President Kennedy made the rocking chair famous so everyone has to have one. There is one in the Peterson household that has been around much longer than I have. I would like to find out how it first came to the Peterson family. I can only gues s It must have been years before I was born as the rockers were worn down to less than half there original size . It was everyone's favorite all of us children were rocked in it when we were babies. Whenever my dad came in the house we alw ays had to vacate it as it was conceded to be his private possession. After many years my mother retired it to the tool shed in favor of more modern rockers. There it stayed for many years. One day I came across it in its delapitated for m. The rockers were worn to about a half inch thick and all of the varnish had cracked and peeled, All in all it was really in a sad state. I resurrected it and took it to brother in law David at his shop. He made new rockers, and sanded the old varnish off and supplied it with a new coat. It was as brilliant as it was when new. It has now found a place in our household and I conceder it to be my chair as everyone has to vacate it when I'm around.
A few years ago when visiting a museum near Ludington I found a chair on display that was the exact replica down to the last detail. After leaving I thought about it and wondered if someone at the museum could give me some background on when and w here it was made so that I might get a clue as to when and how it might have came to the Petersons. A return visit the next summer and the chair was gone the Museum would only say that it had been there on assignment and they didn't know who had brought it or where it had gone.
I am going to do some speculation and say " it might have been one of the items brought to the Peterson household after the fire burned the house and they lost everything. The fire was about 1895. If this is true how old was it when donated. It a ll adds up to a mystery that I hope to someday solve.