Challenge--Great Grandma Nance's Foil Christmas Bells

     Amy Johnson Crow has a 52 Ancestors Week blog challenge which I have decided to give a try for the second year. 

     The prompt for week # 5 (January 29-February 4) is Challenge.

     I actually challenged myself last year in a 52 Ancestors Week blog.  I had blogged about an heirloom that once belonged to my husband's paternal great grandmother, Isabelle Smith Hiser Nance.  I noted that I had not blogged much about my husband's ancestors.  Now, I have another one. 

     When a new year begins, I begin to work on the chore of, as we say in Pittsburgh, redding up.  I spied this large red box on a shelf and remembered it was from Ted's side of the tree.

Identification found on the bottom
of the container written by my
husband's mother, Helena Mae Smith Hiser

     I found it when cleaning out his mother's (Helena Mae Smith Hiser) condo back in 2009.  I also remembered what it contained.  Several strands of tin foil paper Christmas bells that were hung in Great Grandma Nance's windows in the 1940's.

     There are two different types of bells.  The red set has red cellophane covering the bell with tiny white beads on the edges.

     

     The gold bells are covered with foil.  At the top of the strand of bells is a star shaped foil hanger, one white and the other one red.

     There are no maker's marks on any of the bells.  After numerous search attempts to find an identity to the bells I found that paper mache was covered with foil in the mid 20th century.  These bells do not have paper mache under the foil.  

Great Grandma Nance's Bells

Etsy sale Christmas Bells

     Finally I found some foil bells for sale in Etsy and they matched Great Grandma Nance's.  Oddly they are for sale from a seller in my town.  Talk about a small world!

Also on Flipside:

Nance, William and Isabelle Smith Hiser--Christmas Card

 

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