A Royal Typewriter and The Greatest Gift
The greatest gift my grandmother gave me was her example.
My Grandmother Checketts was the most prolific writer I knew. She wasn’t famous. Her writing was never featured on a best-seller list. But what she wrote was read by thousands of people across several decades. If she were here and I asked her if she considered herself a writer, I bet she would say no. Regardless of what she thought or felt, she inspired me to start writing.
The Royal Typewriter
My grandmother would have been 96 this week. She passed away almost five years ago. After her passing, I inherited her Royal KMG Desktop Typewriter. The typewriter sat in my parent’s house for a year until I was able to drive it from Utah to Georgia on one of my previous cross-country road trips.
I was honored to be the new steward of my grandmother’s typewriter because I know how much it meant to her. I wish I knew all of the details of the typewriter’s history but as far as I know, it’s a 1949 extended carriage model. The Royal Typewriter Company was founded in 1904 in New York City with its manufacturing center in Hartford, Connecticut. During World War Two, the company shifted its manufacturing from typewriters to arms and equipment for the war effort. Notable Royal typewriter users were Ian Fleming and Ernest Hemingway.
My Royal is 100% manual with no electric aides. The typewriter is an absolute beast weighing in at around 30 pounds. Royal typewriters were built to last, which is why it’s not surprising that my grandmother used hers for nearly 70 years. You can buy a good example on eBay for around $300. My typewriter isn’t valuable in monetary terms but it’s priceless to me because of its history.
My Grandparents
My Grandfather Checketts was objectively a successful person. He had a great family. He was a recognized civic and professional leader. Despite all of his well-earned accolades, he wouldn’t have been the person everyone knew without my grandmother. My grandmother was never one who sought out recognition. She held various responsibilities in her church throughout her life. She assisted my grandfather in his church responsibilities, too.
(Quick note to the readers: I know some of you knew my grandparents and their service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but I need to use general terms because not all of my readers are familiar with church jargon.)
My grandmother did a lot of transcribing work as part of her church service. She used her Royal to transcribe audio recordings and shorthand notes into full-fledged documents. Not only did she do this thousands of times but she was quick. She didn’t need artificial intelligence or spell check to do her work either. She knew how to write and she was good at it—a true professional.
Family History
Outside of her service work in the church, she was a meticulous record keeper and historian. She had a large calendar next to her kitchen where she would add upcoming appointments and record the day’s events. For instance, whenever I visited my grandparents, she would include my visit on her calendar for that day. At the end of the month she would record all of the month’s events into a history book with—you guessed it—her Royal typewriter.
She followed this system for more than 60 years. I was able to browse through her history book after her passing to see what she wrote on special dates. On the day I was born, she wrote something about how much I weighed, what time I arrived, and a nice message about my parents’ growing family. My wedding day had a special note about me and my wife along with her aspirations for us in the future. Having access to this book is like being able to ask my grandmother a question about anything from her past.
In the final years of her life, she used this history book to write her family history. She didn’t have to jog her memory too much because she had all of the details she needed. Her detailed notes about events and dates were all there. She gave our family a lasting treasure and legacy through her diligence and discipline.
The Greatest Gift
Having my grandmother’s Royal typewriter is an absolute honor. She hit the keys on that typewriter millions of times throughout her life. As great as the heirloom is, it would be just another old typewriter had it not been for her work. Whenever I’m feeling confused or inadequate as a parent, I find myself browsing through her family history to see how she felt about a certain issue. I’ve learned that my grandparents struggled as I do with trying to raise a family and make a living. Having this knowledge is reassuring because I know I can learn from my experiences and do better.
The greatest gift my grandmother gave me was her example. I’ve been journaling and writing for more than 20 years. The earliest journal I have is from when I was 14. I’ve read my old passages and have been amazed by how much I’ve grown. I now have several journals full of thoughts, memories, and insights. I’ve been doing a daily work journal for almost five years. I don’t know if anyone will care about what I did on April 14, 2019, but it’s there for them to read.
The time we have to live is extremely short. My grandparents’ lives are now contained in a single book. All of the minutes, hours, weeks, months, years, and decades they lived are gone. Fortunately for me, they made excellent use of their time by showing their children and grandchildren what being a good person looks like. What’s more, they left a beautiful record of their lives that I can share with my children. This is the greatest gift my grandparents gave to me, and now I can pay it forward by giving my children, and their children a record of what I did with my time.
If you’re not journaling then I implore you to get started. You don’t have to write a tome each day. A quick sentence or paragraph—even bullet points—is all you need. The trick is to get started and stay consistent.
As always, I appreciate your time and attention.
What a beautiful memory to have. I have always started journals, but really struggle with being concise, and get burnt out of writing novels nightly. Something I need to practice more for sure.
Thats a beautiful reminder of Mom Cory. Thank-You!