My artifact is a goat cart from Ireland. My grandma’s grandmother brought it here, from Ireland, in the 19th century, she came in the late 1800’s. My grandma’s grandmother eventually gave the goat cart to her daughter (my grandma’s mom), who then gave it to her daughter (my grandma). One day, I’m sure that this goat cart will be mine. My grandma would put tiny objects in the cart and used it as a toy. By the time my grandma used it, it was the late 1930’s. The goat cart is all one color, brownish-black. It’s made out of some kind of metal, most likely steel. Steel is very inexpensive and was used for decorative pieces years ago. The wheels move and the goat has about every single feature you would see on a real goat. That makes it very realistic. Almost everybody could own a goat. They were very cheap. Farmers used them for milk, meat and for help around the farm. Barley, sugar beets, potatoes and different kinds of oats is what goats could’ve carried in their carts. Goats, as you can see, were used mainly for farming. It is like an extra pair of hands, just in fours! The Irish still use goats today for farming. Goats were so popular, that it makes sense for them to be made into figurines. Just like the one my grandma has. The goat cart is important to both my grandma and myself. It is important to my grandma because she has lots of memories from the goat cart and it reminds her of when she was a kid.

– Nola Brierton

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more