Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Hiking in Plastic Coats?

This was the photo I had. Simple. Where we see Kirk in the lead, being followed by Todd and then Dick up a path in the mountains near Aspen. I thought it was a striking photo even though I didn’t understand why Kirk and Todd would be hiking in plastic coats. Surely they’d be too hot and uncomfortable to want to hike in them. Both boys are wearing jeans and Muller Elementary shirts, with plastic coats over them. Since the photo is centered on the individuals, you see Kirk’s smile and Todd’s concentration, with Dick’s presence in the background. There is emotion to this photo.

To me, it looks like this could almost be anywhere. From a field in Oklahoma to the Flint Hills that surround Manhattan. So when Cris told me this was taken outside of Aspen, Colorado, I could kind of see it.

But then Cris sent me this…

The differences are so striking. While Kirk, Todd and Dick are still the focal point, in this photo you see the expanse of the mountain and the feeling that there is a scale to the environment. You see the rugged beauty in the Aspen Wilderness. This photo shows the journey that they are walking. The expanse of the mountains and the height of the trees. It reminds me that our world is far bigger than we might first think. And when we set out on that trail that great things can happen when step beyond what we know and put on plastic coats 🙂

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Roots and Reflections

I’ve been spending some time today looking through old family photos, and it’s amazing how much history I see in each snapshot. Each photo carries its own story, its own moment in time. How the smallest details — a tree, a porch step, a familiar face — can bring back whole chapters of our lives.

If you enjoy a bit of nostalgia and family history, I’d love for you to take a look at today’s blog. It’s all about the people and moments that shaped us.

Feeling grateful for the roots that keep us grounded and the memories that keep us connected.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

The Way We Were

Some stories live quietly in the photographs we keep, the ones that capture who we were long before we knew how much those moments would matter. This week’s postings hold the everyday bonds and the generational strength that shaped our family’s path.

From Joyce and Lois on the Jorden and Burds page, together at the end of a day telling the story of what it’s like to try to go to bed as a child. To a summer afternoon at a family reunion on the Miller Garden page. Ending with a family four generation photo that celebrates the 70’s. These photos, side by side, remind us that the way we were is still part of who we are — stitched into memory, carried forward in every new chapter.

Thank you for reading and supporting my small family genealogy pages. Your presence helps keep these memories alive for generations to come.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Anderson’s 1970s Style

Outdoor photos are some of my favorites. You don’t have to try to arrange a big group in a small space, and nature is always a good backdrop. Here we have the Anderson family commemorating what appears to be a casual summer get-together.

The first person I notice is Howard. His shirt makes him the focal point of the photo for me, perhaps because of the print. With his mother-in-law, Hazel Katz, standing next to him, also in a printed shirt. Everyone else is in solid colored clothing, so now I’m going back and forth from right to left. First to Sherigay and Dick Anderson, to Nancy and her husband, Gary Conover. I love how Sherigay is looking at Dick. You can see the love she has for him captured in her expression. I love how Nancy is holding a dog, making sure it’s included in this photo.

Then I look at the children with the oldest flanking the youngest. From left to right we have Kirk Anderson (holding a dog) Cary Conover, Chad Conover, Cris Anderson and Todd Anderson. And I know instantly that this photo is from the 1970’s.

Summertime in the 1970s was different for me than any other time. Long days that seemed to stretch forever and lasted until we would collapse once the sun went down, falling to sleep almost before our heads hit the pillow. Summer time meant being outside, either cooking meals because we didn’t want to heat up our houses or doing chores, and eating popsicles that seemed to melt faster than we could eat them. Life seemed to happen slower in the summer, the laughter was louder, and we wanted to capture and savor every moment. It’s proof that the best memories are never staged, just lived out.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

The Quiet Strength of Men

Fathers have always carried the quiet weight of love — in the hands that hold their children, the stride that carries them through everyday life, and the steadfast stance beside us as we grow. Today, on Father’s Day, we pause to honor all the ways our dads, husbands, and grandfathers have shaped our lives — through patience, humor, and quiet courage. Their stories live on in our hearts, our traditions, and the photographs that keep their spirit close.

Thank you for reading and supporting my small family genealogy pages. Your presence helps keep these memories alive for those to come after us.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Sister Blooms

I like to see people smiling. And Bess and Hazel seem to always be smiling in every photo I see them in. Bess, the older sister, was born on September 15, 1887. Hazel was born nearly 10 years later on May 12, 1897. Age couldn’t separate the bond they shared as sisters. Based on their hats and the photo’s sepia tone, it was taken between 1915 and 1920.

What could they have been doing? At first glance, because there’s no background, I think that this is definitely a studio photo. But then I look at the item in Bess’s hand. It’s possibly a hook or a screw of some sort, but why would she have it in a photo? And then I get to thinking, what were they laughing about?

Bess and Hazel were constant throughout each other’s lives until Bess’s death on January 12, 1954. Bess was 66 years old, making Hazel 55 at the time of Bess’s death. I like to think that Hazel missed her sister during the remaining years they were apart.

While I might not know the story of this photo, Bess and Hazel’s smiles tell the story of sisterhood. Bess and Hazel embody the grace and laughter of an era when hats were statements and family ties were stitched with devotion. This photo isn’t just a portrait; it’s a window into the warmth and wit that shaped the Andersons to come.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

The Beauty We Inherit: Stories of Art, Family, and Sisterhood

Today is all about women and three males, but mainly women. From the living history photos of the graceful women who danced beneath open skies in Peoria, Illinois, on the Jorden and Burd page, to a Mother and Daughter duo in The Miller Garden, and finally a set of sisters whose laughter shaped generations to come on the All Are Andersons page. These photos remind us that beauty, strength and connection are timeless. Together, they weave a portrait of heritage that still blooms today! Thank you for reading and supporting my small family genealogy pages.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson · 3 Comments

On The Road Again

I just love old photos with cars in them. Maybe it’s because our cars are more plastic and computer than they are car, but I find myself missing all the things that these cars had. The seats in these cars were so much more comfortable then the seats in cars today. And while many didn’t have front wheel drive or the best mirrors what they did have got us to our destinations.

While I wish there was a date on the photo, I’ve got nothing but the car, the house in the background and the photo itself to determine a possible year. The columns on the house are not like the ones on the Clifton house so I think this is the house Dick, Sherigay and the boys lived in on Estelle. The photos tone, and paper border were common in prints from the mid to late 1960’s.

And so we come to the car. I asked my trusty co-pilot friend to assess the phote and give me an estimate on the car. It said that the car was a Ford. It’s not it’s a Dodge. But it estimated that the year was 1965. Cris told me he thought that his dad always had Dodge wagons so I looked for 1965 Dodge wagons and found the Dodge Coronet. Window, body shape and quarter panel shape all were similar. So I think that this photo was taken somewhere around 1967. There also appears to be a child next to Kirk in the back seat and while I’d like to assume it is Cris, Todd does not look the same in photos with Cris. So we are going with the Summer of 1967 or 1968 for this photo.

Todd and Kirk are definitely ready to go on an adventure. Todd’s got a flashlight in hand and is ready to show you to and from the car with ease. Waiting for you is our ever-energetic Kirk, who can’t wait to talk to you throughout the trip. While I have never traveled with any Anderson except Cris and my kids, I’m sure Todd & Kirk made trips fun! Here’s hoping all our summer trips can be as fun as this photo.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Journeys Home: Reunion, Romance, and the Road Ahead

Today we are going to a family reunion, a wedding and hopefully a road trip. Hope you have been well. I have missed bringing you photos every week and so I’ve been working on a schedule and photos that I’m hoping to get through the year with. I have missed writing and have lots of goals and hopes for the coming year. Thanks for reading and supporting my small genealogy family pages.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Spring Duos

I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter. It was very cold and rainy where we are. After the family got together I just wasn’t in the mood to write and sat down and read my book club book while the rain came down. I just knew that the writing would come later and today it did.

I have for your reading consideration three groups of spring duos. They were fun to write about, and I hope that you have fun reading about them. Thank you for reading and supporting my small genealogy family pages.