The Mystery of the Old Trunk
It all began in the old-old days. August of 1963, to be
exact. Gpappy was 18, packing up for college. Today, college students bring a
moving van to haul their clothes and household goods, but in the old-old days,
a suitcase and an army green footlocker trunk held everything a guy might want
or need for his dorm room.
In winter of 2016, the trunk, spray painted black and having
served in the not-quite-as-old-old days as an end table in Gpappy and Gma
Jill’s first apartment, and having rested undisturbed for decades in the
basement on Church Street, had become a treasure chest in the eyes and minds of
four little boys. The boys were curious to find out what was inside. The only
problem? The key was nowhere to be found. The determined little boys, who
happened to be cousins, searched high and low and inside and out of every shelf
and box and drawer in the basement on Church Street. No key, only
disappointment.
All that changed on a March afternoon when one of the little
boys was visiting Gpappy and Gma Jill alone after school. The little boy
cajoled Gpappy in the sweetest way possible to help him find the key to what he
called “the treasure box”. Gpappy said yes, on the condition that the little
boy would keep the contents of the treasure box a secret from the other little
boys, and eventually from their little girl cousins who would come soon for a
visit.
Gma Jill, who was busy in the kitchen, heard muffled
conversation between Gpappy and the excited little boy in the basement. Soon
the little boy came tearing up the stairs, shouting, “Gma! Gma! We found the
key to the treasure box!”
Oh, to capture the delight of that moment ... because it would
certainly turn to disappointment when the contents of the treasure box was
revealed a few minutes later. “It’s just paperwork, Gma. Grandpa’s
paperwork.” Old exams and
notebooks, papers from work on his dissertation. No pirate’s treasure map or
gold coins from the old-old days.
But the little boy perked up at the thought of keeping the
contents a secret from the other little boys and girls, and made a pact with
Gpappy not to reveal what he’d discovered. Until a few days later.
The four little boy cousins were playing in the yard on
Church Street the following Saturday when one of them burst in the door, saying
that his brother told them he had found the key to the treasure box, and they all wanted to
see what was inside.
The little boys were encouraged to go back outside and play
so Gpappy could have some quiet time to recall where he’d put the treasure box
key. This was actually a ruse so that the daddy of two of the little boys could
compose a long lost letter from the old-old days. A letter from George Lawrence,
Gpappy’s great-great-great grandfather (5 x great-grandfather for the cousins),
who had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 (not on our side). Tales of his
capture (twice) and release (twice) and having to walk all the way home from New York to Canada both times was somewhat familiar to the little boys,
because Gpappy had told them about it using a puzzle map to trace George's trail.
Delight and disappointment once again, as the treasure box
was unlocked and the little boys discovered all that “paperwork”. But this
time, George Lawrence’s letter and four rolls of pennies stuffed into a sock
gave them hope that the treasure box might also be magical, because they had
not been in the chest the first time one of the little boys opened it.
Here are the boys, learning about George Lawrence last weekend.
Young adventurers, opening the treasure box.
Ethan, reading George Lawrence’s letter from the old-old
days.
George Lawrence’s letter:
Dearest discoverer of treasure,
This is George Lawrence and the year is
1845. I am using an early version of a Mac computer. I am one of the only
people in Canada who has a computer (because it’s the old-old days right now).
I have included a treasure in this treasure
box. The first four boys who discover this will be the recipients of the gift.
It is time for me to lock up this treasure
box and send it in the mail to St. Peter, Minnesota.
Listen to your parents, young men, and use
the treasure to save for something that you’d like to buy (especially if it’s a
gift for your mom and dad).
Continue exploring, young adventurers!
Sincerely,
George Lawrence
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It was fun to see the boys' excitement about the possibility of a treasure, and to hear them recall bits and pieces of the story Gpappy had told them the week before about their "old-old" ancestor. They have no idea about the history of the Revolutionary War and no concept of how long ago that was, but this was a great way to initiate an interest. No doubt there will be more stories to come from their Gpappy about some other long-ago grandparent!
