For nearly 100 years, the lives of members of the St. Jacques family have revolved around cranberries.

On Monday night, David St. Jacques spoke to the Wareham Historical Society about how preserving his family's history continues the family business, which has been operating in Wareham since 1927.

The Hayden Cranberry Separator Manufacturing Company was established in 1892 by Linthrop Hayden of South Carver. He invented the revolutionary Hayden Cranberry Separator, which could sort through 100 barrels of cranberries a day.

Emile St. Jacques, David's grandfather, bought the business in 1927 and moved it to Main Street in Wareham. After his death in 1956, his son Bob moved the company to its current location at 50 Carver Road in West Wareham. The company has invented and sold many different many different types of cranberry tools and equipment over the years.

Bob St. Jacques continued to grow the company and in 1965 was appointed to the board of directors at Ocean Spray. He became the chairman of the board in 1989 and held that position until he died in 1993.

For the past 10 years, David and his brother Raymond have been selling antique cranberry tools and items. They had a number of those items on display Monday night, such as hand scoops, hand separators, rakes, insect nets, and a tool that closes barrels.

David said cranberry crates are among his biggest selling items. He said people use them for decorations, make wine racks out em em, and hold records in them.

"One woman called me and said she wanted to make a bed out of them," he said.

David finds many of these antiques by going to old barns and screen houses. He said he once went up into an attic and was able to take down three truckloads of boxes before bats that lived in the rafters began flying at him.

"My passion is to go to these old crawl spaces and attics," he said. "I feel honored to be there -- no one has been there for so long."

The St. Jacques brothers sell countless antique items online and at their business of Carver Road. David said he enjoys getting visitors.

"The people who come in are so inquisitive. It makes me proud of my family history," he said.