Legacy List with Matt Paxton

- [Male Announcer] Coming up on the Legacy List with Matt Paxton... - Holy.

- Voila!

- [Male Announcer] It's full steam ahead as Matt and the team pay a visit to the land of enchantment.

- Can you imagine growing up here?

Like, this is your front yard.

- [Male Announcer] To help a family declutter at their grandparents' adobe home.

Along the way, they'll find items that help preserve the family legacy and teach them about New Mexico's rich history.

and teach them about New Mexico's rich history.

- [Matt] I'm Matt Paxton.

Let's do it, man.

Let's do it, man.

My team of specialists, Jaime Mike, and Avi help me help people downsize their homes and settle estates.

As the largest population of Baby Boomers in American history transition towards retirement, they and their families face the overwhelming task of emptying their homes to move.

We help them sift through a lifetime of possessions.

- Bingo!

- Heirlooms, and collectibles.

We have literally found a piece of history.

To help them find the missing family treasures that mean the most to them.

- Oh, my goodness!

- [Matt] Jackie Robinson.

And along the way, they'll discover that the most important museum in the world may be in their family's basement.

- [Women] Aww, aww!

- [Women] Aww, aww!

- I've never seen that, that is cool looking.

- [Matt] From attics to cellars, closets to cupboards, we uncover the memories they want to preserve.

This is living history, this is what we're here to find.

Let's go.

And discover the compelling, personal, and often historical stories spanning generations that are their family's legacy.

that are their family's legacy.

- [Female Announcer] Funding for Legacy List is provided by Bekins van lines.

At Bekins, our goal is to provide a smooth and simple moving experience, no matter the size or distance of your move.

Bekins is ready to help you get there.

You can find us at bekins.com.

Bekins, this is moving.

First Light Home Care, committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

First Light believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing, and personal hygiene.

Details at firstlighthomecare.com.

Details at firstlighthomecare.com.

The Mavins Group, a downsizing real estate sales and move management company, committed to easing the emotional and physical demands of beginning a new stage of life.

of beginning a new stage of life.

The Mavins Group, so much more than a move.

The Mavins Group, so much more than a move.

Insure Long Term Care, where we believe that aging at home, near friends and family, is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - [Matt] Today I'm in the beautiful Taos, New Mexico visiting my friend, Marcia, whose family has lived in this region for generations.

She needs my help cleaning out her grandparents' adobe home which no one has lived in for more than a decade.

I got a feeling this is gonna be a very interesting week.

I got a feeling this is gonna be a very interesting week.

(soft guitar music) (chickens clucking) You know, the two and a half hour drive from Albuquerque to Taos is one of the prettiest parts of America I have ever seen.

I was blown away when we got to town just to see how beautiful this place really was.

just to see how beautiful this place really was.

(knocking on door) (knocking on door) - Hi, Matt!

- Marcia.

- Come on in.

- Thank you.

- Welcome to New Mexico, to Taos.

- Wow, this is really cool.

Marcia has called me because she's back in town for a few months, really, to handle her family's estate and she's got this adobe that they wanna get back into shape so family can move back in.

So, tell me about the situation, whose house was this?

- This was my grandparents' house, Fermin and Sabinita Arguello.

They are my mother's parents and they've been in this house since the late '60s.

My grandfather was the ranch manager for the lady that owned all the property.

And this is traditional northern New Mexico style architecture, look at the beautiful beams.

- [Matt] Yeah!

- Those are known as vigas in Spanish.

Adobe house, so it's a mud brick.

And also natural insulation.

- Which is hay, mud, - Which is hay, mud, and... - Lots of hard work.

- Hard work.

- My grandparents, my whole family, were ranchers and farmers, so even though they might have had other professions, other jobs, it was always wake up in the morning, do chores, go to work, come home, do chores, work hard.

work hard.

You can see some of the stuff behind us, there's the coat of arms for the Arguello family name, which dates back to Spain.

Photographs all over the place, so you'll, as we walk through, you'll probably see some family.

- And that's them right there.

- That's family, that's grandma and grandpa and that was taken for their 50th wedding anniversary, I believe.

- This item here keeps catching me, this massive rosary.

- It was my grandfather's, it's actual wood.

It is a symbol of the devotion to, and the importance of religion in our family.

and the importance of religion in our family.

- What's the goal here, what do you need help with?

- Well, the house is pretty much what it was when grandpa passed away in 2010 and in the meantime, we've kind of brought stuff in to store and there's a whole bunch of stuff that's still leftover from my grandparents.

- So, grandparents' house, no one's lived here for about 10 years?

- Correct.

- All right, this becomes kind of a heritage site for family pride but also a storage unit.

- Exactly.

- Okay.

- We want to keep this in the family and we want to put this house back into being livable.

- What is so important about - What is so important about not losing it?

- It's the soul, it's the essence of where we came from and who we came from.

It's hard to say, it's in our being to have land and to own land.

and to own land.

(soft guitar music) - Look at this.

- Look at this.

- Ceiling.

- More beams.

- More beams.

- So, what room is this?

- This was the bedroom that my grandmother was in.

But as you can see, the room has become a storage.

- Yeah.

- It has three generations of stuff in here.

- I'm really digging your organization.

For a guy that cleans houses for a living, look at this, sorted and reviewed.

- Reviewed by me.

- And then sorted, still to be reviewed.

still to be reviewed.

I love it.

- The other stuff is, oh, we've gotta quickly pack up stuff.

- So, this is really where you need our help, when you go through all of this.

- Yes, yes.

And there are things that we would wanna keep, we just wanna know what's here.

- Okay.

So, are you the oldest or youngest?

- I'm the oldest of six kids.

- You went to law school, and then you've been a, what's your career?

- I was accepted at Princeton University, got on campus, and was blown away.

I learned that I was the first Mexican American woman to be at Princeton.

I was a deputy city attorney for the city of Los Angeles for almost 40 years.

And now I'm retired and this is where my heart is.

- So, it's interesting, when I work with families, it's always the oldest adult daughter.

That is who becomes executor, that is who becomes tasked with doing all this stuff.

Marcia's credentials are amazing.

Everything she does, she does at the top, top level.

Everything she does, she does at the top, top level.

(gentle music) (gentle music) When you get to the property, it's one of the prettiest views that I've ever seen, but it's really a family storage unit.

I mean, there's different parts of the house that different parts of the family have stored things.

No one's really lived there for about 10 years.

So, they do have to do a lot of work to kind of get it back to code and to get it livable.

Man, this is beautiful.

- Okay, you ready?

- I think I am.

- For this adventure?

- I've seen a lot of stuff, so, let's see.

- This is gonna be an adventure.

- This is gonna be an adventure.

- Holy.

- Voila!

- Look at this.

Wow.

- Have you ever seen anything like this?

- I mean, it's not horrible, but it sure is full.

- My grandfather did build this, but as you can see, it still tells incredible, different, diverse stories of what my grandparents were into.

- Yeah, I'm just, I'm trying to put the story together.

You've got a miner's cap, what is that?

- That was when grandpa worked for the US Forest Service, he was a crew chief fighting fires.

They made wine.

- Yes.

- Out of local choke cherry.

And then there's canning jars.

And you can see there's all kinds of farm equipment.

- Tools for everything.

- Hardware, tools for everything.

- All right, let's talk about the massive stove, beautiful wood stove.

- I have been told by some relatives that my mother may have bought it, to refurbish it, put back into the house.

Best homemade bread ever in my childhood was always on a wood burning stove.

- I wanna clarify, this is the space we want to clean out.

- There are definitely things I think we need to keep here.

- Okay.

- The jars are all being kept because we have extended relatives that still make wine and still do a lot of canning.

- Do you even know what's under that orange tarp?

- It is a loom.

That loom has been in the family for, I don't know, 50, 60 years.

- Everything you have is connected to so many different generations.

One thing that really drew me to Marcia's situation was her passion for this land and her passion for her ancestors and how hard they worked to obtain it.

And then, really, to keep it going.

All right, I love it, I love what your family's doing.

Let's go inside, find a place to sit down, and go over the legacy list so we know exactly what we're looking for.

- Great.

- Great.

(gentle music) (gentle music) - All right, here we are.

In your grandparents' house.

How does it feel?

- Nostalgic, sad, 'cause they're not here.

But really grateful that we're gonna be able to preserve some of their legacy, and history, and clear out some stuff that they probably would have gotten rid of also.

- A legacy list item is just an item that a family member wants to either find, relocate, or learn more about.

But this item helps you tell your family story and is part of your family legacy.

Even in the short time you and I have spent together, I feel that pride you have.

Like, I really, really do.

So, I'm excited to hear what these items are.

- One thing that is super important to all of us would be my great grandmother, we called her Mami Kika, she was an incredible embroiderer, crocheter, she was an incredible embroiderer, crocheter, and actually Grandma Sabinita was a quilter, also.

And so, anything having to do with textiles that you can find.

My five siblings and I, we all knew her.

- You did?

- Yes.

We have just wonderful memories of her, and so, that's a tangible connection to that generation and even generations before.

and even generations before.

- Let's go to the next item.

- When we were in the garage, I told you that there was a loom there.

That was my grandparents' loom.

And we would love to find anything else that has to do with the weaving.

Whether it's rugs or the other implements that are used along with the loom.

And the loom was promised to one of my sisters, so I'm sure my grandmother especially would have saved them somewhere.

- Okay, so, the loom is accounted for in the family.

- Mm-hmm.

- Okay.

- Mm-hmm.

- Okay.

All right, what else do we have?

All right, what else do we have?

- My grandmother's wedding dress.

- Ooh.

- We know it exists, we just don't know where it is.

And we would love to know anything more about the dress.

It was a very fashionable dress from what we see in the photos, so where could it have come from in 1937?

That dress was probably the most fashionable thing she had.

- So, it was her last big thing.

- Mm-hmm.

- Okay.

- Mm-hmm.

- Okay.

- The other great thing, and I really hope you find it, is my grandfather's parents' wrote in Spanish a letter to my grandmother's parents asking for my grandmother's hand in marriage for their son.

This is the parents asking.

- Parent to parent.

- Right, to parent to parent.

And the most beautiful thing about the letter that I remember reading is they responded in Spanish, "Es su voluntad," which means, "It's her will."

Which I think meant my grandma's parents Which I think meant my grandma's parents trusted her judgment and left it to her to make the decision.

- That's really cool.

Oh, I love it.

Oh, I love it.

All right, is there anything else?

- Yes.

- Okay.

- They were lifelong members of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

Nationally, it's probably the most prominent advocacy group on behalf of small ranchers and farmers.

They were honored as family of the year.

And it recognizes them for their lifelong work in the ranching and farming community.

- Is this an award, or what is it?

- It's a platter.

- Okay, it's a platter.

- That's inscribed.

The platter is made of nambe ware.

The platter is made of nambe ware.

- Any other items?

- Yes.

We have my mother's jewelry.

- Okay.

- And I would like your help with appraising two pieces of jewelry of my mother's.

They're both squash blossom necklaces, which is very traditional, I think it's Navajo.

It's actually turquoise and the other one is coral.

It's the design, it looks like the blossom of the squash.

It would be enormously helpful It would be enormously helpful and a task that I hadn't really wanted to tackle on my own.

- Okay.

Okay.

I think people underestimate how much work there is to do when you're the executor of an estate.

She has a legal obligation to do everything the right way, but then also report it back to the family.

This is great.

I got a lot to do, I'm gonna call my team in.

There's so much about your grandparents and some about your parents here and we're gonna make as much of a dent in this as we can for you.

- Very important to all of us and the whole family thanks you.

and the whole family thanks you.

(gentle music) (gentle music) (engine rumbling) - What's that sound?

- What's that sound?

Are you lost?

- I'm working!

(Jaime laughs) - Oh, man.

- Yeah, right.

- Oh, man.

- Yeah, right.

- [Avi] Did you drive here on that thing or what?

- Yeah, it took me 10 days.

- [Jaime] Is that why you took so long?

- 10 days from Georgia.

(all laugh) What do you guys think, man?

New Mexico.

- This is beautiful.

- Isn't it?

This is Marcia's family farm.

- It's so different from all the other places that we've been.

- Yeah.

It's just an incredible story.

So, her grandparents, it was their farm, the ranch they worked on, but they also worked lots of other jobs.

So, like, a lot of the families we've met, they worked the ranch in the morning, they'd get up and go to their jobs all day, and then they'd come back and work it at night.

- [Avi] Oh, wow.

- [Jaime] That's a lot of work.

- Yeah.

Her grandfather lived here til he was 96.

- Wow.

- Wow.

- [Avi] Is anybody living there now?

- No one lives here right now and no one has lived here for about 10 years.

- [Jaime] Wow.

- [Mike] Wow.

- It's obvious once you get inside, there's no heat.

- Okay.

- There's no water.

They got a lot of work to do.

- Yeah.

- Marcia is the, she's executor of her mother's estate.

You know, there's six siblings that lay claim to this area.

Her uncle actually lives right across in the next lot over, there's lots of, lots of family members have different plots.

But the main goal is that they keep it in the family.

I went through the legacy list items with the team, so everyone knew what to look for.

One thing that was unique about this job was we also had an extra challenge which was anything that we could find that would preserve this family story, she really wanted us to kind of put to the side.

- I'm seeing a lot of barns and outbuildings.

What are me and my guys facing this week?

What are me and my guys facing this week?

- Barns and outbuildings.

(all laugh) Yeah.

The garage, they really haven't touched.

I peeked in there with her, and so, and your guys are gonna have to really stay focused on those.

- Okay.

Based on the kind of things we're looking for, I knew the garage was going to be a great place to look.

I anticipated it was gonna be like a time capsule in that garage.

- Marcia's very organized, okay.

- Okay.

- And you'll see when you get inside, her mess is even organized.

- [Avi] Ooh.

- [Jaime] Okay.

- But we are looking for a lot of paperwork.

So, knowing y'all's skillset, I want the two of you inside.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- And there's lots of clothes and things inside as well.

- Great.

- All right.

- Mike, you're the barn guy.

So, I'm gonna come out with you.

- You know it.

- Sorry.

- Thank you, brother.

Well, I gotta put the tractor back in the barn.

(all laugh) All right, I'll see you guys.

- [Avi] Yep.

- [Mike] See ya, Matt.

- [Jaime] 10 bucks says you can't get it started.

- [Matt] I'm gonna get it started.

(all laugh) (all laugh) - Seeing Matt on the tractor was comical, let's be honest.

It doesn't matter what age you are, you can be four or 42, boys love tractors.

boys love tractors.

- This is a great place to wake up to in the morning.

- I mean, can you imagine growing up here?

Like, this is your front yard.

- I've never been inside an adobe.

I've seen them in history class, and pictures, the adobe itself had not been lived in for 10 years, so, like any other house that hasn't been lived in for 10 years, it was gonna take a little work.

it was gonna take a little work.

- [Male Announcer] The adobes of Taos, New Mexico date back thousands of years.

date back thousands of years.

Indigenous people were the first in the region to build with adobe.

The Taos Pueblo is the only Native American community designated as both a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national historic landmark.

People have lived in the adobe complex for over a thousand years, making it the longest continuously inhabited place in the country.

The recipe for adobe is simple: mix mud, water, and straw, mold into bricks, and dry in the sun.

With such accessible ingredients, it's no wonder that 30% of the global population lives in earth homes.

They are especially well suited to the dry climate of the American southwest.

Thick walls control the indoor temperature so adobe dwellers can escape the blazing desert sun during the day and stay warm through chilly evenings.

And what about those wooden ladders?

They're not just decorative.

House Pueblo residents once climbed up the ladders and entered the structure through the roof.

In 1680, Taos Pueblo was the home base for a brewing rebellion.

From the adobe complex, Pueblo leader Po'pay organized what came to be the most successful indigenous uprising in North America.

Pueblos drove out the Spanish colonizers for 12 years until Spain returned to reconquer the territory.

Adobe was once again the material of choice.

This time for building Spanish mission churches.

This time for building Spanish mission churches.

Adobes have stood the test of time for generations and with the proper care, will be around for many more.

will be around for many more.

- [Jaime] Go.

- [Jaime] Go.

Wow.

- Oh, man.

- Oh, man.

Feels like I just walked into my grandparents' house.

- This is a step back in time for sure.

- Yes, for sure.

- My first thought walking inside the home was that it was in pretty good condition.

It was a little musty, a little dusty, but that's because no one had been in there for 10 years.

There's still so much value in this property.

- Is this where we're starting?

- It is, yeah.

- It is, yeah.

- All right.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Okay.

- Yeah, there's some work here for sure.

- I mean, it's organized though, but there's still things she's looking for, so.

But it's a good start that's organized.

But it's a good start that's organized.

- All right, man.

- All right, man.

Here we go.

Here we go.

All right.

- Look at this.

- All right!

- All right!

- That's the garage.

Definitely a lot of farming stuff.

- This space had been used as sort of a catch-all for years and years and years.

And when that happens, you're trying to maximize the space.

I believe this would be used for drying fruit.

- Okay, that makes sense.

'Cause this is all their, all their bottles for wine.

- Okay.

Well, I guess you need something after the work's done for the day.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Ooh.

- Ooh.

Avi.

Avi.

Look what I found.

- Oh!

We're in New Mexico.

- I'm digging the yellow.

Here, you try it on.

Here, you try it on.

Looks pretty.

Looks pretty.

(laughs) It's a little small.

(Avi laughs) Now, I know there were some family members that actually participated in the rodeo pageants here.

- Oh, okay.

- So, these were likely from those outfits that they wore.

- I have my own connection to the rodeo.

My family has an arena in North Carolina.

I've had a chance to ride some horses and wrangle some cattle.

and wrangle some cattle.

- Can you imagine being crowned the queen of the rodeo?

- Can you imagine being crowned the queen of the rodeo?

- Look at this.

- Oh.

- Oh.

- You can spin the butter?

- You can spin the butter?

Or jam?

- Yeah, something like that.

Wow.

- That's super cool.

Yeah, then you pour the juice out.

- Yeah.

I'll tell you, I could use this a lot of times.

- Yeah.

So, that was her grandfather's, he worked the Forest Service.

- Oh, really?

- Yeah.

He had a hundred jobs.

One of the fascinating things about her grandfather, who was really a kind of mysterious man, he had different jobs at labs, in nuclear test sites, it was really exciting to find out more about her grandfather.

about her grandfather.

- Some handwritten notes, I don't know.

I got a few handwritten notes over here.

- Oh, yeah?

- Oh, yeah?

- Yeah, I'm not sure - Yeah, I'm not sure what family members it's to or from, but... - These look a little bit too new.

- Okay.

- For the ones that we're looking for.

- For the ones that we're looking for.

This is like a box of This is like a box of all these religious items.

- There's a lot of religious iconography.

- Yeah, I've noticed that.

Yeah, it's everywhere you look.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- All right.

- All right.

These are old fruit baskets.

- They grew plums here, is that what you were saying?

- They had plums, they had apricots.

- Mm-hmm.

- But they, you know, they're very self sufficient.

- I can't even imagine having to rely on what you grow and what you cultivate for survival.

- All right, hey, I'm gonna do you a favor.

I'm gonna pull this out.

- Oh.

- But since you wanna need to do, why don't you pull up that trunk and see what's in there?

- Yeah, thank you.

- You're welcome, man.

This isn't so heavy, it's okay.

This isn't so heavy, it's okay.

- Oh, wow.

- Oh, wow.

Look at this.

- Oh, man.

- I'm gonna need your help pulling this out.

- I'm gonna need your help pulling this out.

You got the mothballs and the dryer sheets.

You got the mothballs and the dryer sheets.

Here.

- This is... - This is beautiful.

- Yes, yes.

This is amazing.

This is amazing.

- Look at the craftsmanship.

- Yes, yes.

- I mean, it's like, the colors are beautiful, everything.

- And here's the thing, it wasn't just for beauty.

- No.

- Like, it was practical.

- It was, it had to be functional.

- Gotta stay warm.

- Gotta stay warm.

- [Male Announcer] Around 34,000 years ago, our ancestors did something that would change the course of history.

They created thread by twisting together flax fibers.

So, what, you ask?

It was the simple beginning of fabric making.

Now a person didn't need to wear an animal pelt to stay warm.

They could make their own clothes with what was around them.

It wasn't just plants that were used to make material, but animals as well.

Primarily sheep.

(sheep baaing) First the sheep were shorn.

The fleece from that haircut was washed, brushed, and then stretched, spun, and twisted into yarn.

Wool, this simple durable fiber that has been keeping people warm for centuries.

Fabric was a valuable part of ancient civilizations.

In Egypt, wrapping mummies with linen was a sacred tradition.

In China, larva spun cocoons that transformed into a luxury fabric, silk.

For thousands of years, nimble fingered artisans around the globe created complicated fabrics by hand.

created complicated fabrics by hand.

But at the beginning of the 19th century, textile manufacturing became automated.

Weaving was a tedious process until one man, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, created a loom that used punch cards.

Patterns no longer had to be set by hand.

Now, complicated patterns could be programmed.

Believe it or not, this punch card technology didn't just transform textiles, it revolutionized the computer technology we rely on today.

we rely on today.

It seems that textiles are woven into human history.

And to think, it all began with a single thread.

And to think, it all began with a single thread.

- The other components to the loom, I don't imagine they would be in the house.

- No.

- They're more likely in the barn, right?

- Yeah, I agree with you.

But this is something that's definitely been thoughtfully preserved.

(soft guitar music) - All right, watch the handles on that bad boy.

- I know, I know, these aren't leather though, so.

All right.

- They're not leather handles?

- They're not, they're wood.

So, I looked.

- Oh, wow.

I've never seen wood handles.

- Yeah, let's open this bad boy up.

- Yep.

- Yep.

Look at that.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- These are doors.

- Probably to... - Probably to... - What is that, a root beer jug?

- What is that, a root beer jug?

I don't know.

I don't know.

This is in This is in the trunk for a reason.

I have no idea.

All right, this is heavy, help me out with this.

(Matt grunts) - Let's hope it's better than the trunk.

- Yes.

- Yes.

- Okay.

Even more mystery now.

Even more mystery now.

(Mike chuckles) Even more mystery.

Pretty much instantly I realized people were throwing bags in bags and boxes in boxes and barrels in boxes.

and barrels in boxes.

Never actually seen a loom in person.

- All right, this is... - Oh, what's this?

- I don't know.

- All right, you wanna grab that side and I'll...?

- Yeah, be careful.

- Yeah, well, you hold that side.

- Yeah, well, you hold that side.

- Oh, my god.

- Oh, my god.

I think it's a secret, you have to, like, blow on it.

- Yep.

blow on it.

- Yep.

Or hold it to a candle.

- Man.

This is a hard legacy item.

- That was anticlimactic.

- Man, I was excited.

- Man, I was excited.

- What you got?

- Check it out.

- Check it out.

- I think - I think I found the platter.

I found the platter.

- Yes, you did!

- Ah-ha!

- Look at that.

NM, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau Farm Family of the Year.

- That is, I mean, to be recognized that way.

- Yeah.

- Hold that thing.

- Oh, yeah.

That's got some weight to it.

But what an honor for them to be recognized for all of the work that they did for the agriculture in this area.

- It wasn't just about themselves, you know?

- No.

- It was about every local farmer in Taos, in the area.

- It's the community.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- Yeah.

Good find!

- You know?

- A legacy list item!

- Ah!

- Good job.

- Good job.

(gentle music) (chickens clucking) (gentle music) (chickens clucking) - This is definitely going to a sister.

- Well, that's good, keep it in the family.

- We know who it's going to.

- We know who it's going to.

- Another bag.

- Another bag, okay, so this is the... so this is the... - Is that a spindle?

- Yeah, I think this is what the, like, raw yarn would, shove it in there, and they would spin it.

Look, here's some more yarn.

- Is this the world's first hacky sack?

- Oh, my gosh.

Dude.

(Mike laughs) Yeah, that thing spins.

So, I don't know if that holds the final product or what, this has got different screens.

This is incredible.

This is incredible.

Those are the shuttles, man.

- Oh, okay.

- Oh, okay.

- These would go back and forth.

- Okay.

This blue part is just part of the loom itself.

Something that came off of here, like a rug.

like a rug.

- Yeah, this is a piece that the family would have made.

Look at that.

- Wow.

- This, I think, is another legacy list item.

- All right.

- I don't know if they know that this is on there or not.

that this is on there or not.

- That is awesome.

There's even more of it.

- There's a piece of that.

Man!

I'm very confused.

Nothing this family did was easy.

Nothing this family did was easy.

Everything required a lot of hard work.

That box you got right there is a legacy list item.

- All right!

- And this bag.

So, good job.

This thing is the real deal.

This thing is the real deal.

(soft guitar music) - [Jaime] Oh, yeah, there's a box.

It's not even a box, it's like a metal case.

- Is it heavy?

- No.

- No.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Oh, wow.

(box lid bangs) Oh!

Let's put our gloves on.

- I agree with that.

- What's that?

- Oh, this is kind of cool.

These are their farm bureau placards.

- Oh, look!

- Is that the grandfather?

- That is the grandfather.

- That is the grandfather.

- So, this definitely looks handmade.

- So, this definitely looks handmade.

What is that?

Do you speak Spanish?

- No.

- It's something to do about marriage.

- It's something to do about marriage.

- Is there anything they made in there, or no?

- I don't know if they made any of this and then dyed it?

Oh, hang on a second.

We've got some, I think this is cedar.

- To keep it smelling good, yeah.

- Or to keep moths out.

- Yeah.

- Or to keep moths out.

- Yeah.

- It says veils on it.

- It says veils on it.

Let's see.

Let's see.

(Jaime gasps softly) But it's not just a veil.

But it's not just a veil.

Look at that.

Look at that.

- Is this the wedding dress?

- This is the wedding dress.

- Oh, man.

- It has to be.

- It has to be.

Let's see.

Anywhere?

I don't see any type of marking.

I don't see any type of marking.

Maybe the lid.

Maybe the lid.

Unless it's that?

- We've got the name of the company.

- Yeah.

- I'm assuming.

- And I think what's interesting about this piece to the family is that to the family is that so many of their things were handmade.

- Yeah.

- And this is not, this is something that was purchased.

This is a legacy list item for sure.

- Hey.

- That's beautiful.

- Hey.

- That's beautiful.

- All right, what is that?

Now I'm interested.

- I don't know.

Let's take, let's check it out.

Let's take, let's check it out.

Oh, my gosh.

All right.

- This is all...

This here is more of that yarn.

- Oh, yeah!

- Oh, yeah!

Okay, so here's more cedar blocks.

Gypsum Products.

And then, and then here's a little... - Oh, look at that.

- Here's something else that was made.

- I think these were probably made, like, as practice.

- Oh, that's a good point.

- And her, what she told me is her sister was the one that was learning from her grandma.

Wow, this is really cool, man.

- Yeah!

- Good job digging.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - I was pretty confident that we had gone through that front room pretty thoroughly.

But I knew there was another room in the back that also had a lot of stuff.

that also had a lot of stuff.

Hey, Avi.

Check this out.

This is, like, I think a whole box of her grandfather's things.

- I mean, look at it.

Prayer book.

Wyoming?

- Yep.

- Driver's manual.

(Jaime chuckles) Mountain driving, I mean, Mountain driving, I mean, very specific to the location.

- Yeah, you don't learn that on the east coast.

Look at these old watches.

- Oh, man.

- Yeah.

- This is awesome.

- Oh, look at that, his business card.

That's so cool.

- Oh, man!

- Oh, man!

We got a lot to go on.

- We sure do.

Finding the cigar box that had all of her grandfather's little trinkets in it was really exciting.

You know, we don't know much about him but finding these items will really help start to piece together more of what his story is.

This is, like, a box full of good stuff.

What's this?

What's this?

- What's that?

- United State Atomic Energy Commission.

- Oh, wow.

Nevada Test Site.

Nevada Test Site.

- Ooh.

- Take a look at that.

- This is his application for identification badge.

- Oh!

- He's going in as a civilian.

- He's going in as a civilian.

- That's wild.

- Man.

- I mean, I wonder what kind of stories he would have.

- I mean, I wonder what kind of stories he would have.

- [Male Announcer] Splitting the atom.

A breakthrough that altered the course of history.

A breakthrough that altered the course of history.

The very first atomic bomb test was in July 1945 over the New Mexico desert.

over the New Mexico desert.

A plutonium bomb was hoisted up a 100 foot tower and detonated.

What was the effect?

The tower was vaporized and the surrounding desert sand turned into green glass.

Destruction of this magnitude had never been seen before.

Destruction of this magnitude had never been seen before.

Weeks later, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and a second on Nagasaki.

Japan surrendered soon after.

The war was over, but the atomic age was just beginning.

The war was over, but the atomic age was just beginning.

In the early '50s, the Nevada Test Site becomes one of the most important nuclear test sites in the country.

Located just 65 miles north of Las Vegas, the site conducted subterranean and atmospheric testing from 1951 to 1992. from 1951 to 1992.

The highly classified facility employed hundreds of workers and exposed many downwind to radiation.

But believe it or not, the site of mushroom clouds became a tourist attraction.

Casinos promoted the fact that you could see the explosion from your hotel balcony.

There were even atomic themed pageants.

Women dressed as mushroom clouds and competed to be crowned Miss Atomic Energy.

and competed to be crowned Miss Atomic Energy.

To measure the impact of the explosions, Nevada scientists built fake towns called Survival Cities.

They even came with mannequins.

Talk about your nuclear family.

(bomb exploding) During the height of the Cold War, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war.

Concerned citizens built bomb shelters in their backyard and schoolchildren were taught to duck and cover in case of a nuclear attack.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

Today, nuclear power is a prime source of clean energy.

Today, nuclear power is a prime source of clean energy.

Hopefully the only enemy it will be used to defeat is climate change.

is climate change.

- This is a whole box of clues about her grandfather.

- Yes.

Amazing.

Amazing.

- That's wild.

(gentle music) (gentle music) - We had that house, and the guy's dad had...

This place is starting to feel like home.

There were family members from all around that came over to just tell us about their experience of living on this property.

- This house, that's where five of my sisters and myself were born there.

So, I'm very attached to where I lived because I have like, seven generations there.

- I always remembered growing up here, we'd get off the bus on the corner down here and we'd walk over here on the way to home and my grandma always had fresh tortillas waiting for us.

- When we were kids, at my grandmother's house, everything was canned, everything was fresh, and it was amazing.

And so, that's what you grow up thinking, everybody would get some and you don't get that.

- Exactly.

- Exactly.

- [Matt] What about these barrels?

Like, I see these all over the place.

- Yeah.

Yeah, these old whiskey barrels.

They're good for storing.

You'd store apples in here, they would create containers for storing fruit over the winter.

- Okay.

I never would have known that.

- Yeah.

I never would have known that.

- Yeah.

- All right, Jaime, we've got... - Oh.

- Starting to get some of that stuff we were talking about.

Marcia's goal for this house was to get it cleaned out, but along the way, we needed to find the items that might mean something to her family.

- Look at that little butterfly.

- That's, that's, I mean, she made that.

- Oh, look at these!

- That'd be embroideries.

- Yes!

That her great grandmother did.

- How much time do you think it takes?

I mean, this is... - This skill really isn't passed down but back then, you know, her great grandmother taught her daughter, so the grandmother, how to knit and crochet and embroider, and, you know, that's how you keep stuff like this alive.

- Yeah.

- These have to be the pieces that she's looking for.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Mike] Did you ever live in this house?

- Yes, actually, of all my siblings, I'm the only one that lived here 'cause I was so much younger.

When my parents moved here, I was the only one left at home until I left for the military after high school.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah.

And the property here holds such sentimental value and we wanna make sure that we continue that tradition of family gatherings that holds the fabric of the family together.

- The promise I'll make is you guys can have a chance to review our suggested piles before it goes on the truck.

- That's wonderful.

Thanks for helping us out here.

- That's what I'm here for.

- (chuckles) Right.

- (chuckles) Right.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - Once we had pulled out the items that weren't being kept, we could see there was obviously the family items with a lot of sentimental attachment, but then there was items that were gonna be used to keep the farm alive for generations to come.

for generations to come.

- This property was beautiful and I was lucky enough to run into Marcia this morning and just hear a little bit more about life in Taos.

What role does religion and the church play in Taos, New Mexico?

- Many of the religious practices that are part cultural and part religious are still in existence.

- Okay.

- Christmas Eve, we still do the Posadas, which is a sort of a reenactment of Mary and Joseph.

Marriages are still very religious.

In the Catholic church, it's a full mass.

And I think the church is still community, there are still events that aren't just bible study, there are just gatherings that are opportunities for people to get together.

- It was such a pleasure getting to see Marcia and learning a little bit more about her family.

Well, thanks for your time, Marcia.

- Thank you for the interest and for the respect of that part of our family.

- Absolutely.

of that part of our family.

- Absolutely.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - While Mike and Avi finished up cleaning out the house and garage, Jaime and I went to town to get some of the jewelry appraised.

to get some of the jewelry appraised.

(bell ringing) (bell ringing) Look at this, yeah.

- [Jaime] This is beautiful.

- [Jaime] This is beautiful.

- [Matt] Larry!

- [Jaime] Hi there.

- Hello.

- Hello.

- How are you, man?

Good to see you.

- Good to meet you.

- I'm Jaime, nice to meet you.

- Jaime, and I'm Matt.

We've been up at a house up the road and everyone in town told us to come here.

- I should be honored.

- Well, yeah, you're well known, I'll say that.

It was important to Marcia that we found out what this jewelry is worth not because she wants to sell it but because she has to have a number to attach it to in the estate.

- Well, basically what appears is that looks kind of like what they would call Navajo or Pueblo style jewelry.

This is called a squash blossom.

Ideas derived from the early Spanish, they wore pomegranate blossoms and a lot of it was ornaments on their shirts, on jackets and such.

But the Navajos adopted their own version and used the squash.

- Is this silver, real silver?

- This is sterling silver.

- This is sterling silver.

The turquoise looks to be natural material, looks to have come probably from Arizona.

The squash blossom's probably from about mid-'70s forward.

This is kind of a medium grade.

This is kind of the same material, same turquoise.

These two also look natural.

These two also look natural.

- Larry thought the pieces were beautiful.

He was able to tell us where the actual turquoise stones were from.

But as far as when they were made or who made them, a lot of the pieces were unmarked.

- Now, this is a great piece.

It's got a real subtle quality and it speaks of, like, a classic era, the way they're all very uniform and you can see the workmanship's all symmetrical.

This is coral, comes from the Mediterranean.

This isn't endemic to this area, but a fellow by the name of Lorenzo Hubbell introduced it to the Native Americans and they started using it, it's become really popular.

This is probably from the '50s.

- The coral squash blossom necklace really caught his eye.

I think Marcia's gonna be pleasantly surprised at the value of these items.

- They had to be really proud of this piece, yeah, that's a gorgeous piece.

- Well, pride is the word that keeps coming up in this town.

There is so much pride for There is so much pride for the life, the art, the land, the family, everything.

- Yeah, yeah.

- We appreciate your time and your expertise.

I think the family's really gonna be excited.

- It's fun to see this, this is a beautiful piece.

- That makes me happy.

- Yeah.

- That makes me happy.

- Yeah.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - [Mike] This project checked off a lot of boxes for me.

Great family, great location.

There was a magic in the air.

The house and the property are much closer to being ready for her ultimate goals and she's really able now to think about, okay, who's gonna move in here and what are we gonna do?

and what are we gonna do?

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - All right.

I am excited to show you what we did.

- Me too!

You're excited, you can't imagine my excitement.

You're excited, you can't imagine my excitement.

- Alrighty, here we go.

- Alrighty, here we go.

Let's go in a little bit.

Let's go in a little bit.

- Wow.

- What do you think?

We did a lot of space.

- Amazing, amazing.

- Amazing, amazing.

- This was Mike and his guys.

- This was Mike and his guys.

What does it make you feel like?

What does it make you feel like?

- Too many things going through.

Now, we all can come in and see, really, what was the essence of my grandparents.

really, what was the essence of my grandparents.

- What do you see up there, those signs?

- That's grandma and grandpa, but look, it's Mr. and Mrs. Fermin Arguello.

They were always partners in whatever endeavor they undertook.

- This is just the beginning, we've got lots to share today.

I wanna know, do you have any guilt or concern about throwing away some things that might have been your grandparents'?

- You know, it's actually something that I talked to grandpa about in the last few days.

- Prayer.

- And, - And, he's fine with it.

- Okay.

- And I know grandma would be fine with it.

Things have gone through their useful life.

- Yes.

- And, and now it's time to treasure the treasures that are left.

- Okay.

Clearing space for the future.

- Mm-hmm.

- I can only sit here and think about Marcia's grandfather, how hard he worked to keep this land here.

And I know he would be so proud to see just this amazing family that has come from this land.

that has come from this land.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) All right, here we are.

End of a very interesting week.

I have a feeling the things we're gonna talk about are what you expected, but they are definitely not what I expected.

(Marcia chuckles) We cleared out some spaces, but the other part was to help you find some items.

And I wanna make, first, we really state this clear, you guys represent a much larger family.

This is a hardworking family and that kept just showing up.

It was so obvious.

All right, first item.

All right, first item.

We have some embroidery.

We have some embroidery.

- Yes.

- And they're well done.

I'll let you guys pick them up.

- They're beyond well done.

- Yeah.

- I would say all of them, probably great grandmother.

That would be Mami Kika.

- And these, these doilies are just stunning.

- These doilies are just... (sighs) So glad you found them.

(sighs) So glad you found them.

- She passed away in the early '80s at 96 years of age.

So, she was doing these still in her 80s and with the little fine crochet needle.

- What do these items mean to you guys?

- For me, it's a memory of my grandmother, just the presence of her, the essence of her.

These were touched by her hands.

- That's it, I look at these and I can see and I can see my great grandmother's elegance without being opulent.

- These are intricate designs.

- Oh, yeah.

This is not beginner level stuff.

- Mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

- Mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

- The next item was shuttles from the loom.

This thing is complicated, man!

(both chuckle) These were in a bag.

- Oh, my gosh, I didn't see these.

- We found a big barrel of yarn at the back of the barn and they were buried under, like, five different things of yarn.

- That was probably one of the grandkids was being taught.

- Yep.

- This was their little practice surface pieces.

- Mm-hmm.

- That's what we were wondering, were they practice?

- Yep.

Yep.

- Yes.

- This is no joke, I mean, this is not just needlework.

- No, you know, and we raised the sheep, you know, that the wool came from, you know?

And then in the springtime, we'd shear them with the hedge shears, you know, and then they would, you know, wash the wool, you know, they would have the wools washed and this was the next part was carding it before spinning it.

- Yeah.

- It all happened from start to finish on the land, on the property.

- Never seen that one, thank you for finding that.

- Yeah, yes.

- Yeah, yes.

- You asked us to get the jewelry appraised.

This necklace.

This necklace.

- My mother was not a big jewelry person, but these are precious because it was sort of outside the box for her, to acquire them.

- It's funny you say that.

- Turquoise.

- Turquoise, we think Arizona.

we think Arizona.

It would be crafted.

They're not exceptionally rare, but they're nice.

This one he was really impressed with.

He had not seen something like this before.

I mean, he'd seen it, but not many of them.

Nothing's getting sold.

But sometimes we need to know numbers because as executor, you actually have a legal obligation to disperse things evenly.

These two rings, about 275 apiece.

The bracelet is about 575, almost $600.

This turquoise necklace, 1200 to 1800.

This turquoise necklace, 1200 to 1800.

And then this one was about 2000 to 2200, so this collection right here, about 4500 to $5000.

- Thank you for that appraisal.

- Yeah, you know, I take appraisals for what they are, but this was an insurance estate appraisal.

Retail appraisals are usually doubled.

Just so you know, that's how they, for resale.

Just so you know, that's how they, for resale.

All right, the next item, I see a lot of these, and so I wasn't that excited when you told me.

But after it was found, I thought it was pretty cool.

This would be, Carlos, your mother's wedding dress.

- Yes, wow.

- Okay, we knew it existed, we just didn't know where.

- Yeah.

- It's 1937, it was either, I would have said it was handmade except that it came in a nice box.

- And you would be able to tell if it was... - No labels.

- The stitching looks like not hand stitching but, of course, they all were master sewers.

- Exactly right.

And most families, we would just say clearly this is store bought.

- Mm-hmm.

No tag?

- No tag.

Pictures of the wedding day, I believe.

- Yes, yes.

- Look how fashionable.

- Look how fashionable.

- Gloves were in there, I think that's great.

- Wow.

I think that's great.

- Wow.

- One thing I love about this is you had said that this dress symbolized the beginning.

you had said that this dress symbolized the beginning.

- Mm-hmm, the beginning of family, their family, their children.

The beginning of just everlasting love, my grandparents were in love with each other forever.

- They were.

(Marcia laughs) Look at this.

- Little windy day there.

- I love that, man.

They look happy.

Unfortunately, we did not find those love letters that you asked about.

- Okay.

- So, I'm bummed I can't have those letters but I get the whole love thing, this picture was really cool for me.

- The beginning of the legacy, yeah.

- Yeah.

One great thing about my job is people share with me all their stories.

When I got here, I thought Marcia wanted to keep this property because it was so beautiful.

And the more time I spent with this family and the people in the town, you realize how much they know about their history and how far back it goes.

There are a few more items here and then we're gonna be done.

You asked me to find this, I love it.

- At one point in time, 1998, they were selected for the Farm Family of the Year for New Mexico for a celebration down in Roswell, which was really funny because... - Interesting, Roswell.

- Last one on his list, right?

- My wife and I were their escorts, we took them down there and stuff, you know, but the whole family showed up, but everybody, it was gonna be a surprise that, it was a surprise for them to get this award.

- For generations, the family has been involved both in 4H and in helping to produce the town's county fair.

My mother donated some of the land after her dad had passed.

- That's why I love this item.

Because it kind of wraps it all up.

(Marcia laughs) You know, everybody, they worked really hard to be able to get the land.

And then they worked really hard to work it.

And then they worked really hard to make sure other people could.

- Exactly.

- Mm-hmm.

- Exactly.

- Mm-hmm.

- We've really got to know this family at a deeper level than I'm accustomed to.

Marcia had a really important story to be told and she trusted us with that.

That was really special.

All right, obviously the sun is telling me it is getting late and I could sit on this land and talk to you guys all night.

So, thank you guys for letting me be here, thank you for letting me just be a part of your family.

- Thank you very much.

- And you know, thank you not just on behalf of us, but thank you on behalf of all of the generations of our family, including my brothers and sisters, thank you.

including my brothers and sisters, thank you.

- I watch a lot of families fight hard to preserve their family legacy, but it's another thing to fight to preserve your family homestead when you're giving up sometimes millions of dollars.

when you're giving up sometimes millions of dollars.

This family has put their family heritage and their ancestry higher than money.

and their ancestry higher than money.

And that's awesome.

- When grandpa gave her grandma's ax, and nobody could use that ax except her.

- Marcia's efforts to hold on to the house is not just sentimental.

For her, it's about generational wealth.

And in this area of Taos, it's been really difficult for minorities to hold on to their own homes and that's a huge part of the American Dream.

- We still have pumpkin seeds and... - They're probably still good, corn.

- I'm really confident that me and the team gave this family the push that they needed to continue with the decluttering process.

I think that they will be able to have that house up and running and ready to be moved in in no time.

- Yeah, that's a brand new mark, you know, his tools and stuff, along with his cows and... (all laugh) - Marcia, being the granddaughter of people that worked their own land and lived off the land, there was no way that the traditions and things that had gotten to this point were gonna die with this property.

with this property.

- [Female Announcer] Funding for Legacy List is provided by Wheaton World Wide Moving.

Wheaton's number one goal is to help you, your loved ones, and your belongings get to your new home quickly and safely.

You can find us at wheatonworldwide.com.

Wheaton World Wide Moving, we move your life.

First Light Home Care, committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

First Light believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing, and personal hygiene.

Details at firstlighthomecare.com.

Details at firstlighthomecare.com.

The Mavins Group, a downsizing real estate sales and move management company.

Committed to easing the emotional and physical demands of beginning a new stage of life.

of beginning a new stage of life.

The Mavens Group, so much more than a move.

The Mavens Group, so much more than a move.

Insure Long Term Care, where we believe that aging at home, near friends and family is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(soft guitar music) (soft guitar music) - [Male Announcer] Visit mylegacylist.com to learn more about the tips, tools, and professionals to help make your own big life move easier.

Learn more about this episode or submit your story to be featured on the show at mylegacylist.com.

at mylegacylist.com.