When I was a kid and wanted to find out anything, it meant hours poring over the Encyclopedia. Every family I knew had one and it took up two full shelves on our living room bookshelf.

  Now I just Google everything and am always amazed (and sometimes frustrated) by all the information. That said, I Googled “old trunks”. Through this random and unscientific search  I found a website called  ‘This Old Trunk‘. This is a fantastic website for antique trunks and a fun peek into the way people traveled a century or more ago. No 50 pound limits, no carry-on. Everything you owned fit into a trunk and followed you on your long and arduous journey by stagecoach or rail. The fact that any of these trunks survived is a true testament to this lost craft.

     After scanning the website for contact info I sent off an email to Marvin Miller. Marvin was so helpful and he really knows his trunks. I knew that the trunk had been manufactured by Likly, McDonald and Rockett of Cleveland,Ohio because the original plate was still inside the trunk and in excellent condition.

   From my photos Marvin was able to tell that the trunk is a canvas covered Barrel top or Round Top trunk. This style was made mostly during the 1880’s and 1890’s. It was a popular style in its day. On “Lizzie’s” trunk the inner tray is missing. This is where a woman would have stored her “delicates”as well as gloves, accessories, etc. Apparently , there also used to be a piece in the center lid that is missing which was a papers envelope for letters and such.

   Another search shows the Likly, McDonald and Rockett company STILL in business in Ohio but it is now called the Likly-Rockett Luggage Co. I have contacted them  to see if they kept any old ledgers listing the sales of their trunks. It’s a long shot.

    Now that I have an approximate date of the trunk, my search for it’s owner “Lizzie May Ulmer, young actress” begins…