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I'm a little late in the game... but I wanted to share about one of the first prompts we received, because it is actually also my FIRST TIME sharing a story and not just photographs to FamilySearh Memories! #CrushedIt
https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/99686861?cid=mem_copy
Vincenta Haubrich Smith's Friendship Teacups
(As told by her granddaughter, Keri Marx Marstella).
It was a tradition of Vincenta's time that friends would give each other "friendship cups" as gifts. It is uncertain if they used these cups when they went to the person's home for tea/coffee, or if it was just a "thinking of you" kind of gift. According to online resources:
"Around the turn of the 20th century, it was fashionable to serve tea from a matching set of English china that included a tea pot, sugar and creamer, cups, saucers, and luncheon plates. These sets were cherished by their owners and passed down from mothers, grandmothers, and aunts to their daughters and nieces. After World War I, it became popular to collect just the cups. Manufacturers capitalized on the trend and began to create elegant tea-cup and saucer sets for special occasions, souvenirs and gift giving."
Vincenta lived her whole life after immigrating from Canada in Yakima, Washington. She always had her teacups on display along with her spoon collection that she collected during the course of her world travels.
Keri asked her grandmother about these items once or twice and Vincenta always just dismissed the question saying they were just silly things. They were a huge part of going to grandma's house and to see her beautiful cups on display.
Most of Vincenta's friends were either family or from lodge (both Harvey and Vincenta belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star Masonic Lodge, White Shrine, Daughters of the Nile, and Amerath, as well as Rebekka's or Odd Fellows Lodge - IOOF). Alma (Rosenkranz) and Lois (Willis) were two of her closest friends that Keri can remember. Also, Aunt Ailene (Uncle Ted) and Aunt Virginia (Uncle Mike) along with her sisters Ann and Wanda. Other visitors who came to call on a regular basis were Harvey's siblings, Uncle Erve, and his wife Aunt Myrtle, and Uncle Ivan and his wife Aunt Opal, as well as Uncle John and his wife Glenna (Harvey's brother). It was rare for any other visits than these unless it was for lodge purposes.
The cups, saucers, and cream and sugar bowls shown in this photographs were passed down from Vincenta to Keri, then from Keri to her daughter Amber. Though there are more from the collection shown here. The cups were passed out to all of Keri's daughters.
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