1820 OHIO MORMON SAMUEL ALGER CURLY MAPLE DOWRY CHEST HISTORIC MORMON TRAIL JOSEPH SMITH LINEAGE PARAWON UTAH Start Price USD 3,799.99 Current Price USD 3,799.99 Time Left 25 days 21 hours 3 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, October 06, 2008 End Time Tuesday, February 03, 2009 Location UNION, NE See more about '1820 OHIO MORMON SAMUEL ALGER CURLY MAPLE DOWRY CHEST' Description AN HISTORIC PIECE OF OHIO FURNITURE,   AND MORMON HISTORY.        THAT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.   I FIRST DISCOVERED THIS DOWRY CHEST IN COUNCIL BLUFFS,   IOWA IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR.      WHILE I WAS REMOVING IT FROM THE BARN TO LOAD IT WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNERS I BECAME AWARE OF A HIDDEN DRAWER BUILT INTO THE INSIDE .      UPON RETURNING HOME I OPENED THE COMPARTMENT,   TO DISCOVER IT WAS FULL OF BRASS CURTAIN RINGS AND COLORED ROCKS.       I WAS HOPING FOR GOLD,  NO SUCH LUCK.     UPON EMPTYING  THE  DRAWER  I  NOTICED  A  HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE DRAWER.      IT READS:   (WITH MISPELLINGS)       PRESENTED TO OLIVER F. EGGLESTON FROM HIS AGED MOTHER MARY A. EGGLESTON  AUGUSTA ,  IOWA  FEB 15, 1898         THIS CHEST WAS MADE BY SAMUEL ALGER OF TRUMBULL COUNTY OHIO  UNCLE OF PETER BARB.                 SAMUEL ALGER MARRIED CLARISSA HANCOCK.      ALGER WAS A MASTER CABINETMAKER WHO SPECIALIZED IN COFFINS.       HE CONVERTED TO THE MORMON CHURCH IN 1830,      HE TRAVELED WITH BRIGHAM YOUNG AND WAS A FOUNDING FATHER OF PARAWON.       HIS DAUGHTER FANNIE ALGER  , WAS  JOSEPH SMITH'S           FIRST PLURAL WIFE..    HE BURIED FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE COUNCIL BLUFFS,   FORT  OMAHA    AREA.      THE ANCESTORY OF BOTH THE EGGLESTON AND ALGER FAMILY  BOTH TIE THROUGH OHIO AND LATER IOWA.   MANY HISTORIC ITEMS WERE LAYED TO WASTE OR SOLD AT THE MISSOURI RIVER CROSSING.    ALGER SPENT MUCH TIME ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER.      IT IS SAID, HE MADE HIS OWN COFFIN AND KEPT IT UNDER THE BED.     THE FAMILY LINEAGE OF OLIVER F. EGGLESTON IS DIRECT BLOODLINE TO BYGOD EGGLESTON WHO SAILED TO AMERICA ON THE MARY AND JOHN IN 1630.      NUMEROUS ARTIFACTS FOR THE EGGLESTON FAMILY WERE FOUND IN THE CHEST.          THE CONDITION OF THE CHEST IS EXCELLENT FOR ITS AGE,  ORIGINAL  HAND WROUGHT HINGES AND LOCK WITH AWESOME FORGED  HASP.    THE HIDDEN COMPARTMENT IS MISSING A TOP LID.      THE ORIGINAL DRAWER HANDLES ARE MISSING AND REPLACED IN THE LATE 1800s WITH CAST IRON PULLS.     NOTICE THE DETAILED INLAY WORK IN AND AROUND THE DRAWERS,       THE DRAWERS ARE COMPLETE,     THE BOTTOM PINE HAND SHAPED PANELS HAVE SHRUNK SOME FROM AGE.       THERE IS A MOUSE OR  TWO CHEW OUT  ON EACH DRAWER SIDE.      THE DRAWERS AND THE HIDDEN COMPT,  ARE ALL HAND DOVETAILED JOINTS.     IT HAD EARLY 1900s STEEL HANDLES ON EACH SIDE,     I REMOVED THEM,     FOR THE PICTURES THEY ARE NOT ORIGINAL,    IT WOULD HAVE HAD NO HANDLES.      THE LID EDGE SKIRT IS PEGGED.     ONE OUTER EDGE HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A PINE PIECE MANY YEARS AGO.     THE UNDERSIDE (BOTTOM) IS VERY CLEAN AND ORIGINAL.      I CAN NOT READ THE BACK WRITTING,     IT COULD TELL US MORE ABOUT OWNERS OR OUR MAKER.          THIS IS A WONDERFUL PIECE OF MORMON HISTORY AND A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF EARLY COUNTRY FURNITURE FROM OHIO.  IT HAS A PENNSYVANIA DUTCH APPEAL AS WELL.         ALGER ALSO WORKED IN PENNSYVANIA.        PLEASE EMAIL WITH QUESTIONS  I WILL ANSWER ALL OF THEM,      IF YOU ARE A MUSEUM OR AN HISTORIAN THIS IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT UNDISCOVERED PIECES YOU WILL EVER SEE.       DO YOUR RESEARCH ,  LOOK AT SAMUEL ALGER'S LIFE AND HIS EARLY WORK IN THE MORMON CHURCH,     AS WELL AS HIS OWN DAUGHTERS RELATIONSHIP,  AND PLURAL MARRIAGE OF JOSEPH SMITH,   THE FOUDER OF THE MORMON RELIGION.         ALSO RESEARCH THE EGGLESTON FAMILY REMEMBER TO TRACE THE LINEAGE BACK TO BYGOD EGGLESTON.    NOTICE THE SIMILAR PATHS OF THE ANCESTORS AND ALGER.     THANKS FOR LOOKING AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU.    SHIPPING IS REDUCED TO 300.00  ,  U.S.ONLY,      I  WILL DISCUSS CARRIER  NEEDS AND ISSUES WITH THE WINNING BIDDER.......   LOCAL VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT,  LOCAL PICKUP WELCOME,  LONG TERM STORAGE POSSIBLE...     Added four new pictures of underside and drawers.  The center drawer support is loose, so i used a piece of paper to hold it in place for the picture.               Chest outer dimensions are:   21" deep,  27 1/2" tall  and 47"  wide.   Place a Bid!