Grandpa Jansons' books

When I was a kid, this camelback trunk was in the spare room, and later in the basement.  We were supposed to "stay out of it"/"leave it alone"...but there was no lock and no REAL reason not to see what was in there.  (Later, as an adult, I was 'allowed' to take it home, so that's why it's in my basement now). 

What was in it? 

Well, my grandmothers tiny, fragile wedding dress, some books, what was left of moms wedding bouquet, a tablecloth and matching napkins, scraps of fabric, a newspaper or two...nothing exciting to a kid.

 

Mom said it was the trunk Janson's brought over from Europe in 1882, packed with what they thought they needed for life in Amerika.  I've often tried to imagine how great-grandma packed it.  Clothes, certainly--for 2 adults and 5 children--but did she take small keepsakes too?  Most likely, they'd never go back to Germany; they were leaving forever.  What would I take from my house?

: : : : :

Over the years, I've used it to store blankets and, upended, as a lamp/plant stand...but it's not happy that way, so it eventually moved downstairs.  (YES, I had to dust it to take the pic...lol).   
We kids were readers, but the books in the trunk were B-O-R-I-N-G.  They belonged to grandpa, Mom said...one was something about "Theosophy", and three are early motivational books:

"Orison Swett Marden (1850 - 1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner...............Like many proponents of the New Thought philosophy, Marden believed that our thoughts influence our lives and our life circumstances. He said, "We make the world we live in and shape our own environment." Yet although he is best known for his books on financial success, he always emphasized that this would come as a result of cultivating one's personal development: "The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone."
Marden died in 1924 at the age of 74".

Hmm....I'm no more likely to read em now....but if YOU want to, let me know, ok?