One-Armed Men, Knorks, the Civil War and Buried Folding Treasues

A military spoon, a long silver plate spoon and a matching long spoon which was buried for over a hundred years.

    June 2011 is taking its last breath, so I thought I should get this post up while I still have the time. 

   While June is traditionally the month to celebrate fathers, step-fathers, our grandfathers and those men in our lives who have made parenting easier for so many of us, 2011 also marked the 150 anniversary of the Civil War. 

   June 1861 in particular was important, as West Virginia was "born".  It seems that the residents of of Virginia's western counties did not wish to secede along with the rest of Virginia.  Thus, the western counties of Virginia were admitted into the Union as "West Virginia" on June 20, 1863. 

   Now... why my sudden fascination with the Civil War?  First off, there were only a few "civil" things about the war here in the U.S.  No war is ever civil,  for that matter.  The term "civil war" is an oxymoron.  Like "jumbo shrimp", "act naturally" or "books on tape", the phrase contradicts itself.  

   Also, having lived in Virginia once upon a time, and having sold on Ebay some Civil War relics like battlefield bullets found in Northern Virginia (little things that look like they are made of cement) for  a family member, I find the Civil War and its artifacts interesting.  While I know there were many causes contributing to the run up to the war, the issue of ending the abhorrent  practice of slavery was by far the most important reason in the mind of any civil and sane thinking person.  The sons, brothers and fathers who gave their lives and limbs to the cause of ending slavery are true heroes.  

   My last reason? Those men who lost their lives and limbs, along with how they ate during and after the war.  I may have found such a utensil.  I wound up with a new find that everyone seems to believe is a Civil War era relic.  I am not sure though, so I am posting it here to see if anyone has a clue as to its origins.  

   I found the odd folding fork and spoon a few months back.  I have looked all over for a patent or a mark and can find none.  I went through all of the patents of folding utensils from the mid to late 1800s and the early 1900s.  Nothing is like this one.  

   Many believe it to be Civil War era, from the metal and the design.  I have found some similar folding sets listed as "WWI military forks", but they are made of tin and much more simplistic in the design. The fork ends are just that; fork ends.  This fork end is more like a "knork", which is a half knife and half fork design.  The other folding utensils that are from WWI are also nothing like this one in color. 

   There was a fork designed for men who had lost an arm in the war.  The "One Armed Man Fork" was patented for Civil War veterans.  It was quite different, and not at all like the one created by Admiral Nelson of the British navy.  He designed a fork with which to eat after losing an arm in battle at Santa Cruz, Tenerife, in July of 1797.  The silver three-pronged fork has a separate steel blade attached along the side the tines by a screw. 

Admiral Nelson

A copy of a "Nelson Fork"

A Nelson Fork

Civil War Veteran with One Arm

   

Fork designed for a One Armed Man or Civil War Veteran

  










   






   
   

   
   


   

   My folding utensil set, unlike either of these shown, is of  an undetermined metal.  I have an "expert" on metals in the family who is usually really good at this sort of thing.  He has no clue as to what it is made  from without testing it, but I don't want to take any chances with it or ruin the patina.  My mother, who made jewelry as an off and on hobby for about 25 years, also is pretty good with metals. 

A variety of 19th & 20th Century "knorks" for pastry, pie and pickles, along with  modern one-armed dining knorks (with white plastic handles)- on the far right is a cheese knife

She is baffled as well.  I can't say for certain it was not originally silver plated, as silver polish did nothing.  But it is heavy.
 
   A few people suggested that if it was a Civil War era relic, it had been buried.  But I have a spoon which had been buried for over 100 years, and the color is different.  Maybe the soil type in the various states on the east coast and in the south would make a difference if it was Civil War period?  

   My spoon, that I know for a fact was buried for a hundred years or so, was dug up a few years ago here in Southern California at the Graber Olive House.  It  looks quite different in color.  The pipes at the Graber Olive House were put in when C.C. Graber was building his business and house in the late 1890s and early 1900s.  My son called one day and said, "I found an old spoon buried by the pipes we worked on today.  I saved it for you.  It's not in great condition, but you may like it."  He brought it over that evening after work and I was tickled pink.  I had a spoon just like it, which hadn't been buried under several feet of dirt for a century, and I take the set to talks that I do occasionally for kids, museums and such. 

   I am always surprised that so many people are really fascinated to find out what their flatware would look like to be buried for so long.  School kids, and their teachers especially, want to feel both of the spoons and really look closely at them.

    So here are the 3 items again.  The folding spoon is the one in question.  The unique fork end like a "knork" is what stumps flatware enthusiasts like myself.  Is it supposed to be a variation of a knife, fork and spoon combination folding mess utensil? 

Anyone out there got any info on this utensil?  Please let me know if you do.

The fork and spoon folds completely and is quite heavy.  Not only is the fork end different in design from WWI foldable utensils I have seen, but the bowl of the spoon end has a raised edge.

  

Did I Really Ask _________________ "What has _________ civility in _________?" !?!

An old fashioned Chocolate Muddler.  Is this a nun or a nurse?

These are the same photos as before, but now this is the "Mad Lib" Edition.  Upon receiving advice from my brother (Mr. Smarty Pants" attorney) that I remove some things in the original post, I thought I would just "Swiss cheese" the verbiage in it, in order to have lots of neutrality and plenty of empty bits, while paying homage to the late Larry Stern, who created "Mad Libs".  Anyone reading this can fill in the blanks.
    
So this happened...  My blog post, which was _____________ ________by now (________) is still not ready.  Long story short;  I was driving on the 60 freeway Tuesday, and was ___________ by a guy who looked to be drunk.  Getting ______________ was a real treat.  I feel like a pretzel.  

I actually asked, "What has happened to civility in the _______?" to the very nice highway patrolman who took __________ all of my _______.  A dumb question, that I know the answer to already.  This was after we had called 911.   Not only had this _________________ already _______, but ______, then he "flipped me the bird" before _________ the scene! 

What ______________!  So, here are more lovely silver pieces to look at while I return to bed to recover.

Sterling relish fork

Blackington gilded sterling scoop...

Since Father's Day is next week and in honor of my dad who is 86 years young , I'll post this too.  Dad has sported a mustache for most of my life.  Above is a left-handed mustache spoon, a sterling mustache comb & a mustache mug.  Happy Father's Day!

What Keeps me Busy in the World of Dining Etiquettetiquette

A Durgin strawberry fork... So beautiful!

I have gotten emails from followers, with pretty much the same question;  "Where are you?"  Thank you for your emails of concern, and as I have said in my replies, I have been here and have not forgotten about my blog.  I have been busy though, and will post more on etiquette in the next few days.  

For now however, I will post some pretty silver for my loyal followers (and anyone else who stops by) to view.  You have been so very patient and I have so much to catch up on...

A Towle "strawberry bowl" with a Durgin strawberry fork

An individual melon fork by John Cox in coin silver

Servers and lifters for sardines along, with a sardine serving "box"

Individual cheese serving fork. Paired with the "Mickey Mouse glove" plate... adorable!

Considering a New Career? Teaching Etiquette is Rewarding & Fun!

Hair Salon Etiquette Tips

There has been so much buzz in the news about hair these days.  Most of it good, most of it bad, but nothing like the shear madness Ms. Britney displayed a few years back.

The shear madness of Britney Spears...gone, but not forgotten

 Headlines talk about all the latest-

Who hated their wildly popular hairstyle from the 1990's?  Who cut their coveted and much  copied hair style?

The 1990's "Aniston"

Jen Aniston's new look

The "old" Justin vs the new

What hair styles, weaves and colors just didn't make the cut with the fashionista reporters doling out the latest and up-to-date critiques at all of the recent award shows? 

A picture says a thousand words ladies. Take a gander at these cautionary tales above on the left....


 Who had a hit with the song "Whip My Hair"? Then who had me in stitches when he comically covered "Whip My Hair" in such a hysterical fashion that the video went viral?

Willow Smith whipping her hair while whipping up a hit song

Bruce Springsteen sings back up to Jimmy Fallon's Neil Young impersonation

And who is channeling whom with their newest hair style, hair color or weave? Too many celebs  to show on this blog!

Talk of hair has become inescapable, especially around awards' season and as we move on into warmer weather of Spring & Summer.

Minding your manners while visiting a hair salon can be beneficial to you as well as your hairstylist. "Visiting a salon is not only an ego boost, but a relaxing experience." according to Sylvia Gebhart of the Gebhart International Hair Color Group at La Bella Day Spa and Salon in Upland California. I recently spoke with Sylvia for her advice when it comes to being the polite hair salon patron.

"Please don't wait until Thursday to get a Saturday appointment. Please call well in advance when you want to look your most fabulous for a special event. Fridays and Saturdays are very busy for stylists. Especially around the holidays." 

"If you are visiting your regular stylist but want a dramatic change, please call your stylist for a mini consult a few days in advance of your appointment and let him or her know what you have in mind.  The mini consult over the phone will allow your stylist to make any needed changes in the schedule that will enable you to get the look you want."

Tech gadgets are often in use in most salons and Sylvia says that it is really best that your iPad, cell phone or other electronic devices are put in a safe place while your stylist is applying hair color or anything else to your hair that could splash on to your device.  "The best time to use any tech gadgets in the salon is while your hair is processing or if you are under the dryer.  We don't want your personal gadgets damaged any more that you do!" 

Cancellations can offer the opportunity for someone else to be squeezed into a hectic schedule.  Sylvia advises, "If you need to cancel your appointment, please give at least 24 hours notice.  That way we can book someone else into that time slot."

Any last salon etiquette tips from Sylvia? "In our salon, we provide gowns for a reason. We want clients who are getting some sort of chemical process or color applied to their hair to change into a gown. This is to protect expensive clothes.  Just like tech gadgets, we do not want to see anything splashed where it shouldn't be.  If your salon doesn't provide a gown to change into, don't wear your favorite outfit in to see your stylist.  That way, when you leave, nothing that matters to you will be changed but your hair."

Watch Jimmy Fallon's parody (and dead on Neil Young impersonation) of "Whip My Hair"
 http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/neil-young-and-bruce-springsteen-whip-my-hair-111610/1260532/

New Etiquette Classes in Ontario for Spring!

 

The RSVP Institute is pleased to  offer an Advanced Manners Class at the Graber Olive House in Ontario, beginning Sunday, March 27th.   

The 4 classes for ages 5 -11 are from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.  
The 4 classes for ages 12 & up are from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
 

The fee is $70.00 and covers all foods and handouts, along with a bonus 5th class added, for any students who have to miss a Sunday class. 

Basic to Advanced Social and Dining Skills will be covered, prizes will be earned and the skills needed to foster self confidence are taught with smiles and fun. 

Please register by March 25th to secure a spot for your student! 

Call 909 923-5650 or email for more information and a registration form:mannersclass@gmail.com 

Checks or other payment can be mailed to: RSVP, 301 East Fourth Street, Ontario 91764

Co-ed, weekend youth classes in etiquette, manners and social skills, at the Graber Olive House beginning February 20th!

The RSVP Institute is pleased to now offer co-ed, weekend youth classes in etiquette, manners and social skills, at the historic Graber Olive House in Ontario, beginning February 20th. The $70.00 per student fee covers all foods and handouts.
 

Classes for ages 5 -11 are from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.
Classes for ages  12 and up are from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
 

The 4 week, 1 & 1/2 hour classes will focus on;
•The keys to living a respectful and polite life.
•Basic social graces, posture and image
•Dining Skills and Table Manners 

(with foods to practice the dining skills taught)
•Cultural Diversity and Respect for Others
•Deflecting Peer Pressure Gracefully
•Phone, Text Manners, Web @ttitude© and Other E-Manners
•Manners for Home and Abroad
•Gero-dynamics©, “Thank you" notes and RSVPs
•Tricks to developing great habits.
•“Yes please”, “Thank you”, “Excuse Me”, and other verbal cues that open doors, build friendships, make parents and teachers smile.
 
Register early to secure your son’s or daughter’s enrollment.
Open to ages 5 to 17- Call 909 923-5650 or
email for more information: mannersclass@gmail.com

Silver Belles, Silver Patterns and Heavens Above!

A few years back, I received this email from my über-smart, older brother. He is the family "go-to" guy when it comes to space, the planets and the stars. He and I also share the same sense of humor, so I found this pretty funny, if not mildly disturbing.

Actual transcript of cell phone conversation with Mom last night:
Hello.
Hello.
"Oh, hello. It's your mother. Where are you? It sounds loud there."
I'm at Lucille's in Lake Forest having dinner with Dino for his birthday.
"When did Gena get into town?"
I don't know. Is Gena in town?
"You just said you were having dinner with her."
No. I'm having dinner with DINO.
"Oh. Well tell Dino happy birthday. Listen, a friend of mine said you can see Mars in the evening and I looked and can't find it and I was wondering what you think."
Well, right now Mars isn't very bright. Jupiter is though.
"No, Maura didn't tell me that. It was a friend of mine." What? What does Maura have to do with it?... What are we talking about?
"Didn't you just say 'Maura's not very bright'?"
No. MARS isn't very bright. Jupiter is.
[Laughs]

So when I recently I saw all sorts of stories in the news about the Zodiac's 13th sign, “Ophiuchus” I remembered not just that illuminating email, but my conversation with my brother several years ago about astrology and the signs of the Zodiac.

The 13th Sign- Since ancient times, Ophiuchus has been better known as Serpentarius or “the Serpent Holder”

According to Mr. Smarty Pants, (not his actual name) as the alignment of the planets and stars have all changed in the centuries since astrology was thought up, many people have actually been born under different signs than noted in books. “I have always thought of astrology the same way I think of ouija boards, magic 8 balls and such. Cute, but if you really believe it, then you are stuck in the wrong century.”

The whole conversation had only come up, as I was telling him about my daughter's uncanny knack of guessing the astrological signs of people. All people... Including those she had never even met, but whom I had merely described to her. “Heavens above!” exclaimed one shocked woman who's sign my daughter had just pulled out of thin air correctly. “That makes no sense! How did you know?”

It makes no sense to me either, as like my brother, the whole astrology thing seems a bit far-fetched to me, though it is harmless fun to sometimes “read” what my day or month may be like. As an etiquette rule, I stay away from the subject of astrology when it comes to my business and also my professional life. I advise people who hire me, to leave the subject of astrology out of their business conversations, off of their websites, etc... too.

There are those who are put off by talk of astrology, as their religious beliefs find astrology offensive, etc... Like politics, people can lose potential clients over mere talk of subjects like astrological beliefs. That said, I am making an exception in this case due to the following. My second thought when I heard there was a 13th sign in the zodiac; The Southern Silver Zodiac.

The Southern Silver Zodiac is from a book I actually have gotten 2 copies of since it came out in the early 1990's (yes, it is that funny!) and tonight I just bought a third copy, the updated reprint of it on Ebay. The book is titled "A Southern Belle Primer: Or Why Paris Hilton Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma."


A Southern Belle Primer, Or why Princess Margaret Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma by Maryln Schwartz

A highlight of the book is the zodiac and its 12 silver patterns most popular with Southern Belles. (I wonder will a 13th pattern be added now? Hmmm)

The following is a sampling of the patterns and the type of Belles who choose them;

1. Francis I Reed and Barton The Belle who chooses Francis I is a girl who wants it all. There are twenty-eight pieces of fruit just on the knife handle. It’s showy and opulent and so is she. A Francis I girl is likely to want a husband, children, a place on the board of the Junior League, and a full-time career. There is no end to what she can buy in the Francis I pattern. It comes with pickle forks, tomato forks, shrimp forks, lobster forks, grapefruit spoons, dessert spoons, ice cream spoons, even half olive spoons. Francis I girls are always compatible with mothers-in-law who have Grand Baroque or Burgundy. Their styles are similar.

2. Grand Baroque Wallace International This is Francis I with roses instead of fruit. Grand Baroque girls also have a sense of the dramatic. But they often also have a literary bent. That’s why you can buy a sterling silver bookmark in the Grand Baroque pattern. Grand Baroque girls often date boys whose families have the Acorn pattern. But they don’t marry them. It’s just a youthful rebellion.

3. Burgundy Reed and Barton This is Francis I without the fruit. Burgundy girls tend to be somewhat shy. They have dreams of being splashy, but they just can’t let go. Louisiana girls love Burgundy. It shows up on a lot of tables during Mardi Gras. They do well with friends who have Buttercup. They are not made to feel too competitive.

4. Rose Point Wallace International Old-fashioned girls pick this pattern. It’s very popular with girls named Rose. Sentimental mothers who have chosen patterns like Old Master and Eloquence sometimes name their daughters Rose just so they can have a legacy all their own.

5. Buttercup Gorham Belles who choose Buttercup are always cheerful. They even choose the pattern because it’s so uplifting. Buttercup girls have friends with every kind of pattern. They are usually followers rather than leaders, but they are just so upbeat it really doesn’t matter.

6. Chantilly Gorham Belles with Chantilly tend to be a bit prissy. They do best with men whose mothers also have Chantilly. Never put a Chantilly girl with a man whose mother has Francis I or Grand Baroque. They will always be upstaged. Don’t let all that sweetness fool you. Chantilly girls were often fast in high school.

7. Strasbourg Gorham Strasbourg girls are traditionalists and just a bit formal. As good Southern girls, they are entranced with anything that’s festive and use their good silver almost all the time. Southern men love girls who pick Strasbourg because when Strasbourg girls bring out the good silver, they also bring out the good food. They don’t mix well with boys whose mothers have Buttercup. They will both always fight for control.

8. Acorn Georg Jensen Beware of the Acorn girl. This pattern is lovely but foreign (it comes from Denmark). Girls who pick Acorn are rebellious. They march in parades and sometimes have been known to go to colleges in the East and drink beer straight from the can.

9. Old Master Towle Old Master girls have spirit but don’t drift too far from tradition. Because of this they are fiercely attached to their family heirlooms. One Texas Belle got thirty place settings of her groom’s grandmother’s Old Master as a wedding gift. When she got a divorce, she took her husband to court over the Old Master and let him keep the Cadillac without a whimper.

10. Eloquence Lunt Eloquence girls like nice things. They expect their husbands to provide. They are extremely loyal whether it’s a boyfriend, a best friend, or a pet. Because of this they get along well with more flighty girls who have Francis I or Grand Baroque.

11. Chrysanthemum Tiffany These girls have been known to turn up their noses at Francis I girls. They are just as flamboyant and just as demanding. They also usually have a lot more money to spend. Their husbands have to be good providers because they also insist on Tiffany crystal and Tiffany china. This is a relatively new pattern compared to some of the others. Girls with Chrysanthemum sometimes go really wild and live in avant-garde homes. But don’t worry, they still cut the crusts off their tea sandwiches and their daughters always get good recommendations to Kappa, Theta and Pi Phi.

12. Repousse Kirk Repousse is one of the oldest silver patterns. These girls often have mothers and grandmothers who also have this pattern. One Charleston woman explains every woman in her family for three generations chose this pattern. Then her son married a woman who didn’t even have a silver pattern. (uh oh) The mother-in-law insisted she pick something out and had relatives fill in the place settings. When the new bride completely bypassed Repousse by calling it “too fussy”, the mother-in-law knew the marriage wouldn’t last. And it didn’t.

Francis I

I caught my daughter perusing the book the other day while she was eating lunch. I keep a copy in the dining room on a side table. Since she was little, she inevitably focuses on that one section of the book whenever she picks it up. Maybe it is her age now (early 20s), or her odd 'gift' with regard to pegging people's astrological signs, but she has looked at the book a lot lately. Either way, she will tell me her current favorite of the 12 patterns and why she likes it. Her favorite at the moment is Francis I. She is a Vegan, so maybe the fruit holds some appeal to her. Her pronouncements of her current favorites always lead to discussions about silver patterns in general.

Neither one of us cares for my mother's silver pattern; "Damask Rose". Too plain we feel, and an odd choice for someone as artistic as my mother. Maybe it was popular in the early 1950s when she chose it? It stumps us both.

Damask Rose-My Mother's Pattern

I have the stainless reproduction, early 1920's pattern "Hotel Flatware" that I use daily. I like the variety of designs (7 in total) on the handles, and they seem to go with anything and everything. I do not own a whole set of real silver flatware anymore. It was a pain to keep clean and I really didn't like the pattern. I can't even recall the pattern name, I only bought it as I got it for a good price.



Hotel Flatware

Me, above, answering questions after a talk on silver.

I do have a huge collection of odd pieces of silver that I show and discuss at speaking engagements and use with my etiquette class students, but I rarely use any of it to eat with or to set the table.


Versailles Fork


Love Disarmed

When pressed by my daughter for a "dream pattern" of silver for fine dining, it would have to be a pattern like Reed and Barton's "Love Disarmed." Not the newer made pieces, but the old, original pieces. So that pattern, or possibly Gorham's "Versailles", and even the old Frank Smith silver pattern "Lion" would be ornate patterns I would jump at, if I had an opportunity to buy an old set that was in very good condition. The price would also have to be right. Maybe I'll win the lottery. One can dream...



Frank Smith's Lion Pattern

I decided to ask around to find out why some friends had chosen the silver they have. The following are their responses-
Regarding a friend's set of the very simple "Fiddle Pattern"... "These were my mother's, my grandmother's. I always loved them. They have clean, classic lines and go formal or informal!"



Another friend regarding her set of "Kings" in silver plate... "We didn't have much money and neither did our friends or family, so this looked fancy and it was affordable. I grew to enjoy it."



As for my email friend who collects those beautiful pickle sets and buckwheat cake lifters, she got her start really collecting silver in a similar way to mine, in an antiques shop. Says my friend... "I was listening to a conversation at the silver counter between a customer and the saleslady about a particular piece. The conversation sounded interesting, so I wandered over to see what they were talking about. It was a lovely plated sugar shell in a water lily pattern. I knew nothing about silver (except that I had wanted flatware instead of other wedding gifts), but as the customer decided against spending the $22 for the spoon, I reached over her shoulder, grabbed it out of her hand and said, "I'll take it!" I've never looked back!
I later learned the pattern name "Nenuphar", introduced by American Silver Co., ca 1905, and I rapidly started collecting it and grape patterns, switching at some point from plated to sterling patterns, medallions, and finally to unusual coin silver & early sterling. To me, it was all about handle patterns, and I was as happy with a teaspoon as with the fanciest server. This has changed. Having found most of the interesting full-line patterns from 1844-1870 both die-struck and engraved, except for the really rare and pricey ones, I'm now concentrating on unusual servers, such as cheese knives (with teeth!), fresh cream buckets, buckwheat cake lifters, cakesaws, and cased sets."


Her $22.00 antique shop find and the start of her incredible collection

I guess it doesn't matter much that none of us chose the patterns in the Southern Silver Zodiac, as none of us could ever be mistaken for "Belles" ("These patterns are a bit pedestrian, except for Francis I and maybe Grande Baroque" said one friend dryly.) But if it is any consolation, I do love visiting and traveling through the South. And I happen to own 3 deviled egg plates! According to the Southern Belle Primer, deviled egg plates are big in the South, so there may just be a bit of a Southern Belle in me after all.

1800s Pickles, Etiquette & My Search for Ursula Edson

   If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, did Peter also politely polish off the pickled peppers with a pickle knife & fork? He did if he was living in the mid 1800s.

Was this Ursula Edson's Pickle Fork?

    

   

    

    A few weeks back, I received this new fork that I had won on Ebay.  It is about 150 years old, but new to my collection.  I got to work quickly, trying to find out what food it had been designed for eating. I had bid on it and the listing said it was a "serving fork", but it was under 6" in length so I had my doubts that it was a serving piece. I then hit the books.

    Richard Osterberg has several in his book Yesterday's Silver for Today's Table, listed as "pickle forks", but at the time this fork was made, most pickle forks came in sets with pickle knives, or were very long "castor" forks that came with pickle castors.  

    Pickle castors were elegant serving pieces for everything imaginable that one would serve pickled.  And in the mid-1800s, just about every food was pickled as it was the way most foods were preserved at the time.  Refrigeration was difficult without electricity, and "tinned" or canned foods were still very expensive at the time.  Only the very wealthy could afford them.

Elaborate pickle castors w/fork

Discovering, or uncovering, what a utensil was made for is not as simple as looking for one person's identification of it, though Osterberg is an expert.  I remain merely an enthusiast when it comes to silver pieces. I needed more back up.

Pickle fork & knife sets from a generous friend who wishes to remain anonymous

    

   

    It is not always an easy trick to find experts who agree on everything when it comes to silver, seeing as so many pieces were given new names and uses, as popular foods became easier to get in the Victorian Era.  Food fads waned due to geographical reasons too. Some foods caught on in parts of the country, while those same foods never held much interest in other regional areas.  Still, knowing "the correct fork to use" was one way of setting yourself apart from others. 

    By the mid 1800s, silver flatware had become weapons of mass seduction and class separation. Think for a moment about Leonard DiCaprio's 'Jack' in the movie "Titanic".  He sat at a table littered with more than one person who had class and arrogance confused.  Yet as he didn't know what all of his utensils were for, among other things, he was looked down upon. 

L to R-Two melon forks, a presumed pickle fork, a youth fork, a pie fork, an individual cheese fork and a fork for someone left-handed.

    I wanted to know not just about the fork, but about Ursula Edson and who she was too; Where she lived, When she lived, What became of her, Etc...  Her name is monogrammed onto the handle of the fork, so it had to be hers.   Now that I own it, is there any connection between us?  I think not, but am still curious about her.

More of my friend's pickle sets~circa 1840-1860

   I have found online two Ursula Edsons who possibly once owned my new fork.  One was born in South Carolina in 1855.  The other was born in 1834 in New York.  As the maker of the coin silver fork, J. Hollister, made silver pieces during this era in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, my guess is that she was the Ursula Edson from New York.  More as I find out about her at a later date.  For now... More museum quality pickle sets!

What fabulous works of art to eat one's pickles.