My great grandmother was born in 1919. In 1932, for her 13th birthday, this ring was passed down to her from her mother. During that time, it was The Great Depression, and many families had little money and were forced to sell off many of their possessions. Even though the ring was not worth a ton of money, it could have been sold to help provide for the family. However, it was important to her family that she would be able to keep it. She grew up in Kansas in the farming community of Garden City. Her family wasn’t wealthy so she felt bad that she had something of value. She did everything she could to take care of it. In the 1940s, The Great Depression lifted, and slowly families got back on their feet. My great grandmother grew up, got married, and had two sons. One of the sons is my grandpa. My great grandmother wanted to give the ring to her oldest granddaughter, and that is my mom. She received the ring on her 13th birthday, and gave it to me on my 13th birthday. Since that time my great grandmother has suffered from Alzheimer’s, and lives in Arizona. This ring connects me to my great grandmother’s story. This ring represents my family’s history. I will pass this ring onto my oldest daughter when she turns 13 and tell her the history behind it. Hopefully she will be able to appreciate it as I have. 

– Elsa

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant