Family History

That's a beautiful story, Joel, and a very poignant family history. My mother
used an Esterbrook pen throughout her life, the same pen she had in high
school. She wrote with a beautiful, practiced hand that I always admired and
sought to imitate. I can't think of anything that surpasses a good fountain
pen as a tool for writing. Someday, perhaps the art of penmanship will be
resurrected, and Mont Blanc, Waterman, Pelikan, and even the humble
Esterbrooks will be rediscovered as tools for disciplined, creative expression
rather than as shallow signifiers of success. Your story also illustrates the
durability of good hand tools, and the reverence which we feel for their
connections to our past. In your case, a very direct connection.

Fascinating story, Joel. I think it's important to record family history for future generations and I'm sure your children and theirs will thank you for doing that. Lovely pen with some very special meanings.

That's a wonderful story Joel. What powerful emotions and memories can be brought back every day by physical contact with something so personal. I have a well-worn Stanley marking gage (with the 1873 patent date) that has been in my family for over a hundred years. I still reach for it whenever I build something, and I always think of my grandfather. I have a Tite-Mark, which by any measure is a superior instrument, but it lacks the deep connection that you wrote about which makes it so satisfying. I hope your family always uses your pen, and remembers.