06/03/2026
This white shaker with pink flowers passed from my 3rd great grandmother all the way down to be with me now.
Here’s what I found.
According to the note I found inside this shaker, Eliza Zerby neé Kintzel (1831-1880) and William Zerby (1830-1909) once had this shaker in their household.
Through their son, Sam Zerby (1866-1930), they had a granddaughter, Esther.
This granddaughter was my great grandmother, Esther Kutz neé Zerby (1898-1979) and this shaker was handed to her.
In February 1966, according to the note inside, Esther put a note inside the shaker telling about it being from her grandmother, Eliza. She dated the note Feb 6 — 1966.
10 years later, Esther had a great granddaughter, through her oldest son, Samuel Kutz. She was named Crystal Kutz.
Before she died, Esther handed the shaker to her eldest son, Samuel Kutz (1922-2013). A few years before he died, Samuel Kutz handed the shaker to his oldest granddaughter, Crystal Darlene Kutz (1976-living).
I just noticed there was a pattern of handing this shaker down. Grandparent to granddaughter. In this way, women with different surnames would be handed the shaker. And the note inside would be about a woman they’d never met, and likely never even heard of.
-Also there was a saying was in our family that my father, Cecil E. Kutz, Senior (1946-2019) often said, and that I believe his father, Samuel Kutz, also said, “Put sugar on and love it,” regarding dealing with the limited options you had. I have thought of this as a salt shaker, and maybe it was. It had nothing inside except the note. But it could have even been used as a sugar shaker. The saying, “Put sugar on and love it” is striking to me. Instead of, change your situation, it is more of a suggestion of, what limited choices you were given, “make the best of it, to the point that you love it.”
