These two pictures were made in the 1970's of the inside of the Ziegler house.One of my favorite HGTV shows is If Walls Could Talk. When I'm watching this show I think about the old Ziegler house. I think it would be so wonderful to own this house, although I know that I would never have the patience to own and restore an old house, so it's just a dream. To explore in and around the house and find little things that may have once belonged to my Great Great Grandparents would be a dream come true.
The following is not a dream and it really does seem like something from the TV show. Back in the 1960's two young men went to spend sometime with their grandparents who were renting the Ziegler house! The family was not related to the Ziegler's. They were bored and went into the attic and found a trunk with some old things including a box of letters. Most of the letters were written during the Civil War to Annabella from Jacob and some from Annabella to Jacob.
One of the young men saved the letters. He became a college professor and then in the early 1990's let a friend borrow the letters, the friend was a History professor. The History professor had his students transcribe the letters and they studied them, the things Jacob said about the battles he was in.
The history professor then came to Tennessee researching the Ziegler family.
He came to see my Great Aunt Christian who was the only living grandchild of Jacob and Annabella. She told him many stories of the family and had copies of pictures of Jacob and Annabella made for him. He in return made copies of the transcribed letters for the family.
I think we all have copies of the letters and it is a true treasure to have them.
5 comments:
Oh how interesting, Harriet. I'm thrilled that you have copies of these letters. I'm sure there is alot of history in them. How special!
Hope you can get back in the house someday... And yes---wouldn't it be great if 'walls could talk'????? We'd learn alot.
Hugs,
Betsy
Harriet, I have been watching HGTV for so many years, lost count but my favorite show to this day is "If Walls Could Talk" I love that show! I do recall the "Ziegler House". Great post.
I've awarded you the "Happy 101" award. You can read about it and pick it up here:
http://graveyardrabbitofsanduskybay.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-101-award.html
What a great thing to have those letters! I too LOVE If Walls Could Talk. Its one of my favorites on HGTV. Great minds really do think alike :-)
I have a copy of the transcriptions from the 2nd professor. I came across an article last year and found his email and asked if he would send them to me. (I talked to the 1st professor too to ask permission for the transcriptions). I LOVE reading them! I do wish i had a copy of the originals, but reading them is such a joy. I learned so much and you could see the love that they had for one another and little John through the letters.
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