Friday Finds: Record Keeping


Gosh, a week has gone by since my last post.
*poof* goes the time...

This morning I went out to one garage sale and I found this neat little table.


It needs some work to spiff it up, or a good cleaning and a large doily until I get to it, ha!

But, it gets interesting here when you take out the drawer to clean out the spiders.


The back of the drawer was used as a make shift ledger of sorts!


To keep track of the boat payments made by Pat. 


By my calculations, Pat paid $1475 for the boat between 1998 and 2001.  That's only 14 years ago that this record keeping started.  It's hard to imagine that the person was short on paper in 1998.  So, it leads me to think that keeping track of this was a covert operation, being hidden on the back of a drawer.  Why?  Don't you love this?  This is Pat and the boat seller's story and I hope I'm not invading their privacy by making it quasi-public.



All of us lovers of old things are intrigued by the stories that old houses, objects, and such have to tell.  But, this time, maybe because it's so recent, it feels a bit like an invasion of privacy.  

Obviously, not so much so that I didn't post this though, hmmm....
But, it intrigued me and I thought you may find it interesting also. 

So, I started this post to show you the drawer, my "find". 

But as I end this post, I think my sense for the respect for the privacy of the - should I call them story tellers?- and for the personal items we find that hold history and stories, is my somewhat surprising find this week and the more valued one.


Kim Klassen dot Com

10 comments

  1. That's a wonderful find, Jill! I believe all your followers will have the same thoughts, and will honor the story and the story teller. Do you use Murphy's Oil Soap? That would be great for cleaning up what looks like a maple table - then rub all the scratches with a piece of walnut (the nutmeat) and I'll bet it'll be fine, needing only some wax to make it shine. And its "secret" will remain hidden once more.
    htuR yraM xoxoxoxox

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  2. so are you going to paint it or restore it?
    I like to find such things like to this too - very unique to find personal account behind a drawer... Nice find indeed!
    Hugs

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  3. I love that table, because my in-laws had one identical to it! That is, without the accounting. :-)

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  4. There's definitely a story there - a truly unique place to keep accounts.

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  5. First of all - I am coveting this little table. I must need to hit more garage sales in your neck of the woods. Second - what an unbelievable discovery! How in the world would someone get the idea of where to keep a secret ledger? Just fascinating, isn't it?

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  6. Truly incredible! I'll be remembering this if I have need of a purchasing secret. How clever. I'll bet the account keeper was the one the boat was purchased from and it was an elderly gentleman or woman. That is a fabulous table.

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  7. What a truly great find. I have a table very similar to that except with a scallop edge under the drawer and no amazing ledger on the back of the drawer.

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  8. How interesting and too good not to share...no 'real' identities were revealed.
    Imagining the person putting the money in their pocket and pulling out the drawer to record the amount...really unique record keeping that's for sure :)
    It is a great little table you rescued Jill!
    oxo

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  9. Hi Jill, I love this table. I'm just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris

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  10. How intriguing! A fun find Jill ... the kind of thing that could inspire a novel.

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Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit!

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