Cousin Bob Seelye had been a treasure trove of information for the Brown side of the family. I could depend on him to remember people from long ago and explain their connection. Over time he has given me photos, letters and Gr. Gr. Gr. Grandma Emily Morse Packard’s Rocking Chair.
Bob had talked about the chair on a number of occasions, that he wanted me to have it, but passed away before we could get together. Some months ago his daughter Brooke, met me in Horseheads, NY to give me the chair. The rockers had been removed as well as the reed seat, but it is an adorable chair with an interesting history and worth saving.
I found a wonderful person, Brian Kilmer at Next Generation Funiture Refinishers who restored the chair to it’s original beauty. He matched the rockers with old wood and replaced the reed seat as it would have been.
The story goes that the chair belonged to Emily Morse Packard. “During the 1820’s , around 1825 or 26, perhaps, Ziba Morse and family including the four or five year old daughter Emily, emigrated from Connecticut to Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Several other families also made the journey overland and Emily sat in the chair, placed in a wheelbarrow and was wheeled thru New York City on her way to Bradford County.”1
“It is my understanding that the settler brot (brought) cattle, horses and what household possessions and farm implements they were able to carry as well as seed for planting.”2
“Great grandmother, Emily Morse never forgot this wheelbarrow trip thru New York City and often mentioned it during her later years. She married Jerome Bonaparte Packard who passed away in 1896. Emily Morse Packard died in 1902”3
Reference:
- Letter written May 11, 1967, probably by Ruth Brown Seelye, mother of Bob Seeyle
- Ibid
- Ibid
