Cameron’s Stocking—A New Family Treasure

This is one post I never expected to write.

Back in March, my son Chris and daughter-in-law Ashley stopped by on a Saturday morning, donuts from a new shop in hand. It felt like a typical visit—until they shared something extraordinary. After nearly 12 years of marriage, they were expecting a baby.

I’m not sure they got the reaction they were hoping for. I was too busy trying to pick my jaw up off the floor to respond properly. Both my husband and I were in shock. We had never pushed for a grandchild—having a child is a deeply personal decision, and it was never ours to make. Whenever the topic came up (and it wasn’t me who brought it up), they made it clear they didn’t want children. I had come to terms with that. But people can change their minds, which is what my son told me that day. So this news wasn’t just surprising—it was a blessing I never saw coming.

As soon as they left, I knew exactly what I had to do: make a Christmas stocking for my grandchild.

I had made a stocking for Chris, ready by his second Christmas. My younger son Kevin’s took a bit longer—31 years, to be exact—but I finished it in 2018. Ashley’s was stitched in 2019. I couldn’t bear the thought of this child having a store-bought stocking hanging beside two handmade ones. So, after a couple of days of mulling it over, I ordered a stocking kit and got to work the moment it arrived.

I kept the project a secret, just in case I didn’t finish. If you know my sons, you know they would never let me live that down. So that’s how I spent every afternoon this past spring and summer—stitching after lunch until it was time to start dinner. I even brought the project with me for my month-long Georgia visit with family in the spring. It came in handy when our train hit a truck on the way there and we were stuck on the tracks for several hours. Cross-stitching made the time fly by.

I documented my progress along the way, sharing updates with a few trusted family members in Georgia—under strict instructions not to breathe a word to anyone in Virginia. It was my little secret, and I wanted it to be a surprise when the time came. 

 

Sometimes the threads were a hot mess!

In June, I had to pause unexpectedly for eye surgery to repair a macular hole. I’d noticed the stitches were getting harder to see, but I work with 18-count Aida cloth, which is quite small. That had never been a problem before—but I’m not getting any younger. I blamed the lighting for my struggles. Little did I know! After the surgery, I had to spend a week face down, followed by two more weeks of recovery. Despite the setback, I pushed through—this time with the help of a lamp my husband kindly moved to my work area.

As is customary today, we learned the baby’s sex before he was born, and Chris and Ashley chose a first name. It took a while to settle on a middle name, so I took the opportunity to ask—more than once—what name they had selected, especially as the project neared completion. Every year, my family gathers the Sunday after Thanksgiving to help trim our crepe myrtles, clean out the gutters, put up the outdoor Christmas lights, and decorate gingerbread houses. It’s become a wonderful tradition, and I use it as a chance to hand out Christmas-themed gifts, like ornaments, at the beginning of the season instead of the end. My plan was to present the stocking that day.

I was nearly finished with the stocking—except for the name—by mid-August when Ashley invited me to join them for her monthly checkup, which included an ultrasound. At the appointment, the technician asked if they had chosen a name yet, and Ashley responded with “Cameron.” At that moment, I felt safe stitching his name. That gave me plenty of time to purchase the materials needed to complete the stocking and have it professionally finished.

All that was left was to fix the rope which my sister helped with

I finished a few days later and was able to relax during my next month-long visit to Georgia in the fall. My stitching isn’t perfect—some stitches are a little wonky, and I didn’t catch them until it was too late. I redid what I could, but didn’t let the imperfections stop me. I purchased velvet and silk-like fabrics for the back and lining, and when we returned home in September, took everything to a local alterations shop, where they transformed it into a proper stocking.

This stocking may never win a ribbon, but it was stitched with love. In the end, it’s not flawless stitches that make something a treasure—it’s the love woven into every thread. Cameron’s stocking is now part of our family’s story, ready to capture memories as he grows with each passing Christmas. I hope Santa fills it with goodies for my grandson for many Christmases to come. 

Ralph Murphy’s cameras: A photographic legacy

Among our cherished family heirlooms, my husband Charlie treasures three vintage cameras. One of them, a Nikon F, has a special place in our collection—it belonged to his Uncle Ralph Murphy. In 2012, during a visit with Aunt Jean, she entrusted Charlie with this classic camera and Uncle Ralph’s collection of slides. While the stories behind the other two cameras remain unconfirmed, Charlie believes they also belonged to Ralph, who passed them down to his younger brother Earl—Charlie’s father—as he upgraded his equipment. Together, these three cameras and their accompanying slides chronicle precious moments in our family’s history.

We believe Ralph began taking photos in 1947 with an Argus C3, his first camera. This sturdy camera, produced from 1939 to 1966, was a favorite among amateur photographers in post-war America. Heavy and solid, it was built with an all-metal body and equipped with a 50mm f/3.5 lens. The all-black Argus C3 earned its nickname “The Brick” for its distinctive blocky shape.

Black Argus C3 camera with flash attachment and case

Back of black Argus C3 camera

Back view of black Argus C3 camera with flash attachment and case

The second Argus camera is a Match-Matic version of the Argus C3, and has a distinctive two-tone beige/tan and black body. This version dates from around 1950 and features a 50mm f/3.5 lens. The Match-Matic version has upgraded flash capability and simplified exposure settings. We believe Ralph purchased this version to upgrade his photography capabilities, and gave the original Argus C3 camera to Earl in the mid-1950s so he could capture photos of his growing family.

Tan Argus camera and case

Back view of tan Argus camera

The Nikon F that Aunt Jean gave Charlie in 2012 completes our vintage camera collection. This camera, introduced in 1959, represented a significant advance in camera design with its solid, all-metal construction. While we are unable to determine exactly when Ralph acquired it, we know he expanded his photography equipment with two important additions: a Nikkor-H Auto lens and a telephoto lens, reflecting his growing interest in photography. 

The Nikon F is a heavy piece of equipment—the camera body alone weighed 1.3 pounds, reaching 1.9 pounds with its finder and batteries. With both lenses added, Ralph would have carried nearly 3 pounds of camera equipment during his photo sessions. Today, a complete Nikon F set like this might be valued between $300 and $500, but its real worth lies in the thousands of family moments it captured over the decades.

Ralph’s Nikon F camera, lens, and case

Back of Ralph’s Nikon F camera

Ralph’s camera bag and Nikon F manual

Ralph’s photographic legacy extends far beyond the cameras themselves. His slide collection—21 boxes (many indexed)—chronicles nearly four decades of American life, from 1947 to 1984. Through his lens, he preserved not only family gatherings and cross-country road trips, but also significant moments of West Virginia history: a soap box derby in Nutter Fort, summer days at Tygart Lake, the rising of Clarksburg’s Skyline Drive-in, events at Palace Furniture, the excitement of local car races, town parades, and even the floods that shaped the region.

These slides, documenting both everyday moments and historical events, offer a remarkable window into mid-20th century American life through the eyes of a passionate photographer. To explore some of Ralph’s remarkable archive, click here.

Some of the storage boxes filled with Ralph’s slides

Ralph Murphy

References

• Argus C3; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_C3. 
• Argus Match-Matic C3; https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Argus_Match-Matic_C3. 
• Nikon F; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F. 

Special family treasures—Mama’s ceramic plates

This beautiful set of four hand-painted ceramic plates, each depicting one of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—holds a special place in my heart. I brought them home after my Mama, Fay Lankford, passed away, as a beautiful reminder of her that I deeply treasure.

For years, she found joy in doing ceramics, going so far as to keep a kiln on her back porch. With meticulous care, she poured, cleaned, fired, and painted this set in 1983. Her name, “Fay,” is proudly inscribed on the back of each plate, a personal touch that makes them even more special.

In her lifetime, she displayed these plates in the dining rooms of two different homes. Today, they reside in my kitchen, where they greet me every time I walk in—a constant reminder of her. Truly, they are family treasures.

Celebrating a 73rd wedding anniversary

Today would have been my in-laws 73rd wedding anniversary. 

Earl Lloyd Murphy and Mary Margaret Athya, who both lived in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio at the time, met at a Warren pizza parlor sometime between 1949 and 1950. They married on January 12, 1951 in what was probably a small, intimate ceremony performed by Rev. William B. Waters, pastor of the Derwood Church in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland. More than likely, Earl’s brothers, Raymond and Glenn, who both lived in Montgomery County, attended the wedding. As you can see in the photo below, Mary wore a fitted jacket and skirt popular in the 1950s. The ensemble included a corsage pinned to her jacket lapel. Earl wore a suit jacket with a light color shirt and a tie. After the ceremony, it appears they had drinks and/or dinner at a local eatery.

 

A wedding announcement was published soon after, newspaper and date unknown:

Miss Athya Wed at Rockville, Md.—Mr. and Mrs. George Athya, 1019 Brier Pl. NE, announce the marriage of their daughter Mary to Earl L. Murphy of Littleton, W. Va. The double ring ceremony was performed January 12th by Rev. W. B. Walters [sic] of Rockville, Md. The bride is a graduate of Harding High School. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are living at Herndon, Va., where the groom is employed by a gas company.

The newspaper article stated theirs was a “double ring ceremony” and in the above photos, you can see both wearing a wedding ring. My husband has no memory of ever seeing his father wearing a wedding ring, nor does he know what happened to Earl’s ring. I do remember that Mary wore one, although it was not her original wedding ring. That would have been the one pictured below and now part of our family treasures. 

 

Earl purchased the original 18K gold wedding ring at Falls Church Jewelers in Falls Church, Virginia, located about 18 miles from Rockville, Maryland. He paid $6.50 for the ring. We found the receipt folded and tucked inside the ring box.

The ring is about the size of a penny and a tad bit larger than my pinkie finger. Mary was always a petite woman, with small hands and fingers. 

At the time of their marriage, Earl was 22 and Mary 21; both lived in Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia. Earl worked as a pressure operator and Mary was unemployed. Their marriage license recorded Earl as a divorced man when he and Mary wed, something my husband knew nothing about until the early 2000s. For some reason, they chose to keep that information from their children for many years. His first marriage to Zania “Vernell” Tarkenton lasted from December 1948 to August 1950. I wrote about it in 2017, after my husband shared the divorce papers he now has possession of. Click here to read that story.

We celebrated Earl and Mary’s 40th anniversary as a family in January 1991. The next two photos were taken that day.

Mary and Earl

In January 1996, we celebrated their 45th anniversary. Truth be told, Mary had been diagnosed with lung cancer and we did not know what the future held for her. We asked family and friends to share their memories of Earl and Mary and then put a book together with what we received. These photos were taken that day.

Mary and daughter. Family friends in the background.

Mary and Earl. Family friend in the background.

Mary and granddaughter

Earl and his brother Glenn

In January 2001, we had a small celebration for their 50th anniversary that included my husband, our two boys, me, my mother, brother-in-law, and his wife. Mary had survived her bout with lung cancer but now had emphysema. Instead of a party, we all gathered at their house and just spent the day with them. This photo was taken that day.

Mary and Earl

Mary passed away on December 26, 2006, just shy of their 56th anniversary. Earl passed away on January 13, 2015—one day after their anniversary. Like so often happens, was he waiting for that day to arrive and pass before letting go? Only he knows.

References

• Earl L. Murphy and Mary Margaret Athya Marriage License no. 35415, State of Maryland, Montgomery County, 1951.
• U.S. Federal Census, Wheaton, Montgomery County, Maryland, 1950.
• Wedding announcement, publication unknown, 1951.  

Lankford Family Bible

For the first post of 2024, I share a family treasure I received this past October. Over the summer, my sister-in-law texted to let me know my brother planned to give me the Bible that once belonged to our paternal grandparents, Carroll Harvey Lankford (Grandpa) and Floria Mae Burnette Lankford (Grandma) on our next trip to Atlanta. Of course, as the family genealogist, I was thrilled.

Now in my possession, I can tell you the Bible is large, 11.5” x 9” and 1.5” thick. Unfortunately, the book spine is damaged and has been repaired with duct tape. Some other sort of tape was also used on both the outer and inner binding, along with a small piece of scotch tape that is still in place on the inner binding. 

The pages are somewhat yellowed and aged around the edges. Some of them are separating from the spine.

Daddy wrote a message on the title page that reads “To my Mother and Father this 8th of April 1957” so the Bible is 66 years old. You can see he signed the message.

Unlike my Granny’s Bible that I blogged about on January 6, 2023, there are no markings on the pages. But, thank goodness, someone entered names and dates on the two pages set aside for family history. Is it Grandma’s handwriting? I wish I knew, but whoever recorded the information, they included the following:

Name: Carroll H. Lankford and Floria Mae Burnette, married March 12, 1922 in Penfield, Georgia.

Father’s grandparents: This section was left blank. 

Mother’s grandparents: 

Samuel Pride Burnette: This is one of two documents we have that lists his middle name as “Pride.” All others only list his middle initial, so I was happy to see this written out.

Virginia Overton Burnette: Her given name was Millicent Virginia Overton.

Henry Claborn Jones: Most records only list his middle initial, so this confirms his middle name, although I usually see it spelled “Clayborn.”

Elizabeth Tuck Jones: Her given name was Sarah Elizabeth Tuck.

Grandparents: 

Alice Callaway: This would be Grandpa’s mother, Alice Beman Lankford, not his grandmother. Because he was illegitimate, no father is listed. I have published several blogs detailing speculation of his birth and how DNA connects me to the family that was rumored to be his father’s. If you search his name on this blog, you will find several posts.

Parents: This section lists Grandpa and Grandma, rather than their parents, Thomas Terrell Burnette and Elizabeth Jones.

Children: All eight of their children are listed, along with their birthdates. There are a few marriage dates but they are incomplete and perhaps even wrong.

Grandchildren: There are 26 of their 28 grandchildren recorded, along with their birthdates. Two more were born five years after the last child was recorded. 

For privacy’s sake, I am not posting a photo showing their children (one still alive at 95 years of age) or grandchildren. It was interesting to see the list of grandchildren. I have never counted them so was surprised by the number, although I knew there were quite a few. I was number 13—my lucky number!

Several items were found between the pages of the Bible:

• Grandma’s obituary from an unknown newspaper
• One dried flower that looks like a rose, pressed in plastic
• A green envelope with the words “To Dad” written on it
• A piece of paper marking Luke 6:46-49 and Luke 7:1-50

  

 

My paternal grandparents, Carroll and Floria (Burnette) Lankford

I am grateful my brother gave this family treasure to me, and it now rests with the other family Bibles in our collection.  

Christmas table scarf

This Christmas table scarf makes an appearance on my dining room table every year from late November through the end of December. I was recently asked whether I made it, so thought it important to document its origins for my family.

I wish I could take credit for its creation, but no, I did not make the scarf. Instead, it was hand made by a co-worker and dear friend. We worked very closely together for many years and at some point, started exchanging Christmas presents. She was a very crafty person so hers were often hand made. I do not remember the year I received the table scarf, but estimate it was during the early 2000s. The table scarf is 18” x 23” and reversible. One side contains patchwork squares and the other a floral print. All the fabric is some sort of holiday print except for the solid red, green, and ecru pieces, which of course are Christmas colors. I prefer the patchwork side so if you come to my house during the holiday season, that is what you will most likely see on my table. I do not know much about fabric, but if I had to take a guess, would say it is cotton. The scarf, which I consider to be a family treasure, is starting to show some wear. I think about my friend with fond memories every year when I place it on my table. 

Vintage Ceramic Christmas Tree

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know many of you reading this have one of these ceramic Christmas trees. Obviously, I do as well so why not take the time now to document its origins.

I moved from Georgia to Virginia in 1979, after five years of encouragement from a friend I grew up with in Atlanta. In the early 1980s, I often spent weekends at her mother’s house, about 20 minutes from mine. Her mother had her own ceramic studio set up in the basement, including a kiln, molds, and all the supplies needed to make Christmas themed items. She allowed me to make whatever I wanted, and I paid her for supplies and the use of her electricity. Late summer, my friend and I met at her mother’s house to start pouring whatever pieces we wanted to make that year. While we worked, we played Christmas music and sang along at the top of our lungs. It was the only way I could listen to Christmas music earlier than late November and we really had a good time!

We started by mixing the slip with water until the consistency was right, then poured the slip into the molds for ornaments, Christmas trees, and other decorative pieces. We next bound the molds with large rubber bands and set them aside to dry. Once dry, we scraped and sanded the rough edges of the mold seams, and then cleaned them with water and a sponge until each piece was smooth and clean. Small items like ornaments dried quickly, but larger pieces like the tree took longer, so we often poured on one weekend and cleaned on another. We had to remember to poke holes in the ornaments for the hooks and on the trees for the lights, although I do not remember if that was done while the slip was wet or dry. If I recall correctly, we only fired the tree once, vs. firing to bisque, glazing with the green paint, and then firing again. You had to be very careful when handling the tree before it was fired though, as it was very fragile at the point. One wrong move and a finger might go through the piece, forcing you to start all over again. The firing process took several hours and was not done until the kiln was full, so we usually left our pieces and my friend’s mother fired them before we returned the next weekend. Once fired, the tree was assembled with the electrical parts and lights. The tree itself consists of two pieces, a base, and the tree. When you turn the light on that is hidden inside the tree, the plastic lights shine in all different colors. 

I remember making two, one for myself and one for my mother-in-law. My oldest son now has one of the two. Mine sits on top of a dark red doily my mother made several years ago and I consider both the tree and the doily to be family treasures. 

As mentioned above, we made hundreds of ceramic Christmas ornaments, which were shared with family and friends. Many still hang on my tree today. You can see five of them on a December 2016 Christmas tree of memories blog post (a little past mid-way through the post). I also bartered a deal with a co-worker when I needed help with sewing a cross-stitch Christmas stocking I made for my oldest son Chris. I made her 12 ceramic Christmas ornaments and in exchange, she turned my work of art into a stocking. It was a deal made in heaven for me. You can see Chris’ Christmas stocking on a December 2015 blog post.