was her name. I was still shaking and on the verge
off tears. I called my mother and told her what I had found, and then the
tears began welling up again.”
The original photograph now resides in the
home of Allison’s mother, Bobbie Wyatt Houston.
"I felt
like she had found a priceless treasure. I was very excited when she gave it to
me. I felt like my mom, who had just passed away only a year before, was
sending us a sweet message of endearment. The picture now holds a place of
honor in my home,” says Mrs. Houston.
How does
Allison herself now look back on the event?
“Initially I was dumbfounded. My emotions were all over the
place. I then realized she was home. Sarah Luvenia, that is. I had brought her home, so to speak. Why had it been
me? I don’t know. Was it God? Could be. Coincidence? Doubtful. Luck of the
draw? I don’t think so. For some reason, I was supposed to be there that day.
For some reason, I needed to be there that day and my friend, Julie, was the
instigator, for lack of a better word, in getting me there. Sarah Luvenia's
portrait had been hanging there since February of that
year, no one had purchased it, thank goodness, but in October, she needed to
come home. I truly have no answers, other than, she needed to come home.”
Now that’s an incredible story all by itself, but what if a very
similar event happens just a bit further down the road?
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The actual antique cotton basket
|
Allison describes herself “a collector of
all things vintage”. She has recently
started to sell some of her finds on a Facebook page. She recalls a recent event.
“I received a
message from someone, unknown to me, asking if I bought antiques. For those
that know me well, this is one of my weaknesses, that and genealogy. After much
conversing on Facebook, we agreed to meet. This gentleman lived in an area
where many of my maternal grandmother’s family members lived. There is even a road with the family name.
My family and I arrived at his barn one afternoon. The man was very welcoming. He had several things set out for me
to peruse. I noticed a large hand-woven cotton basket near the front.”
She says
she asked him about the antique basket and he said he had gotten it from a man
named Mayfield who lived just up the road from him. Allison says that that the
name sounded familiar, but “it didn't initially click”.
She says she continued to look around his barn at his
wonderful collection of antiques; all the while in the back of her mind, she was
thinking about the name “Mayfield”. She picked out a few items, one being the
basket; then questioned him further about the gentleman that had made the
basket.
“He told me the man’s name was
"Robert Mayfield". BING! Lights and sirens went off in my head! My
great-great-great grandfather was Robert
"Robin" Jasper Mayfield. What were the odds, I thought at the time.
After much discussion, I discovered that a past relative of mine had made the
basket. A conversation with my mom later confirmed it. This gentleman was
gracious enough to take us to the old home site of my relative where I took
photos and heard stories about how life used to be when my relative was living.
The old cotton basket is now in my home, where it shall remain. I reconnected with a part of my history that
I would not have known about had this gentleman not contacted me. He welcomed
us into his home and barn; but most importantly led me into a part of my
history, and for that I am eternally grateful.” She adds, “Someone once told me ‘family comes back to
family’. I don’t know where they saw that or read that, but I believe it to be
true.”
Tom Clardy also claims Sarah Luvenia Malone Falls as a great-great grandmother and can't be more happy that the portrait now has a safe home with family. He may be contacted at tfclardy@aol.com
