The Mystery of the Silver Spoon

In the late 1800s, a series of events unfolded, which led to a unique collection of British antiques, historical documents, and a mystery ending up in Michigan…

My great-grandmother, Dessa Hagee Roche, the daughter of one of General Sherman’s “Boys in Blue,” traveled from Texas to Colorado by wagon train as a young girl. Shortly after settling in Denver, the entire family was stricken with measles. Dessa lost all of her siblings within a few weeks. Two years later, Grandma and Grandpa Hagee welcomed another daughter, Gladys. Aunt Gladys arrived early with underdeveloped lungs. Grandpa Hagee crafted a homemade incubator using parts from the bread warmer on the wood stove to keep her alive.

Aunt Gladys went on to attend the University of Colorado where she fell in love with Steere de Montfort Mathew, the only child of the second son of a second son of a British gentleman (Second sons often pursued military commissions, vicarage appointments, or in the case of Steere’s father, followed the “lure of the west” and moved to Colorado). They married in NOLA and settled in New York City where Aunt Gladys performed opera, and Uncle Steere became a pioneer in NBC radio. My sister and I used to play with an old xylophone from the studio that chimed the familiar “N-B-C” sound you still hear on TV today.

Uncle Steere also inherited several estates from distant relatives in England, likely due to the loss of a generation of young men in the Great War. In the late 1930s, they lived for a time in Ipswich, England, to organize the estate of Steere’s uncle, Suffolk artist, George de Montfort Mathew. After reviewing some of the historical documents, I traced Steere’s lineage to General Edward Mathew (1729-1805). His daughter, Anna, married James Austen, the oldest brother of author, Jane Austen. Historians also think that Austen based one of her characters on General Mathew (No, definitely not Mr. Darcy).

Never having any children, part of Gladys and Steere’s estate was bequeathed to their great-nephew, my father. In the early 1980s, my mother, siblings, and I spent two weeks in Manhattan, living in their Upper West Side brownstone, packing up the antiques and historical documents and having many adventures in Central Park. Mom spent the rest of her life preserving the collection. We enjoyed many magical afternoons as kids playing among those items at Broadlawn (my childhood home in Hillsdale, MI): Holding court in 500-year-old Tudor chairs, fencing with antique foils, and granting knighthood with Lt. Colonel Henry Mathew’s cavalry sword till my mother frantically rushed out and demonstrated the sharp edge.

Much of the collection has been dispersed over the years, most to members of the community, young couples furnishing their first home, donations to charity auctions, etc. I’ve been slowly researching some of the items that ended up on our farm. Among the collection is an old silver spoon with unique markings. At first glance, the markings look like something out of a Dan Brown novel! The spoon’s origin continues to elude me. Perhaps one day, I’ll solve this mystery.

---