(bright upbeat music) - [Narrator] Coming up on "Legacy List" with Matt Paxton.

Matt is in Boston to help an old friend, clear out his family's home (indistinct talking) before putting it up for sale.

- [Matt] I can hear it in your voice, like, oh, yeah, we have to sell the house, like we don't wanna do that.

(man chuckles) - [Narrator] Things get emotional, as they go through 40 years of memories.

- [Matt] Look at that.

Yep!

Whoo!

- [Narrator] And, find one item that brings the past to life.

- [Audio Recording Child] Hi, I'm Zeb.

- [Audio Recording Adult] Hi, I'm Dad.

- [Zebulon] (chuckles) Oh, wow.

[Audio Recording Child] (giggles) - [Matt] I'm Matt Paxton.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] Let's do it, man.

My team of specialists, Jamie, 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- - [Pre-Recorded Avi] Bingo!

- [Matt] heirlooms and collectibles.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] We have literally found a piece of history - Here it is (laughter) - [Matt] to help them find the missing family treasures that mean the most to them.

- [Pre-Recorded woman] Oh, my goodness!

- [Matt] Jackie Robinson - [Matt] And along the way, they'll discover that the most important museum in the world may be in their family's basement.

- [Pre-Recorded Women] Aw.

Oh.

- [Pre-Recorded Zebulon] I've never seen that.

That is cool looking.

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

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] This is living history.

This is what we're here to find.

Let's go!

- [Matt] and discover the compelling, personal, and often historical stories, spanning generations that are their family's legacy.

- [Narrator] 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.

FirstLight Home Care.

Committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

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

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.

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.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] Today, we're right outside of Boston, (highway noise) visiting an old buddy of mine.

Zebulon.

He has a very challenging downsizing situation.

His mom has lived in this triple decker house for over 40 years.

Now, it's time to move out and they need our help.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] Zebulon and I have known each other for a couple of years, both professionally and as friends.

And he works for ASALH, which is a group that really focuses on preserving African-American history.

(strumming folk music) - [Matt] Zebulon!

- Hey, Matt!

- [Matt] How are You Man?

Good to see you.

- [Zebulon] Good to see you.

- [Matt] Very good to see you.

- [Zebulon] Thanks for coming.

- [Matt] This is awesome, the neighborhoods incredible.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

Yeah.

Come on in.

- [Matt] Look at this old thing, man.

- [Zebulon] Yeah, This has kind of always been fascinating.

(street car braking) - [Matt] I love it.

It's like an old intercom system for three different apartments or, what was it?

- [Zebulon] Some people call it triple decker and yeah, you'd be able to call up to each one and I think they'd be able to call down.

- [Matt] All right.

Well, let's check the rest of the house out and see what we've got to do.

- [Zebulon] All right.

Come on in.

(energetic folk guitar music) - [Matt] All right.

Now here's the stuff I'm usually called for.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

This is the stuff - The mess - [Zebulon] I was going to show you But yeah - Okay - [Matt] So what am I looking at?

Where is this all from?

- [Zebulon] Well, you know, some of this stuff is from, you know, when my dad passed.

- [Matt] Okay.

Lot of music, I see.

A lot of music - [Zebulon] Yeah - [Matt] and a lot of books.

- [Zebulon] There it is.

My dad loved music and my mom loved books.

- [Matt] Okay.

There you go.

(laugher) Pretty simple.

Tell me how long ago did your dad pass?

- [Zebulon] He passed in March of 2019.

- [Matt] Okay.

So that's not that long ago.

Really.

- [Matt] Yeah.

No, not really.

- [Matt] Okay.

And your mom's situation, where is she?

- [Zebulon] My mom, it's been hard for her.

You know, it's been really, they were very, very close and I always knew that whichever one may pass before the other, that it'd be hard for the surviving person.

And that has been the case.

- [Matt] Okay.

When an adult child has to take over the management of mom and the house, you actually don't get time to grieve.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] And you live in another city, right?

- [Zebulon] Yeah, in New York.

- [Matt] So you're in New York.

So, you're going to come back and forth.

So, you've got travel, you've got the stress of managing your regular life.

And then you got to deal with this whole life up here too.

And you miss your dad and you're worried about your mom.

- [Zebulon] Now, you just described my whole life right now - Yeah, dude, so That's exactly where I am.

(laughter) - [Matt] Okay.

All right.

With all the people I help, it's usually the oldest adult child that takes care of mom and Zebulon is in that situation.

Right.

So, what's the overall goal here?

Is the house for sale?

Is someone moving?

What are we gonna be doing?

- [Zebulon] Yeah, we're selling the house.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] Using some of the funds and things to help my mom move on - Okay to the next point.

- [Matt] Common theme in downsizing.

The house is the asset that will fund the caregiving for mom.

- [Zebulon] That is the hope.

That is what we're hoping for.

- [Matt] Man, I can hear it in your voice, like.

Oh, yeah, we have to sell the house.

Like, we don't want to do that.

(chuckling) - [Zebulon] That's the problem.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] It's been so long.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] That my mom's been living here.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] And for all of us.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] Even me, I grew up here.

- [Matt] This is a story that we hear a lot.

The family has saved for years to have a home for mom.

But, now for mom to have a better place to live, as she ages, they're going to have to sell this home.

And both Zebulon's mom and his little brother are going to have to find new places to live.

- [Zebulon] I never knew when this time would be coming, but I knew it was coming - [Matt] Yeah - [Zebulon] One day.

And it seems like this is it.

- [Matt] And here we are.

It's now.

- [Zebulon] It feels that way.

(acoustic music) - [Matt] What was it like growing up in this house?

Like, how many families?

There was three different families?

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

There was three different families.

Us being one of them.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] We were.

Yeah.

And then, you know, family down here, the family upstairs.

You know, we were renting here along with the other two families.

One of whom was the owner.

And eventually my parents bought them, bought the place.

- [Matt] So your brother's above us.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] And then your mom's on the third floor.

- [Zebulon] Exactly.

- [Matt] This floor is not so bad, obviously.

I'm assuming there's more clutter somewhere else.

What else do I need to look at?

- [Zebulon] Well, obviously I have to show you the third floor.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] My mom lives.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] And there's some closets and things.

- [Matt] Mhmm.

- [Zebulon] And then there's the basement and I have no idea what's down there.

- [Matt] All right.

Well, let's start down in the basement.

- [Zebulon] Okay.

All right.

(strumming folk music) - [Matt] Look at this.

So, what's it like coming down here as a kid.

- [Zebulon] Well, my parents didn't like coming down here that much.

- [Matt] Yeah, I believe it.

This is kind of spooky and cool at the same time.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

Me and my brother liked it down here.

- [Matt] So, what kind of stuff is this over here?

- [Zebulon] Some are from tenants and some is family.

Some is not.

- [Matt] okay.

I'm seeing some sweet tags down here.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

(club music) - [Matt] Who were the fresh friends?

- [Zebulon] (laughter) Fresh Friends crew that goes back to, you know, the eighties.

- [Zebulon] I mean - [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] I would hang down here with some of my friends - [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] And we were, you know, into rap and hip hop and we tried our best to do a little graffiti.

It's not, that's it.

- [Matt] We got some Fat Boys, over here.

We got the, was that y'all's group?

The Fresh Friends?

- [Zebulon] That's it.

Yeah.

We were the Fresh Friends.

Roxanne Roxanne, Fat Boys.

Those were some of the names that we were really into.

- [Matt] OH, I love it.

What's the timeline on moving?

- [Zebulon] We've got about a month, maybe two.

- [Matt] Okay.

So, the space - Yes (sighs) - has got to be empty for you to be able to sell this place.

- [Zebulon] My uncle would say broom clean.

- [Matt] Yeah, broom swept, (laughter) Is what the realtor's going to tell us.

- [Pre-recorded Matt] There's no one room that's completely full, but there's a little bit of stuff in every single room.

So, by the time you get three floors and the basement done, it does add up.

And I can see why they need our help.

- [Matt] All right.

Well, maybe it's time we go find a place, sit down and we'll go through the Legacy List.

- [Zebulon] That sounds great.

- All right, let's do it.

(guitar music) - [Pre-Recorded Matt] I feel the weight of this situation.

It's very similar to my situation, with my mom.

- [Zebulon] Mhmm.

- [Matt] Tried to get my mom to relocate to Atlanta where I moved and I got a flat, no.

- [Zebulon] Okay.

Yeah.

(laughter) - [Matt] Flat, no.

Wasn't even a maybe.

But it did instigate the process for her.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] So, it's interesting.

We're very in similar paths here.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] This isn't the stuff, downsizing.

The stuff is pretty, you have enough volume where it's not that bad.

I think this is more an emotional and a more like, hey, are we doing the right thing?

- [Zebulon] Yeah (sighs).

- [Matt] How do we get this wrapped?

How do we do it?

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] The urgency is there.

- [Zebulon] (deep sigh) Yeah.

It's hard.

- [Matt] It is hard.

It's why I'm here.

(nervous laughter) That's why we're here.

I was glad you called me.

We knew each other before this.

We've helped each other out professionally.

- [Zebulon] Yes.

- [Matt] And it is an honor to be here in your home to help you, now, as a friend.

So, thank you for having us.

All right.

So, you called me here to help with the Legacy List.

We're going to go through these items.

- [Zebulon] All right.

- [Matt] As a reminder to everybody, a Legacy List item is an item that you want to hold onto that will help extend your family story for generations to come.

Lots of times you want us to help find those items.

And then sometimes you just need additional information on items or other things in your house.

What are our items?

- [Zebulon] One thing that I've always been interested in is, you know, there's this medical bag - [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] That I know that someone in the family used.

It might belong to my mom.

Might have been something of hers because I know that she used to be a midwife.

- [Matt] Really?

- And Yep, I remember her going out to help people have babies, I guess.

It's, I think it's like, I remember it being like a black bag with handles.

- [Matt] Okay.

Old-school medical bag, big handle.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

I haven't seen it in years.

- [Matt] Okay.

Alright.

Alright.

So what's the next item?

- [Zebulon] My dad loved music - [Matt] Mhmm.

- [Zebulon] And he was just, really personified who he was.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] And he had this old, you know, reel-to-reel - [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] tape machine.

Yeah.

- [Matt] So would he record stuff?

What would he do?

- [Zebulon] Yeah, I think he recorded stuff.

I know he loved to, you know, to record tapes.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] He made mixed tapes, basically.

I guess we'd call them.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] And it was something like, I was always fascinated with.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] First of all, he would never let me really touch it that much.

(embarrassed laughter) - [Matt] Well, How old were you?

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

I think that's what made it so fascinating to me.

It just had this aura of like specialness and it really was special.

I'd love to find that.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] It's probably, thing I treasure most.

- [Matt] Do you remember listening to music with your dad?

- [Zebulon] Oh, yeah.

Of course.

That's what was special about it.

(voice cracks) Spending time with my dad.

- [Matt] Miss your dad, man.

(sniffle) - [Zebulon] I really do.

- [Matt] I know.

(sigh) - [Matt] Well, with the pandemic, with caretaking and with life, you didn't get the proper grief cycle, you know.

And as you know.. All right, need a second?

- Sorry?

- [Matt] No, man, this is part of it.

Part of the journey (sigh) Part of going through the house.

It's to cry and laugh and do it all.

- [Zebulon] You can't- - [Matt] If you haven't grieved what's in the house you can't get rid of it.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] So let's grieve it.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] He had a deep connection with his father and it really kind of existed in music.

And so, this reel-to-reel, it's really important.

And that's why, I'm bringing Mike in on it.

Because it's probably the most important item on the Legacy List.

- [Matt] What's the next item we're looking at.

- [Zebulon] There used to be, like, this sewing machine.

I remember seeing.

It's really old.

So I know that it might've belonged, even to my grandmother?

And my mom also loved to sew.

- [Matt] Was it in a base?

Or was it, have a handle you pick up?

- [Zebulon] It's in a, like it looks like a, lunchbox.

- [Matt] All right.

So it's after 1900.

- Ahh I know to much about these things.

- [Zebulon] Okay.

All right.

- [Matt] I know exactly, I will find it.

And I will learn lots about it.

- [Zebulon] All right.

I remember it as a kid and something I, you know, stands out in my mind.

This next one's kinda, like, kind of really a mystery.

This old adding machine.

- [Matt] Okay.

(piano music) - [Zebulon] I'm not sure who it belonged to, but, you know, I know my grandfather, William Deare, he, he worked for Jordan Marsh Company.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] So, projections and futures and figures.

That was his thing.

- [Matt] Tell me about him.

- [Zebulon] Ah, well, he's a quite a legend, you know.

Fought in world war II - [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] veteran.

He was stationed in Tuskegee, Alabama.

He wasn't a flyer himself, but he worked with Tuskegee airmen.

But when he came back from world war II to Boston, you know, he was able to buy his own home for the family.

At that time.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] Race is a part of Zebulon's story.

We're in Boston.

That is a town that's had historically challenging race relations.

And Zebulon grew up in this town, a mixed race child.

And he is an African-American History professor.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

As a black man at that time coming to Boston.

He probably saw and experienced a lot of things.

- [Matt] Yes!

(laughter) - [Zebulon] But it didn't stop him.

You know, he was a real kind of cornerstone builder.

- [Matt] Okay.

(laughter) - [Matt] All right.

What else do we have?

- [Zebulon] I know that there's been work on our genealogy.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] I know my mom's done some.

I know my uncle has done some too, but I'd love to know more about it.

- [Matt] Okay.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] This is the one that means the most to me, as well.

I want to find out more information for you guys.

This is great, man.

We can do all of this.

on top of that, we're going to need to help you clean up a little bit.

- [Zebulon] Okay.

- [Matt] I want to get down to the basement.

Help you get that ready.

I want to get the, get the rooms that I saw cleaned out.

- [Zebulon] right on.

- [Matt] All right, dude.

I appreciate it.

Appreciate your time.

- [Zebulon] Yes, sir.

- [Matt] I'm gonna get to work.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] I wanted to get my team in here to get everything that we possibly can out of this house so that it makes the decision as easy as possible for Zebulon and Veronica.

(instrumental music) - [Mike] Hello?

- [Jamie] Knock, knock?

- [Matt] I'm back here.

- [Jamie] Hello?

- [Avi] Where is right here?

- Where?

- [Matt] Follow my voice.

I'm back here.

Can you hear me?

- [Jamie] Follow your Voice.

- [Mike] Oh, boy.

- [Matt] Hey guys.

- [Jamie] Well, there he is.

- [Matt] What's up?

- [Avi] What's up?

What's happenin'?

- [Matt] Welcome to Boston.

- [Jamie] How's it going?.

- [Matt] How are you?

- [Jamie] Bean town.

- [Matt] Bean town.

How's the trip?

- [Mike] Good.

- [Avi] Great trip.

- [Jamie] It was good.

I took the train up and it went all along the coast.

It was really pretty.

- [Matt] Oh, that's cool.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Matt] All right.

This is a, is a deep one, this week guys.

Really good family.

Zebulon Miletsky, if you remember him from our work with ASALH.

- [Avi] Yeah, absolutely.

- [Matt] This is his childhood home.

So they've been here for 40 plus years and it's time for mom to move.

I'm not sure if she's committed to that yet, but (laughter) But Zebulon and his brother are.

- [Mike] Getting a house ready for sale.

That's a very defined project.

Convincing mom that it's time to move and actually moving her.

It's a much bigger job.

- [Jamie] It sounds like, kind of a common theme with our clients.

- Very common.

Where like, they know parent needs to move - [Matt] Mhmm.

- [Jamie] But parents not ready.

- [Matt] Yeah.

They're waiting to see how well the house sells.

They have not picked a place for their mother to go.

- [Jamie] Mhmm.

- [Matt] which is kind of, we see that.

- [Avi] Yeah.

- [Matt] They're just a little, a little stuck.

- [Jamie] Sounds like he just needs some support, some outside support - [Matt] Mhmm.

- [Jamie] And maybe some resources- - [Matt] Yes!

- [Jamie] To help him get through this transition.

- [Matt] Definitely.

- [Pre-Recorded Jamie] Moving a parent is a highly emotional event.

Coming to grips with the fact that the people that you love are aging can be really hard.

- [Mike] So, Matt.

What are we looking for this week?

- [Matt] All right.

Very emotional Legacy List.

We've got a reel-to-reel, that was his dad's.

I don't know if we'll find any actual reels or not, but the machine he really wants to find.

- [Avi] Mhm.

- [Matt] we've got an old adding machine.

That was his grandfather's and then we've got his, thinks it's his grandmother's old singer sewing machine.

And then, his mom's old medical bag.

His mom was a midwife in Berkeley, in the sixties.

- [Mike] Wow.

- [Jamie] Wow.

- [Matt] Yeah.

Really cool.

- [Jamie] That's incredible.

- [Matt] Yeah.

She's here.

She's on the third floor.

So hopefully she'll be able to help us out with that.

- [Jamie] Wow.

- [Avi] That'd be great - [Matt] And then the last one is a more common one.

We're hearing more and more.

They have a lot of information from their family history and they want additional help with that genealogy.

His mom had done a lot of it and she kind of hit a brick wall.

- [Mike] Wow - [Matt] So, we'll get our team together to work on that as well.

- [Jamie] Yeah- - [Avi] Yeah, I'm looking forward to talking to him about that.

- [Matt] They have a ton of history.

We need to put the puzzle together.

We also need to clean out the basement and a couple of the rooms on this level.

- [Mike] Okay.

- [Matt] You guys will stay on this floor mainly because the records are here and I need you to go through all the records.

- [Mike] Oh, I'd love to.

- [Matt] Music is what Zebulon remembers about his dad.

- [Mike] That's awesome.

- [Matt] So, I'm excited to see what else you can find up here.

- [Mike] Okay.

Well, we'll just have to work with the family and figure out what are the most important items and what needs to happen.

- [Matt] Okay.

Jamie and Mike can start in there.

Avi, you and I are going to go down to the basement.

- [Avi] Let's do it.

- [All] All right.

All right.

- [Jamie] Have fun.

- [Matt} We'll see you guys in a little bit.

- [Mike] See ya.

- Holler if you need help - If it gets hot, come on down to the basement.

(laughter) - [Jamie] That's where the AC is.

(peppy jazz music) - [Avi] The basement.

- [Matt] Typical basement.

- [Avi] Ooh, typical basement smells.

So, these triple deckers, like Jamie was mentioning.

I mean, they have three of everything, right?

- [Matt] Everything.

Heat, air.

- [Matt] New electrical boxes.

Triples of everything.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi] I personally had never seen a triple decker home, like this.

I knew they were pretty common in Boston.

- [Avi] I mean, it was the way of living, right?

I mean this how Boston grew.

- [Narrator] The triple decker.

It's not just a sandwich.

The name also refers to a three-story dwelling that houses a different family on each floor.

They become popular (swing music) during the late 19th century and are inhabited mainly by immigrant families seeking affordable housing.

Where were they most popular?

Boston, of course.

The New York times declares, living in a triple decker is as much a part of the Boston cultural experience as despising the Yankees.

(crowd boos) The beauty of the triple decker is that it gives working class families a shot at owning their own homes.

They can live in one unit and rent out the other two (door bell rings) And unlike cramped tenements, triple deckers offer working people, dignified living conditions with working bathrooms and windows on four sides of the house.

By the 20th century, triple deckers are a fixture in Boston's Irish and Italian neighborhoods.

But there's a backlash.

Housing planners favor suburban sprawl over density and triple deckers are banned.

Some believe, it's a way for city officials to curtail immigration.

By the 1950s, families flee the city for the suburbs and many of these historical icons fall into disrepair.

But leave it to the triple decker to have the last laugh.

As cities like Boston face new housing crises, the triple decker is a prime candidate for rehabilitation.

With a little work, these hundred year old structure's provide energy efficient, affordable housing to a whole new generation of families.

There's no place like home.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] Moving a couch doesn't really excite me, but getting to dig through somebody's records and CDs that is what I want to do.

- [Matt] I'm going to name the album title.

And you tell me who the artist is.

- [Jamie] Okay.

- [Matt] Always On My Mind.

- [Jamie] This is not a fun game for Me.

- [Matt] Jamie, This is the first one!

That was Willie Nelson.

- [Jamie] Okay.

Never would've gotten that, Matt.

- [Matt] All, right.

No peeking by the way.

Word of Mouth.

- [Jamie] The Kinks.

- [Matt] Ja-You're peeking.

I can tell it.

- [Jamie] I'm definitely not.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] His dad was such a music lover that I was just having a blast digging through this collection.

- [Matt] Here's one of the most iconic album covers of all time.

- [Jamie] All, right.

- [Matt] You know what it is?

- [Jamie] No idea.

- [Matt] You've never seen this?

- [Jamie] Is that really an album?

- [Matt] Yeah!

It's the white album by the Beatles.

- [Jamie] For real?

- [Matt] Yeah.

I mean, somebody painted on it, but it's The White Album (laughter) And believe it or not, this is a thing, like, a lot of people embellish their White Album covers.

- [Jamie] Okay.

That's kind of cool.

- [Matt] It is.

- [Jamie] you know, music is one of those things that can instantly take you into, like a moment of nostalgia.

I mean, Zeb could put one of those on and immediately be transported back to a time when he was listening to 'em with his parents.

- [Matt] Absolutely.

(ska music) Old snowboard.

- [Avi] I got some good, good tapes over here, man.

- [Matt] Yeah?

- [Avi] Austin Powers, little White Men Can't Jump.

- [Matt] I think they watched, I mean, - [Avi] Back to the Future.

- [Matt] Oh my God.

(laughter) - [Matt] Back to the future and Ferris Beuller's Day Off.

- [Avi] And Commando.

Oh.

Schwartzenegger.

- [Matt] It's everything we did.

- [Avi] it is.

I feel like I'm, you know, I'm going through my stuff at home.

- [Zebulon] Hey - [Matt] How's it doing Zebulon?

- [Zebulon] pretty good.

Not too bad.

You know.

I see you got some stuff going on out here.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] Usually it's the furniture and the beds and the dishes.

They all go first.

And then it's the personal effects like records and photos and things like that.

That go last.

And that was the case here.

- [Matt] Is there any category that you could say, either ,I definitely know I want to keep all of these or I definitely know I don't need any of them.

- [Zebulon] Oh yeah.

Well, the family photos, I mean, I got to keep those.

- [Jamie] Okay.

Keep family photos.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Jamie] That's great.

(laughter) - [Matt] Any thought on the books?

- [Zebulon] I think I could definitely give away the books.

- [Jamie And Matt] Okay.

- [Jamie] Okay.

This is a lot of your mom's stuff from her, when she was a midwife.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Jamie] I mean, is that something that we want to think about keeping and sorting through?

- [Zebulon] Definitely.

- [Jamie] Okay.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

That is really important.

- [Jamie] Okay.

- [Zebulon] And thank you for, for putting it aside, because that is obviously super important.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Matt] Absolutely.

(folk music) - [Narrator] As long as babies have been born, midwives have been there to catch them.

Until a hundred years ago, (newborn crying) most women give birth at home, surrounded by a midwife, family and friends.

Childbirth in medieval Europe and colonial America is a ladies social event.

For centuries midwifery is the rare domain in which women are widely respected as wise elders.

But, as medicine becomes more specialized in the 20th century, obstetrics displaces, midwifery.

Wealthy women flock to male doctors who promise the latest equipment and painless deliveries.

Seeing midwives as competition for profits and patients, obstetricians launch an ad campaign to discredit midwives.

It works.

In 1907, a Massachusetts Supreme court ruling makes midwifery illegal.

But nevertheless, midwifery persists.

In rural Southern communities, black Southern midwives known as Granny or Grand Midwives care for mothers who can't access segregated hospitals.

They're champions of Public Health.

Instrumental in vaccinating their communities against disease.

One notable Grand Midwife is Mary Coley.

She helps deliver an estimated 3,000 Georgia babies.

When it comes to midwifery, the US remains an outlier among affluent countries.

Midwives here, attend about 10% of births.

In France, Sweden and Norway, midwives oversee the majority of deliveries.

Across the pond, in the United Kingdom midwives deliver half of all babies.

Including, Kate Middleton's.

(bell dings) American midwifery is slowly making a comeback.

Today, there are around 11,000 American certified nurse midwives.

And like they've done for centuries, they guide mothers through the anticipation, pain and wonder of childbirth.

(instrumental music) - [Jamie] We're going to get the rest of this room cleaned up and a little bit more organized for you.

And, we're going to pack up all of the family photos and documents that we find for keep.

And, we're also going to pack up all of your mom's stuff that's related to her career to keep.

- [Zebulon] That sounds great.

Y - [Matt] You know, as far as the tapes and records are concerned, I'll go through 'em.

If I see anything with any real value, I'll pull 'em to the side.

- [Zebulon] That will be amazing.

(laughter) - [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Jamie Pre-Recorded] In a situation like Zebulon's, it's really important for him to have the support around him so that he can keep the process moving forward.

So, I was really grateful that we could be part of that.

- [Jamie] So, our goal is to get this room cleaned up and really get you ready to move.

- [Zebulon] That sounds great.

I'll leave you to it.

(laughter) - [Jamie] Sounds good.

Thanks.

- [Matt] Thanks, Zebulon.

- [Zebulon] Thanks again.

(banging and sorting) - [Matt] Ooh, I've got a lot of movies, man.

- [Avi] I'm telling you.

- [Matt] I mean, I watched Ace Ventura, 400 times Uh, oh.

Here we are.

Here's the real thing.

Oh, look at that.

- [Avi] That is cool.

- [Matt] That is an old, look at that.

- [Avi] That's it!

- [Matt] Look- - [Avi] look at the condition of this thing.

- [Matt] I know, really.

- [Avi] That's a great find there, man.

- [Matt] It's beautiful.

I know it really represents his grandfather being a successful young man after the war.

- [Avi] Yeah.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi] Not only did this machine represent Zebulon's grandfather's rise in his own career, but it was a opportunity for the family to rise.

This opportunity gave his family a chance for upper mobility.

- [Matt] Yeah, it's a Locked Pay Master Protection.

So, this was for the guy that had to cut the checks.

- [Avi] Absolutely.

- [Matt] That is a Legacy List item.

This is really, really cool.

- [Avi] That's fascinating.

- [Matt] I know Zebulon's got a lot of pride in this.

All right, I'm putting this to the side.

- [Avi] That's awesome.

- [Matt] All right.

Keep looking.

- [Avi] Good.

Good finding.

(organ music) - [Jamie] All right.

Why don't you finish up in here?

- [Matt] Mhm.

- [Jamie] There's a closet that I need to check in this other room.

You got it?

- [Matt] I got this.

- [Jamie] I can leave you alone?

- [Matt] I think so.

- [Jamie] All right.

Let me know if you find anything.

- [Matt] Oh, you know, I will (upbeat music) - [Avi] Ah, oh, Matt.

- [Matt] What'd you find?

- [Avi] Yeah.

Had to even the things up here.

(banging of items) I think I got- - [Matt] Oh, the singer be careful with that one.

- Got the singer, my friend.

(boxes moving) - [Matt] Here, bring this out right here.

- [Avi] Look at that.

- Nice.

(boxes moving) - [Matt] Look at that.

- [Avi] Ooh.

- [Matt] Beautiful.

- [Avi] Ooh.

- [Matt] So, normally you and I find those, they're actually attached to a big table.

- [Avi] Yeah.

- [Matt] So, this was one of the first portable - [Avi] Man.

- [Matt] It's super cool.

- [Avi] I mean, that thing is heavy.

- [Matt] Very heavy.

(laughs) - [Avi] So, to call that portable is interesting.

- [Matt] But man, I cant think of my grandma hauling this thing around, - [Avi] Me either.

Hey, they did what they had to do.

You know.

- [Matt] This is the first side hustle.

- [Avi] The side hustle.

Yeah.

- [Matt] This is the very first side hustle.

- The side hustle - And so you could make extra money.

You can make clothes for other people at home.

Cause this was affordable and portable.

- [Avi] So who would this have belonged to?

- [Matt] Knowing this model, it would have been 1910 or 1911.

Zebulon's great-grandmother.

- [Avi] So, this thing is a hundred years old.

- [Matt] Oh, yeah.

More than a hundred years old.

(snarky laughter) - [Matt] It's pretty cool.

- [Avi] It is.

(acoustic guitar music) - [Matt] Hey Jamie, finding anything good?

- [Jamie] Well, I found some more books which is not that surprising.

Oh, wait a second.

I think I might have something.

Come here.

- [Matt] All right.

- [Jamie] Check this out.

It's her medical bag.

- [Matt] The bag.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Matt] Here, let me hold it for you.

- [Jamie] Look at that.

It's a beautiful bag.

- [Matt] It looks very sixties, seventies to me.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Pre-Recorded Jamie] To think of all of the stories of bringing life into the world that she got to witness with those tools was just really, really cool.

- [Matt] How many babies were brought into this world using these things.

- [Jamie] I mean, the fact that they've held on to this bag for this many years must mean that it holds a lot of sentimental value.

- [Matt] No doubt.

- [Jamie] This is awesome.

(jazz music) - [Avi] You're Jewish, African-American in Boston.

How did that impact influence you as you were growing up?

- [Zebulon] My black family is from Boston.

They're here in Boston.

- [Avi] Mhm.

- [Zebulon] So, in that sense, I just grew up identifying as black.

- [Avi] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] Some people may not have liked how I identified, you know, I had a lot of hurdles that I had to jump over, you know.

But most African-Americans do.

- [Avi] Yeah.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi]I could see in talking with him, some of the pain that might've been a part of that, but also just the great strength that it created in him, to have to have that experience and live through it.

- [Zebulon] I think it's no secret that Boston has had struggle with issues of race.

- [Avi] And I know you're a professor.

Africana studies.

I was hoping you might be able to tell me, somewhere that I could go, you know, that I could really get a strong sense of, you know, where it all started for African-Americans in Boston and you know how we got to this point.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

Well, there's no better place than the African Meeting House.

So, the African meeting house is the oldest, continuously freestanding church.

Black church in America.

In Boston, it was a place where African Americans gathered to discuss important issues and to make important decisions.

- [Avi] So, not just spiritual - [Zebulon] Not just spiritual, that's right.

Groups who were mostly involved in racial justice efforts, whether it was abolitionism or even schooling.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi] Now, that I'm talking to Zebulon, I'm on my way to the Museum of African-American History in Boston.

- [Avi] So, the family we're working with, the grandfather after returning from world war II, purchased a home in the Southeast section of Boston.

In the 1950s.

And I'm just curious to hear from you, what would that have been like as the first African-American family to move into an all white community?

- [Historian] Southie has been a, an area of much contention that was highlighted in the 1970 busing crisis for integration of schools and the fact that there were no, at one time, no black policemen, no black firemen.

It would be difficult to process being human, being black and being there.

- [Avi] It's difficult to think about this is where America started.

Like, here we are at its humble beginnings, The space of its humble beginnings.

And we're still challenged with so much.

- [Historian] So, Avi, This is the sanctuary of the African Meeting House.

- [Avi] Mmm.

- [Historian] They built themselves a meeting house.

- [Avi] This is clearly to me, a space of spirituality.

- [Historian] Absolutely.

- [Avi] What other purposes would the meeting house have?

- [Historian] This housed the first African Baptist church.

So it was religious purposes.

It also housed a school in the basement.

And the third reason was to be able to assembly, to meet their issues of the day and the commitment to ending slavery in America.

- [Avi] Mmm.

- [Narrator] So, this building was built as a gathering space.

- [Avi] Yes.

- [Historian] It was identified as the African Meeting House.

- [Avi] So, what were some of the meetings that would have taken place in this space?

- [Historian] When abolitionists meetings ended in riot at Tremont Temple, or Nathaniel Hall, they would run to the African Meeting House.

Frederick Douglas brings his meeting here - [Avi] Mmm.

- [Historian] And speaks from that podium.

When that happens.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi] The story that rang with me was a Frederick Douglas leaving a talk because the crowd didn't want to hear him talk.

Coming to that meeting house and having the space and freedom to stand there and say what needed to be said, you know, to speak his truth.

If he could do it in such a challenging space in time, then why can't I?

- [Avi] To think about the struggles, the emotions attached to being enslaved and being separated.

And, it's just hard to imagine that experience - [Historian] Yes.

- [Avi] You know, I try, but I don't think I can even understand the gravity of that.

- [Historian] Well, what this space allows us to do is to have more grasp on the details.

- [Avi] Mhm.

- [Historian] We know that freedom wasn't free.

- [Avi] Right.

- [Pre-Recorded Avi] I personally had experienced a difficult childhood growing up because of racism and being treated differently.

(deep intake of breath) To know that I was standing in the building that was one of the first buildings erected for the purpose of educating black children.

I mean my feet on their feet, you know, just having the opportunity to be where I am to even share this story, freely.

It just, it rings heavy.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] We've intentionally been very careful with Veronica and we wanted her to wait and invite us up to speak.

And finally that has happened.

I'm really excited that I do sit down with Veronica and hear her story.

- [Matt] So, how long have you lived in this building?

- [Veronica] Since about 1985.

- [Matt] Okay.

So, gosh.

Just under 40 years.

- [Veronica] Yes.

- [Matt] It's a long time.

You're being faced with the decision of what do I do next.

Do I move?

Do I stay?

- [Veronica] Exactly.

- [Matt] If someone came to you and said, oh, how's it going?

What should I do?

What advice would you give?

- [Veronica] Oh.

If you have family to really check in with them because they can give you a lot of wisdom and grounding.

You know, especially a close family, such as we are.

I feel, Zebulon's very, very concerned and interested.

And so, you know, I'm looking to him also.

I'm not doing all this by myself and that feels good.

- [Matt] Mhm.

- [Veronica] You know, just to know that I have that, you know, the love of my son, Jamie, as well.

Very supportive and just helping me move along.

I think the other thing is just to try to have faith.

That things are going to move ahead and work out.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] We found the reel-to-reel player in the closet on the first floor.

It was buried under some boxes and behind some other things.

- [Matt] This item more than any other really speaks to Zebulon's dad.

- [Jamie] I know, this is really important to Zebulon.

How common was it for a household to have one of these?

- [Matt] Yeah, not every house had one of these.

But if you were serious about music, like, almost audiophile level.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

- [Matt] You probably had one.

The beauty of this system is you can actually record things on it yourself.

- [Jamie] Ohh.

Oh yeah.

Here's the record button.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Jamie] It's like, if you want to record your own music or, like even just talking into it.

- [Matt] Absolutely.

And hopefully these reels are somewhere in here because we've got to try and find some.

- [Jamie] Yeah.

This is a Legacy List item.

High five.

(Hands slap) - [Matt] Whoo.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] Finding the reel to reel was amazing, but I wasn't going to be satisfied until I knew for sure that this thing worked.

(old-timey music) - [Narrator] The reel-to-reel tape player, a sophisticated recording device that is yet another evolutionary step in the history of recorded sound.

That history involves someone who is ironically partially deaf.

In 1877, Thomas Edison makes a lot of noise when he invents the phonograph.

The strange looking device uses tinfoil wrapped around a cylinder to capture sound.

The first recorded music, Yankee Doodle Dandy, played on the coronet.

Edison loves his invention so much, he embeds miniature phonographs in talking dolls.

Unsurprisingly, the creepy nursery rhyme shrieking toys are a commercial flop.

(trombone sound) As the 20th century dawns, the gramophone hits the market and flat disks are all the rage.

After world war II, an American major brings reel-to-reel technology back home from Germany.

He sets up a demo for studio executives and shocks them by toggling between a live jazz group and a recording.

Is it live, he asks?

They are stumped.

None other than White Christmas crooner, Bing Crosby hears about it and invests in the company.

He becomes the first performer to prerecord a radio show.

Bulky reel-to-reel players are popular (jazz music) until the early 1960s.

(whir of cassette tape) When the cassette tape is introduced.

Compact discs follow along in the eighties, (break dance music) followed by digital downloads.

Today, streaming services contain nearly everything recorded that matters to anyone.

Music, audio books, podcasts, and more.

Recorded audio has come a long way in the last hundred and 50 years.

And the future is sure to hold even more technological breakthroughs.

Sounds good to me.

(upbeat acoustic music) - [Pre-Recorded Matt] It was really important to Zebulon that we kept as many things out of the landfill as possible, but then, also donated as much as possible.

They weren't really interested so much in selling.

But as long as the items were getting another life with somebody else that made them happy.

My team and I cleaned out the first floor.

We cleaned out the basement.

The only area we couldn't start in was the third floor.

And that's where Zebulon's mom was living.

She just wasn't ready.

It was clear, Zebulon was carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders.

But hopefully our work, helped lighten the load.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] You will see a lot of empty space.

- [Zebulon] Oh wow.

Oh man, this looks great.

- [Matt] We did a lot of work.

We got all the clutter cleared out.

We donated a ton of books and cleared out the closet over there.

We cleared out the space in the basement.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] So, you're not ready to move.

(laughter) - [Matt] We didn't really address your mom's level, but we have gotten some of the extra space down here.

- [Zebulon] I tell you, it's ,it's cathartic.

That's the word I'm gonna use.

It's, it just feels open.

And I'm feeling like, less and less of that weight on me.

The pressure.

- [Matt] That is the goal we wanted.

- [Zebulon] I'm seeing the progress and that makes me happy.

- [Matt] We're not solving the whole problem, but we are helping you get started.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] The physical part was easy.

The mental part is the challenging part.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] All right.

So.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] I think we should go sit down, go through your Legacy List.

I think it'll all come together when we're done.

- [Zebulon] That sounds good.

- [Matt] All right.

Let's do it.

(peppy acoustic guitar music) - [Pre-Recorded Matt] This has been an emotional week for all of us.

And I'm really excited to sit down with Zebulon and show him everything that we found.

- [Mike] What's been the hardest thing in this whole process?

- [Zebulon] Probably, I'd say if I'm being honest.

Yeah.

A little bit of indecision, you know, trying to get everybody on the same page.

I'm realizing that these things take time to plan and you have to have a plan.

This helps a lot.

Just having less stuff helps us to execute our plan.

- [Matt] And I'm not even going to ask you where mom's going yet, because I want to get through this stuff.

But I will tell you- - [Zebulon] Thank you (laughter) - [Matt] Because I know you guys haven't decided yet.

- [Zebulon] Yeah - [Matt] And I think we're, I hope this process has helped you guys get closer to that decision.

- [Zebulon] I hope so too, because it's all about a good place for her to be.

- [Matt] All right.

Let's get into this stuff.

We've got, we got a few items we found on your Legacy List.

All right.

(items shuffling) Ironically, the first item is a portable sewing machine.

It's pretty heavy though.

- [Zebulon] Yes!

- [Matt] It doesn't really feel portable.

- [Zebulon] Oh, man.

I knew I had seen this before.

- [Matt] All right.

This is a very famous model.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] So knowing the dates on this, it makes me thinks that it is your great-grandmother Amy Sinclair's.

- [Zebulon] Oh man.

I bet it is.

It just looks cool.

It looks historic.

And obviously it goes way back.

- [Matt] Everyone in your family worked really hard.

- [Zebulon] And she was West Indian, from Jamaica.

She worked extremely hard to come to America and be here.

Yeah.

- [Matt] We are who we are because we watch our ancestors do it.

- [Zebulon] Mhm.

- [Matt] And I'm lucky enough to see this, that it trickles down generationally.

- [Zebulon] Amazing.

- [Matt] And it starts in little things like this.

- [Zebulon] Ah, I feel..

I'm very touched to see this.

- [Matt] All right - [Zebulon] Whoa - [Matt] The next item we found.

- [Zebulon] You found it.

- [Matt] Well, you asked me to find, you asked me to find the counting machine.

This is not a counting machine.

It's actually a check printing machine or they call it, a check writing machine.

- [Zebulon] Whoa.

- [Matt] And- - [Zebulon] PayMaster.

- [Matt] Yeah.

So, this is a big deal because this is how people got paid.

- [Zebulon] The boss.

- [Matt] This was your grandfathers.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] On your mom or your dad's side?

- [Zebulon] My mom's side.

- [Matt] Your mom's side.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] So let's paint the picture.

Let's put a date behind that and let's remind each other who, you know, this was in what, the fifties?

- [Zebulon] He was a landlord and a property owner.

We went through that.

And I know that he worked for the Jordan Marsh Company.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] And that's a big thing around these parts.

- [Matt] So, he was an internal auditor.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] So, he did payroll.

- [Zebulon] Wow!

(laughter) - [Matt] You got to think about a black man running payroll right after the war and a property owner.

And what we learned on our trip around town, he was the property owner in a part of town that he probably wasn't as appreciated.

And it was probably really hard to get that property.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

Yeah.

- [Matt] This is, this is a big deal.

Then you put race and dates behind it and then it becomes impressive.

- [Zebulon] And pull this thing.

He was printing checks.

That's amazing.

- [Matt] I mean, and by the way, all of this was after he served in the war.

- [Zebulon] Yeah, exactly.

- [Matt] We're not even talking about his service.

- [Zebulon] He, right!

He had stories a plenty.

You know, he saw the world, he knew about the world and that's really what he taught us.

About money, how the world works, good and bad and that it can be a tough place.

And to really, you know, know your stuff.

- [Matt] I see a lot of heirlooms, man.

And this is a cool one.

And without the story, this is a green piece of metal.

This is something you pass down to your kids.

- [Zebulon] I will Matt.

That is- - [Matt] This is super cool.

- [Zebulon] That is cool.

Dollars and cents.

(melodic piano) - [Matt] Let's go on to the next one.

All right.

The next item you asked us to find is your mom's medical bag.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] It was not difficult to find but it's a pretty big deal.

Oh, you help babies being born.

You know, like, (laughter) I mean, it's crazy the things she's done.

We found some great things about your mom, here.

This is the favorite thing I've found in this house.

It's a note from you.

- [Zebulon] To my mom- - [Matt] I'm going to let you read it.

(chuckles) It's from 1982.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

Dear mommy, I need you and I love you.

I'm sorry we fight all the time, (laughter, throat clearing) but I don't know a way to fix that.

Are going to send, are you going to send me to boarding school?

(guffaws) I remember this You know, I don't remember this note, but I remember this boarding school thing, but let me finish.

I hope not.

I hope we can be friends again.

Love, Zeb.

(chuckles) The heart.

Wow.

- [Matt] When you downsize, some of the best stuff to find.

It's just a note.

- [Zebulon] I know.

- Pre-Recorded Matt] It's easy for me to help people find physical items.

But when they find out more about who they are and their own history, that's really an awesome thing to see and to feel.

And it was even more special to do it with my friend.

- [Matt] Your mom had also asked me to find some things on the genealogy side.

We were able to get your family back, pretty quickly tied back to a community called Warrenton, North Carolina, a thriving community.

Your great, great, great grandfather, Haywood Arrington.

- [Zebulon] I have heard that name.

- [Matt] Okay.

This right here is basically what you would equivalate to a marriage certificate.

It isn't a marriage, but it's more of a license.

And the date on this is 1866.

- [Zebulon] Oh, wow.

- [Matt] So, it says they've been together since 1852.

And as we know, the civil war ended in 1865.

So, this was the first time they were allowed to recognize their marriage.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Matt] Your great, great, great grandfather and grandmother.

This proves that they were together while enslaved.

And then as soon as they became free, they were able to get their marriage certificate.

- [Zebulon] Yeah, it says, residents of said county lately slaves but now emancipated.

Wow.

This is real history that speaks to the black family.

It's so much to take in.

(sniff) Slavery, what our ancestors went through and still yet, despite all that, they survived and even sometimes thrived.

I'm proud to descend from such people and to know, to know my enslaved ancestors.

You've given me a huge thing.

This is really powerful gift.

(sniffs) And my mom will appreciate it, too.

(laughter) - [Matt] I can't wait for you to show that to your mom.

All right.

Thank you.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

No way.

- [Matt] This is one of our Producers.

Thank you.

Let me plug this in.

You know what this is?

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] This is your dad's reel-to-reel.

(laughter) - Obviously.

- [Zebulon] Oh man, I have not seen this in a long time.

- [Matt] Tell me about it.

What do you remember about it?

- [Zebulon] Man, it looks smaller.

I remember this thing being so big.

(laughter) - [Matt] Yeah?

- [Zebulon] It brings back a lot of things.

Looping the tape, watching how it had to be done and splicing tapes and...

I just always, I don't know.

I could never get this out of my mind this, the way the tapes looked even.

It was just so cool.

There's no way this works.

- [Matt] Let's see if it works.

(mechanical click) - [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Audio Recording Child] Hi.

This is Zebby speaking and- - [Zebulon] Oh.. (laughter) No way!

- I want to tell you a few things - [Audio Recording Child] How you doing, dad?

[Audio Recording Adult] I'm fine.

- [Zebulon] Oh, my God.

- [Audio Recording Child] No, (giggles) - [Audio Recording Adult] It's January, 1979.

- [Zebulon] Wow.

- [Audio Recording Adult] In Jamaica Plain, Massachusets.

- [Audio Recording Child] Hi, I'm Zeb.

- {Audio Recording Adult] Hi, I'm Dad.

- [Audio Recording Adult 2] Hello.

- [Audio Recording Child] This is mommy.

- [Zebulon] Oh, wow.

(laughing) (indistinct chatter) (mechanical click) - [Matt] How you feeling?

- [Zebulon] I can't, I am...

I thought, I'm speechless.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- [Zebulon] You know, I remembered us doing special stuff with this and maybe that was why I could never forget about it.

That, you made my dream come true.

That was my, I would, that was my hope, is to find something from, from all of us back then.

I'm blown away.

I am blown away.

I can't believe that.

And you've really given me, given us a gift.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] So many of us want to just go back once, for like one minute and he got to do that.

I know I would want to hear my dad's voice again.

And for him to do that, that's really amazing.

- [Matt] You said the first day we got here, you said you had gotten really stuck.

I know it's a complicated next few months.

- [Zebulon] Yeah.

- [Matt] But y'all are going to be all right.

- [Zebulon] I certainly hope so.

You know, and I feel better, a lot better about it.

Thanks to you, your help.

- [Pre-Recorded Matt] Selling this house right now will allow Veronica to have a much happier life for the next 20 years.

And that was a good move for this family.

They did it at the right time because they had those difficult conversations now.

- [Matt] I want to hear that same conversation with you, your wife and your kids.

- [Zebulon] We'll do it.

(laughter) You got it.

(voice fades) (crescendoing music) - [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.

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

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

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.

The Mavins Group, so much more than a move.

(upbeat music) 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.

And by The Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(upbeat music) - [Matt] It was pretty awesome (bluegrass music) that his mom came down at, you know, the right moment.

She had not really wanted to participate a whole lot, the whole week.

And she came down and she was there and I was so glad she was there at that exact moment.

- [Zebulon] ] It's for dad.

(Veronica laughs) (kisses) - [Narrator] 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 (harmonic tones music) (orchestra music)