Monday, February 26, 2007

For JoAnn

These are for my mother-in-law. I just got these photos of her great-grandfather from a distant cousin. Aren't they cool?


These two are of the same 4 people. It's four generations. The backs of both photos have the same information: the names of the people along with a note that says that Warner was 85 and Mary, his granddaughter, was 31. Lovely. Except they were taken years apart, based on Owen, the kid in front. They are standing in the same order in both pictures: Warner B----, his son Albert, Albert's daughter Mary, and her son Owen. My next task is to find Owen's birthdate to more accurately date the photos. One of them was taken about 1932, based on Warner's birthdate, but I don't know which one. Every genealogy treasure trove inevitably opens up more unanswered questions.

This is Warner with his children. From left to right: Charlie, Wilbur, Ida, Warner, and Albert. Only my mother-in-law's grandfather, Harry, is missing. He didn't die until 1958, so I'm not sure why he is not there. [As a side note, this family had 2 generations in which there were a Wilbur and an Ida. Imagine my confusion over the dates until I learned that the names had been repeated in two successive generations.]

And one more of Warner. I love old pictures, but pictures like this make me sad: the family patriarch, all alone. His wife died in 1918, probably as a result of the influenza epidemic that year. She was 73. He lived until 1939 -- 21 years -- as a widower.

I received much more from this cousin -- copies of photos of the old family cemetery and some heirloom furniture, a genealogy of the family of my mother-in-law's great-great-great grandmother, and a note asking me if I have photos of my mother-in-law's 4th great-grandparents. (Apparently this guy has forgotten I'm not actually related to him!)

Anyway, lots of fun -- and it makes me think maybe we will have to take a trip to Ohio this summer for a gigantic family reunion. Who's up for a road trip?

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:08 PM

    Thank you for the pictures. I don't know what cousin you are in contact with but I am so glad you are able to get in touch with some of these people to get the information. I don't think we have any pictures of the 4th great grandparents. You asked the question and you can bet your mother in law is up for a road trip. It is always so much fun to find out what information you have come up with. These are pretty precious. Thank you, your mother-in-law.

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  2. And, I bet you would have to come through Indiana to get there and you know you always have a place to stay here.

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