The story of the Gulbransen Piano, enjoyed by several generations

My grandmother on my mother’s side of the family, Lucy Kratzer, loved to spend hours working on crossword puzzles. Her brother, called Kerr by the family, preferred to smile while he recited all the remarkable accomplishments of our 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, including details about his birthday.

These two teachers by profession, grandmother Lucy and great uncle Kerr, easily remembered dates, places, relatives, someone’s new buggy, etc. Does anyone care what Abraham Lincoln had for his birthday?

My mother and her aunt Grace, who had lots of friends, shared the same n...