This project took a lot longer than I expected but I had a family heirloom professionally restored. This Westlake Fainting Couch was built by my great great grandfather, Johann (John) Zimmermann.
He was born in Canada 1 October 1852 and married Emma Rush 21 December 1875 in Canada. He died 27 December 1937 and is buried In Forest Lawn Cemetery, Detroit.
Zimmermann is a German occupational surname for a carpenter and in German means “room” or, archaically, “a chamber within a structure”. The German <mann> (in English the extra n is ignored) is “man” or “worker”. The combinaton of the two means “a worker of wood”, “room man” or “room worker”.

It joins the other heirlooms: the sterling silver coffee set, White sewing machine (complete with all attachments and the original purchase receipt from Woodward Avenue), and porcelain chamber pot.

Oh, and from Racheal’s side, the Tea cart. ?