My great-grandmother’s charm bracelet is a retelling of the places she went and the impact she had on the world. The bracelet is like a diary, consisting of various charms that she collected throughout the 2nd half of her life. There are charms she acquired from Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Mexico, Arizona, and various other places that are hard to distinguish at first sight. Ferne was born in Red Wing, a small city an hour south from the Twin Cities. She spent most of her life there, from growing up to raising her children to seeing her grandchildren born, and stayed there until very late into her life. She acquired this bracelet from her father sometime during the 1960s, but you could never tell its age by its appearance. This is something I’ve noticed with special items: the more lives they’ve touched & more people impacted, the less strong the association of time becomes. That idea could be reflected to Ferne herself. She had a heart of gold. To everyone she met, the other person walked away feeling so much happier than before. My great-grandmother passed away in September of 2024, and left the bracelet to my mom. It brings me joy to know that her story is now forever a part of our family’s. Now, my mom buys a charm every time we visit someplace new, continuing Ferne’s tradition. As I hold this bracelet, I feel her stories in my fingers. By stringing together these charms on her bracelet, she allowed us to have insight into her life & story. 

– Jack G.

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more