A few days ago the folks who sold us the house contacted us to let us know they were coming up our way, and would we be able to get together? They had, they said, "a suitcase full of goodies" for us. Well, fast forward to yesterday...we got together for dinner and then went back to the house to visit. They're extremely nice people who obviously love the house, and they seem happy that they've chosen us to continue its legacy.
But on to the suitcase full of goodies! V and I are now the proud caretakers of wills and deeds dating back to the late 19th century, marriage licenses for some of the former owners, letters written to several of the inhabitants across the history of the house, pictures from every era one can imagine, tax records going back to the 1800s, and assorted other fun stuff! It truly was an amazing evening going through it all with them.
The husband (we'll call him "P") mentioned that he had been adopted, and that he'd been in several orphanages and/or foster homes before he came to live in the house. To him, he said, the house was the first place that actually felt like a home. This is why he was so determined that the "right" people bought the home.
Yeah, that made me get all misty, too. I'm misty again just thinking about it.
As they were leaving, I told him that this is the house V and I had searched for for a very long time and that we had stopped believing it existed. I think that pleased him; I hope he realizes just how important this house is to us and that he's happy with his decision to sell to us rather than some of the other would-be buyers who expressed interest.
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5 comments:
Kind of cool that they held on to the "goodies" until they knew you were worthy & interested in them. Sounds like they wanted to make sure the house....and the information...ended up in the right hands.
I hope someday that I'm P selling my house to people like you and V. I just wish I had all the goodies to pass a long. I may not have the ephemera, but I'll sure have the stories.
Wonderful. Our house has changed hands so many times that that stuff is hard to come by. I do have a glass ashtray advertising the shop that used to be housed in the front rooms, Lula's Department Store.
We wrote the sellers a letter outlining our intentions for the house and submitted it along with our offer. Seriously, this house is what we'd long dreamed of but weren't sure existed. It's largely untouched and not updated, yet its structural integrity is amazing. Aaaaah, I love the ol' gal! :)
Someday (after they pry the deed from our cold dead hands, because we're not leaving anytime soon!) I hope the next family to live here appreciates it the same way. This house has obviously been loved adn deserves to continue to be loved.
Maybe your children will raise their children in it. Or if the timing doesn't work out right, maybe you can sell it to a grandchild who can raise your great grandchildren in it.
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