My first girlfriend: My dad and my mom holding my now 81 year-old sister: My mom (1915-2002) and her older brother. My mom's father, who died before I was born. My mom grew up driving work horses as soon as she was able to handle them. Compared to today, she grew up in 3rd world poverty. My mom at home in 1938, she would have been 23, she married my dad the next year: My mom's mom, center front (1891-1942) her (my grandmother's) parents over each shoulder, the others are my GM's siblings. They all died before I was born. My g-grandfather (1853-1933) below was a Markham. We've done my family tree and traced his ancestors back to King Henry II, 1133-1189 AD, England, who was my 25th g-grandfather. I am descended from his illegitimate son, William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. My mom's paternal g-grandfather, George Milton Baker (1844-1931) who fought in the Civil War and is in the military records as such. She remembered sitting on his lap and listening to first-hand stories about the war.
Yep, that's him. A buddy's wife (Roberta) has done genealogy since long before the internet was invented, when it was a lot of tedious work. She started mine in 2014. All I had was a few names (like Markham and Baker) and a lot of stories to go on. Sure enough, my mom's story that she told me, when I was a kid, about her g-g being in the Civil War was absolutely true. And many other stories, also from my dad's side were also true. Having done this kind of stuff as a hobby for nearly 50 years, Roberta said that that is usually the case. Family stories handed down are usually quite reliable. There were two things that we could never verify though. I remember when I was a kid my mom talking about some female older relative of hers being Spanish. The only other person in my family alive today that heard that also from my mom is my 60 year-old niece. Roberta and I, after many evenings of sleuthing around Ancestry and other online sources, came up with one woman in my mom's line who was adopted. No other helpful info available, but that likely has to be her. Second dead end, although just trivia, is my mom used to talk about her "Uncle Niles," her mom's brother, who was crippled from trichinosis and lived with them. I know his DOB and everything but nothing about him having trichinosis (it's from eating undercooked pork). I searched county and state medical records for anyone who had it, but came up empty. He died at 58 (in 1937), although Mom never said that he died from that. From this pik I posted earlier -- he is the guy on the porch, way on the right. "Niles" is sure a weird name, but his father (seated) was also named Niles, as was his father also. Another generation or two back, a woman named "Ruby Niles" married into the family and somebody thought it would be a good first name for a boy. Haha, strange and interesting stuff.
My aunt Von who passed last year at 93 years old . She gave me this photo in 2019 she said she was 16 years old in-the photo She was my mothers youngest sister
Same architect designed the Houston Grand Central Train Station, it was every bit as beautiful as the one pictured. Like all things eventually the value of properties out weigh Historical significance and one day it disappears never ever to be seen again.
More personal photos I recently received from my youngest sister who got them from my Mother's personal albums after she passed away.
My Aunt Opal her son Donald Ray, me in the middle and Linda on my left. This was taken in 1948 one block off Irving ton Blvd and Berry Road intersection. It was still just crushed rock streets then and pine trees everywhere. Later,much later the 610 Loop would be to the right of the photo about a city block away. Donald passed about 3 years ago, Aunt Opal in 1985 or 86. I can remember visiting early in the mornings and the fresh coffee was so strong in the air that and after shave my Uncle Leo wore. He worked for the Harris County road maintenance dept. He maintained all the rock roads on the North side of Houston. His old chevy truck always had a 50 gallon drum of diesel for his maintainer, and he would hitch his truck behind the maintainer and pull it to the roads he would be grading, then at end of day he would just park the maintainer somewhere safe and leave it overnight. Next photo was my 1955 PUNK haircut. We thought it was so cool but not so much today. I look like Herman Monster. I think it cost about 50 cents then. My Barber was Joe Martinez and his little shop was right across the street from the main entrance of Reagan High School.
My Mother around 16 and I think one of my Louisiana cousins, which of course he has been deceased for decades and anyone that I could have ask who he is , are all gone too.
My current avatar is of my two cousins (sisters) and me. I was about 4, the girl on the left is 4 months younger, and the girl on the right is about a year younger than her. This had to be 1950 at our house in Ohio. I still remember when this picture was taken. My parents were adding 2 bedrooms on the other side of the house, and we were playing, riding a tricycle around, in the unfinished part. Not often I could ride a tricycle inside the house.