Linda Wilson is living a genealogist’s dream.

The Freeland resident is involved in her family’s history and is learning about her heritage in the comfort of her own home with furniture and other household items — some dating back nearly 200 years — that belonged to her New England ancestors.

Photo albums and historical documents are displayed on table tops, 100-year-old quilts cover Wilson’s guest beds, and even older table linens adorn her great-great-grandfather’s dining table in the dining room at her Bush Point home. A china closet displays a collection of pewter made by Paul Revere’s father, who was a silversmith.

All of the antiques and memorabilia came from a home in New England that belonged to Wilson’s family.

When Wilson’s 85-year-old second cousin, Dorothy Rendell, died in 1991, she bequeathed the family home in Saco, Maine, to Wilson.

“I inherited a lot more than four walls and a roof,” Wilson said.

The three story home, which was built by Wilson’s great-great-grandfather, Isaiah Rendell, in 1847 was what Wilson calls “a treasure trove.”

She discovered that when she traveled east to settle the estate.

“I had planned on staying for a month or two, but once I got inside the house and saw how much there was to do, I knew I would be there a while,” she said.

The house’s contents communicated the lives of generations of Wilson’s family.

“It was little like stepping back in time,” Wilson said. “It was an amazing experience to know my ancestors had lived there, actually sat on the same Victorian sofa with its original upholstery intact and served meals on the dining room table I was using.”

“My family’s history was inside this house.”

History such as the medical kit and shaving razor Isaiah Rendell carried when he was mustered into service in 1861 for the Civil War in 1861.

Wilson had visited her cousin from time to time, but had no idea of the monumental job sorting through everything in the house was going to be.

There were boxes, and trunks filled with photos, documents and newspaper clippings. Bed and table linens filled dresser drawers. And then there was the antique furniture — all of it saved from past two centuries.

“The custom in New England is to save everything, nothing gets thrown away,” said Wilson

Wilson stayed in the home for three years to complete the sorting task. She sold the home then shipped most of the furniture and a number of boxes home to South Whidbey.

“It was hard to sell the place,” she said. “This is the first time in its history that the house has belonged to someone other than my family. But I knew my home was here with my children and grandchildren.”

Her home is now filled with the beautiful antiques including an 1835 grand piano, the largest piece Wilson shipped west.

She said each piece of furniture was cared for from generation to generation.

“They are all in remarkable condition, hardly a scratch on any of the furniture,” Wilson said.

Wilson attributes the good condition everything is in to the fact that for the last 100 years or so, the house has been mainly occupied by women, her grandmother, her great-aunt and her second cousin, Dorothy Rendell (great-aunt’s daughter).

Wilson will continue her family’s tradition of passing the antiques down to tbe next generation, her children and grandchildren.

“I feel very fortunate to have all of these things, because it gives me a glimpse into my ancestors’ lives.”