By Lisa Pillivant
WARWICK — Somewhere in Warwick, perhaps tucked away in an old family Bible, handwritten diary, attic trunk, or faded photograph album, may lie the final clue to solving a mystery buried for well over a century.
Now, the Warwick Valley Dispatch is asking the community for help.
During a recent metal detecting expedition at Masker Orchard, members of the Vietnam Veteran Archaeological Association of America uncovered an extraordinary artifact unlike anything expected beneath the orchard’s rolling hills—a small silver mourning brooch containing what appears to be a carefully preserved lock of human hair.
Engraved on the brooch are just three initials:
J.J.M.
Who was J.J.M.?
And how did this deeply personal keepsake come to rest beneath what is now one of Warwick’s best-known family destinations?
Those are the questions now driving what could become a fascinating local historical investigation.
According to members of the Association, mourning jewelry became especially popular during the Victorian era. Families often preserved a lock of hair from a deceased loved one inside lockets, brooches, rings, or other keepsakes as a lasting remembrance. While these sentimental pieces were commonly associated with the Civil War era, they were also created to honor spouses, children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones throughout much of the nineteenth century.
The brooch discovered at Masker Orchard appears to date from that period.
Adding to the intrigue, the piece bears no visible silver hallmarks, a characteristic that may be consistent with jewelry produced during the mid-1800s. Although further examination will be needed before any conclusions can be drawn, the artifact immediately sparked questions about its age, its owner, and the story behind the initials engraved upon it.
A Discovery Beneath Historic Ground
Today’s visitors know Masker Orchard for its panoramic views, family traditions, apple picking, and more than a century of agricultural history.
Founded in 1913 Masker’s orchard has grown into one of the Hudson Valley’s largest and highest-elevation apple orchards, welcoming generations of families from throughout the region.
Masker Orchard was founded by Ora J. Masker and his wife, Rena, on approximately 250 acres along the slopes of Warwick Mountain. Ora had no children, and following his death in 1969, the orchard passed to new ownership, beginning the next chapter in the farm’s history. Today, the orchard is owned by former New York State Senator Mike Martucci, who represented Warwick and was instrumental in expanding the successful Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program that has preserved thousands of acres of Warwick’s farmland and open space.
Several years ago, Mike discovered an old hand-painted orchard sign bearing Ora’s original signature, which revealed his middle initial, “J.” While that may prove to be nothing more than an interesting coincidence, the combination of Ora’s middle initial and the brooch’s engraved initials has certainly sparked additional curiosity. It raises the possibility—however remote—that the brooch could somehow be connected to the Masker family; the coincidence has added another layer of curiosity to an already compelling mystery.
Whether the brooch belonged to someone connected with the Maskers or to a family that occupied or passed through the property decades before the orchard was established remains unknown.
Help Solve the Mystery
The Warwick Valley Dispatch is asking readers to become part of this historical investigation.
Do the initials J.J.M. appear anywhere in your family’s genealogy?
Do you know of a Civil War veteran, nineteenth-century Warwick resident, or local family whose initials match those engraved on the brooch?
Have you inherited letters, journals, family trees, photographs, memorial cards, or heirlooms that may help identify its owner?
Even the smallest detail could prove significant.
The Dispatch will continue researching local land records, genealogy, historical archives, and military records in an effort to identify the individual memorialized by the brooch. We will also work with historians and members of the Vietnam Veteran Archaeological Association of America as additional information becomes available.
Sometimes history is preserved in museums.
Sometimes it is discovered beneath the soil.
And sometimes the missing piece of the puzzle has been quietly waiting in someone’s family records all along.
If you believe you may have information that could help identify the person represented by the initials J.J.M., please contact the Warwick Valley Dispatch. Together, our community may be able to restore a name—and a story—to someone whose memory has remained hidden for generations.
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This story is developing. Additional information, including background on the Vietnam Veteran Archaeological Association of America and the circumstances surrounding the discovery, will be published in an upcoming edition of the Warwick Valley Dispatch as our investigation continues.
