Gifted and burdened with family heirlooms. 

I think that heirlooms stand for your ancestors looming over you, their heirs, to make sure you do justice to their beautiful antiques, best case scenario, and hand-me-downs, the usual case scenario, and junk, the worst-case-scenario. Actually, I think in my case, so far the worst-case-scenario has been family papers containing inventory lists which include, among other "stuff", slaves, of all ages and genders. I descend, in part, from an American southern family, who emigrated as colonialists, from Scotland, England and so forth during the forming of our country. They had plantations. I don't really know much about it but I will do some research as soon as I settle in and get everything out of storage. And open this trunk where I think there are more family documents but I'm kind of hoping gold treasure. I haven't found the key yet, although I know I have it, attached to Granny's  delicate gold keychain. I went recently to the neighborhood locksmith, who's about 80, named Ralph and he's been doing this for "60 years and could open anything", and forwarded him close up photographs of the lock on the trunk. He has not gotten back to me yet, reassuring me that it's "no problem" to open. I think he's met his match. What if he's descended from one of my family plantation slaves? I am not abandoning this subject. I am going to address it as well as I can at a later date when I know more about it.

 Those are Granny's initials

 The bed would fall apart without the rope. I've still to find the hardware that holds Granny's bed together. Heirlooms.