HER STORY + vintage
ABOVE: Kurtz says “the little winged pin delegated to my Grandma Nellie during World War II for scanning the northern Illinois skies in case of incoming Japanese bombers (yes, there was such a job), is guarded with Great-Great-Grandma Amanda’s wedding ring.” RIGHT: “Without the label, I would have thrown them to the landscape rocks but now, I am holding history,” Kurtz says of her father’s Civil War bullets found 1938 in Tennessee. Submitted photo.
CIVIL WAR
BULLETS
BY JAN KURTZ | SUBMITTED PHOTOS
AND VINTAGE POSTCARDS
F
or some, the death of an elder family member is recent. For others, it’s been years since the loved one passed. Regardless, someone is left with the task of distributing their lifetime of earthly goods. Early or late, this mission must be accomplished. We gaze into the mirror of genetics, startled to see our mother’s reflection staring back. Then, we survey the treasure trove of genealogy laid before us. What are we going to do with all this stuff? We have inherited our faces and the family heirlooms.
12 | Her Voice Summer 2021
