There are times when I feel that I was born too late. I would have LOVED to have been able to accessorize like they did in the early part of the 20th Century. From gloves to hats, shoes to purses, it would all match. And what’s more stylish than black? I’m unsure where or when this photo was taken, but Hazel is undoubtedly fashionable.
I don’t think I could pull off wearing a hat like that. But Hazel does so with a superior look, saying of course you can! It appears as if there is a brooch or a pin there on the coat. Matching the flower in her hat, Hazel has paired white gloves and a patent leather purse. She’s all ready to go just waiting on her ride. I find myself wishing I could see the rest of her outfit, but this will have to do.
Coco Channel said it best. Haute Couture is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure. I believe that Hazel lives up to this quote and gives us all an example to try to achieve.
I wish I could bring you a photo of William Dorsett, but alas, I do not have one. What do have is information so lets get to writing.
Family records indicate that very little is known about William A Dorsett or his wife, Ollie F Brewer, until they married. They married in Georgia and moved to Texas. It is rumored that he was the black-sheep son of a plantation owner, but for some reason, they moved to Texas. One rumor is that Ollie’s family did not like Williams or that his own family had disowned him. They moved to Texas with two personal slaves from Ollie’s family. Ollie also brought trunks full of lovely clothes and jewelry. Later, she made many dresses into a millinery, which she sold.
William and Ollie had three children. James L, Ida Augusta and our ancestor Ada English. Ollie died when Ada was six months old. Later, William married Emma Pismire and that union produced three children, Pat H, Edward and Laura.
William was always a blacksmith, first in Chappell Hill and also after moving to Dime Box. He was also a Justice of the Peace and a postmaster. At one time, he was also a Methodist Circut Rider. When he decided this was not for him, he quit preaching and returned to being a blacksmith. He told his grandchildren he’d quit preaching because he was whipping the devil around a stump.
One of william’s favorite was stories was aout his height. He loved to tell the he’d never been measured except when the Yankees had captured him during the war and he’d measured 6′ 7″. His sons were all tall, large men of the same build but none were as tall as he. William always always words a stetson hat that was uncreased and he could not walk through a doorway without stooping.
William was a man with light brown hair and blue eyes with fair skin. He always wore a mustache and goatee. It is reported that Ollie had dark curly hair and brown eyes. She was probably 5’7″.
During the Civil War William was part of the 24th Regiment of the Texas Calvary. He was a Private and his job was a farrier. He took care of the horses seeing they were shod and their feet well cared for. The 24th Cavalry Regiment [also called 2nd Texas Lancers] was organized during the late spring of 1862.
Here’s some information about the 24th. There are links to the National Parks Service website detailing each battle. The 24th was soon sent to Arkansas. Here, the regiment was captured in January 1863. After being exchanged, it was consolidated with the 17th, 18th, and 25th Texas Cavalry Regiments and assigned to Deshler’s, J.A. Smith’s, and Granbury’s Brigade. This command fought with the Army of Tennessee from Chickamauga to Atlanta, endured Hood’s winter operations in Tennessee, and ended the war in North Carolina. The 24th was organized with about 900 men, and 54 casualties were reported among the 587 engaged at Arkansas Post. The 17th/18th/24th/25th reported 200 disabled at Chickamauga, totaling 690 men and 520 arms in December 1863. The 24th surrendered on April 26, 1865.
While I don’t have a photo, I hope I’ve given you a good description of William A Dorsett. May we always remember him and his service to the 24th Texas Calvary.
I’ve never not known the Holy Spirit. I remember looking at my children’s bible when I was a child. While I couldn’t read yet, the pictures drew me in. I loved the one of John baptizing Jesus. I wanted to know what it was like to get baptized. While it’s a blessing indeed to have lived with God’s promise my whole life, it wasn’t until I was older that I realized that’s what my confirmation did. In the Lutheran church, you spend two to three years working with a Pastor being taught the doctrine of the Lutheran church and why we believe getting confirmed prepares someone to live out their faith in the church. It also marks our passage from childhood to adulthood. Once confirmed, you are now considered an adult in the eyes of the church.
Here we have Dick and his family on his confirmation day at St. Pauls Lutheran Church. June looks so proud and stylish as always. I know she had a Lutheran background as I’ve found records of Hazel’s family attending the Swedish Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Nancy seems sad that it’s not her confirmation day and Howard too looks ready for Dick to be confirmed. I’m unsure of the date as there was no information on the photos. Depending on the synod of Lutheran Church would depend on what age you were when you got confirmed. To me, Dick looks like he’s about 13 here. I was confirmed in June the year I graduated from junior high. It’s a rite that Dick seems pleased to take on. He looks comfortable and relaxed, to confirm his faith in Jesus Christ.
I remember Dick saying that when he was confirmed, it was before St. Pauls moved to their current location in Waco. And that photo definitely doesn’t look like the current St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, so where was it? Luckily I have the part of Ancestry.com in which you can access newspapers. I figured if the church moved, surely it would have been in the Eagle. Sure enough, I found not only the location of where it was moving to, but where it had been. The church used to be on the corner of 8th Street and Market. I was able to locate a newspaper article from March 31, 1956, which reported that St. Pauls was undertaking a building project and moving. The groundbreaking occurred on January 8, 1956, and the new building was to be completed in November 1956.
Former St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – Wichita, KS
The former St. Pauls is now a homeless Shelter for Men
I just love the Disney-Pixar movie COCO. Like most genealogists, my quest is a labor of love. I can get lost in the facts, the places, and the family names. So Coco spoke to my heart, hearing how we should not forget those ancestors who preceded us. Hearing how there’s a whole two to three-day celebration (depending on where you are) to honor our family made me so excited. And since 2018, I too celebrate Dio de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.
Day of the dead is a celebration that honors our deceased loved ones and welcomes their spirits back to Earth. This holiday is celebrated in Mexico, Central America and by many Mexican Americans and me here in the United States. Photos of our loved ones are placed on an ofrenda, or altar and honored with food and gifts. Marigold petals help direct the spirits to our ofrenda.
Since seeing Coco in 2018, I’ve wanted to have an offrenda and honor my ancestors too! I want to have somewhere I can showcase our ancestors and keep their memories alive. Since this year’s Dios de los Muertos is November 2 & 3, 2024, I thought now was the time for a tribute, Dios de los Muertos style.
So many photos we got from Hazel “Mom” Katz don’t have names on them. Or have people ripped out of them. Especially those taken before she married Audie Katz. I have no idea who this photo was taken of, but i believe it was of one of Hazel’s sisters. I think it might be Bessie or Esther, both older sisters to Hazel.
Taken by a train, it appears to be winter. Our subject holds a fur muff to keep her hands warm and appears to be warm with a long skirt, jacket, sweater and hat. There appears to be much snow on the ground and our subject appears to be exasperated. Perhaps it’s with the snow or having to have her photo taken, but the photographer took it at the right time to capture her eye roll.
While I might not know her name, at least I can keep her memory alive here on my digital ofrenda, which is dedicated to keeping all the memories of our family members alive. May you have a Feliz Dia de los Muertos or Happy Day of the Dead! Que iva la memoria de nuestros seres queridos! Long live the memory of our loved ones!
Here we have two cutie-patooties, brother and sister, Thelma and Frank Franz. Thelma was born on August 9, 1901, to John H and Emma G Frantz in Alamota, Lane County, Kansas. John and Emma had an older son, Vernon, who was three years older than Thelma, Francis, who was 5 years younger than her, and Ross, who was 4 years younger than Francis. The baby of the family was Irene Grace, who was 11 years younger than Francis and 19 years younger than Vernon.
Thelma married Richard Davis on 8-21-1923 in Utica, Kansas. She and Richard had one child, a daughter named Lois. By the 1930 census, Thelma and Richard had divorced. She and Lois lived with her mother until she remarried in 1947 to Hugh Rivenburg of Tribune, Kansas. Thelma and Hugh were together 32 years until his death in 1979. Thelma herself lived In Dighton until her death in November of 1986.
While Francis looks like he could have been female, he looks all boy to me. It was not uncommon for boys to have long hair. Born in 1906 our Frank grew up to marry Edith Angeline Davis on October 1, 1928. Frank and Edith farmed the Western Kansas land making a living for them and their two daughters, Shirley and Frances. Frank died on August 2, 1963, at the age of 57 years old. Shirley continued to live in the Dighton area until moving to Wichita to be near Shirley and Fran. She passed away on May 3, 2001.
I just love this photo of Thelma and Frank. While they both look like they wanted to be doing anything else, it’s a great photo of them both. I would imagine that this photograph was taken about 1908 or 1909. I love the bows in Thelma’s hair. Most of the time, in photos like this, you’ll see young girls’ hair in braids or tied back so that her hair is down, which thrills me. I’m unsure what she might have in her hands, perhaps a flower basket. It reminds me of the May Day baskets I made as a child. Her dress is simple, with bows, stockings, and shoes all matching.
Frank, too, appears to have some sort of clip or bow in his hair to keep it out of his face. He has a style that is more tunic or jacket than dress with knickers underneath. Stockings and dress shoes complete his ensemble.
Since I joined the Anderson-Belden clan in 1992, I did not know Thelma or Frank and don’t know any family stories about them. But I’m very thankful that we have this photo to remember them with.
This is Charles Fredrick Weber, Uncle to our Charlotte Weber Trammell. Charles was born June 23, 1879, to John and Emma Weber in Jackson, Michigan. He was the 4th of 5 children born to John and Emma. Charles is the younger brother of Charlotte’s father Albert who was the 3rd child born to John and Emma.
The Masons began in the 16th century. During 20th century America, fraternal groups were prevalent, with over 40% of the male population belonging to at least one fraternal order. The Masons, the Oddfellows, The Elks, and The Moose are a few of these orders one may have found in 20th-century America. They brought together a broad range of classes under the fraternal banner. Many offered insurance and assistance. The orders also made many monuments across the country, many still around today. These groups operated under secret statutes, and I’m sure you were considered a member for life once you were in.
Charles lived in the same town his whole life. His occupation was as a bookkeeper or record keeper throughout his working career. Masons were drawn to those with Charles’ occupation. Professional enough not to be a laborer, but not of the upper class. He is forever embodied as a proud group member from the fez at the top of his head down to the embroidered satin jacket and wide pantaloons tucked into gaiters. His photograph was on a postcard that I’m sure was sent to Charlotte’s family some way. The only writing on the back of the card says Zuave, Uncle Charles.
I hope there may be a way to investigate these organizations, but since so much of what they did was “secret,” I don’t know. I’ve also never actively looked for information on fraternal orders, but I’ve added it to my list of research items and hope that one day I can bring you more information on what Uncle Charles might have done in his fraternal order
This past week I accompanied my parents to Fort Wayne, Indiana so that my mother could have a reunion with her siblings. Like most reunions we spent a lot of time talking about people who weren’t there. People who either I never met or who i remember their passing. And it got me to thinking about Fran.
Here we have Edith, Shirley and Fran Frantz. I don’t know when the photo was taken. I took a picture of it when we were going thru photos after Dick had died. Fran has shared memories of the family farm in her book MORE ACORNS FROM THE LITTLE OAK. Frank and Edith lived on a farm 2 miles north of Alamota in Western Kansas. There the Frantz’s had no electricity or indoor plumbing. Instead, there were carbide lights which hung from the ceiling and oil lamps on the tables.
The Frantz’s had no indoor plumbing of any kind. Their bathroom was an outhouse with three holes, two adult sized ones and a lower, smaller child-sized hole. They bathed in a big tub in the kitchen by heating water and pouring it in the bathtub. During the summer Frank would rig up an outside shower which was connected to the water tank on top of the tankhouse. No electricity also meant no refrigerator. Frank would bring home 50 to 75 pounds of ice to place in the icebox about every other day. Their meat was stored in the locker in Dighton as it would not freeze in the icebox.
I just love this photograph. I assume that it was taken at the house on the Frantz Farm. Perhaps it was a Sunday, and all of them were dressed up in their Sunday Best. Edith’s gown is simple but it’s so classic that it could be worn today. I love her shoes that cross several times. Shirley also has Stylish pumps and what appears to be simple dress. And Fran in her jumper with bobby socks and Mary Jane style shoes is just adorable. And the hems, while having different heel heights, their hems are all pretty even. From their shoes my eye is next drawn to their hands which are also placed the same. And then up to their faces. With Fran’s smiling expression to Shirley’s simple smile to Edith who looks like she could give you a world of knowledge with just one conversation. All beauties in their own right.
“I think the hardest thing for a mother is to make it possible for a child to be independent and at the same time let the child know how much you love her, how much you want to take care of her, and yet how truly essential it is for her to fly on her own.” -MADELEINE ALBRIGHT.
I found the above quote by Madeline Albright and thought it applied to Edith. She wanted more for her daughters and raised them to be independent, professional, thinking women who were ahead of their times. Thank you Edith for raising Shirley and Fran to fly on their own.
Lately my social media feeds have been full of people who are going to JC Pennys to get their photos done. Their results aren’t as classy as the Anderson-Beldens achieved. I don’t know a date of when this gem was taken but I’m thinking very late 1980’s or early 1990’s. If someone knows please let me know!
At the focal point are Fran and Dick. Looking every bit the professionals that they were. Very put together and looking good. Behind them I feel the photo is two seperate groups. Those in suits and professional clothes and those dressed in casual clothes. It seems so evenly split too.
Leading what I call the suit group behind Dick are Kirk and Christy. Kirk’s rocking that Tom Selleck moustache. Behind Kirk also in a suit is Brent. Are those matching ties guys? Heading up the casual group is Deanna who I think is all in denim. She appears to have a tan so I’m thinking that perhaps this was taken during the summer. Next to Dee and also sporting the casual look is Wade in a white shirt and our last causal individual is Cris in a black shirt in the back row.
Did you know that JC Penny’s still has Portrait Studios? They do! I am challenging the Anderson and Belden siblings to go have a retro photoshoot done in honor of this photo and their parents. I would love to get us all together for a photo shoot, but don’t think we’d all be able to fit in the small JC Penny Portrait Stuidos but it would sure be fun to try!
One of the funnest things to do when you’re a kid is to try new things. We all need to start somewhere, and it looks as if Nancy and Dick are having fun learning how to cook. Nancy has that bowl held tight, and just in case, so does Dick. Like all good brothers, he’s there to help her and ensure their bakery item gets made to the best of their ability.
I love Nancy’s hair. She’s such a cutie. And Dick with his Levi’and long-sleeved shirt which would look normal today as it did then. I love how he has keys attached to his belt loop. That must be an Anderson genetic trait as his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons wear their keys this way.
I like the wallpaper pattern in the kitchen and find myself wondering whose kitchen this was. Were they having fun at home or with Audie and Hazel? No matter whose kitchen it might be, I am glad we have this cooking gem to cherish and enjoy.
For some reason, I just love photos of June and Dick when he was a child. To me, there’s something so unique in how they are together. I’m not sure where the photo might have been taken as there was nothing on the back stating location. But there’s still lots for us to look at, let’s start with Dick.
For some reason he looks like a little star to me. I don’t think it’s all one outfit, but that he’s in serveral different items. Our base layer is comprised of a one piece combo. Pants and shirt all in one. Over that at first I thought it was a jacket, but it seems like it might be a sweater as well based on the cuffs and how it drapes on his arms. I also thought the hood was attached but upon closer inspection, I think that the hat is separate from the jacket. Why are baby shoes so cute? They just complete his outfit. And doesn’t he look ready to take a walk or run around a playground?
To me June will always be the very essence of style and grace. Her outfit is just so simple that you could wear it today and not be out of place. From her white shirt, dark skirt and open-toed shoes she is ready to hit the town with her child and wear him out so that he will take a good nap.
Here we have a better look at Dick’s cute outfit. Look how pointed his hat is. June certainly has her hands full keeping him in her arms. He looks like he will take off running the minute he’s put down. And the good old Kansas wind seems to be blowing. I’m not sure but based on June’s short sleeves, this must have been taken during the spring or fall.
I sure do miss their smiles, laughter, and fun times. If you haven’t yet subscribed to this page, I’d love to have you added to the subscription list. Just sign up with your email below.
