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.
Sometimes are garden grows quietly. You look up and suddenly those little seedlings have blossomed into plants. That is the case here. The garden started with Kermit’s sister Lydia Maye Miller. Maye married Lloyd Motter and they had two girls, June and Lois. Lois married Gordon Grohs and they had two children Tom and Nancy. Not much is known about the Grohs except I believe they are still alive. I’ve found records of both Lois and Gordon still together in Sun Lakes, Arizona just south of Chandler and outside of Phoenix. Lois and Gordon had two children, Tom and Nancy. Unfortunately, I have found out little about the Grohs. But that doesn’t mean I will stop looking.
I just love this photo of them. It’s what I call a stair-step photo. Many times they may occur oldest to youngest, but in this case it’s height with Lois and Maye needing to switch places. But from left to right we have Nancy, Tom, Lois, Maye, Lloyd and Gordon. This photo was taken outside Kermit and Eunice’s home. There’s no date on the photo but a former photo of Eunice’s dated 1960 indicated that Nancy and Tom would be visiting the next summer so we might be looking at a photo taken in 1961.
Both Nancy and Tom are wearing Miller farm appropriate clothes. While Nancy is in a dress I’m sure it didn’t slow her down from finding lots of things to explore. Lois is wearing adorable plaid shorts. I just love plaid. Then we come to Maye. I’ve never seen a photo of her as an adult where she’s not in a dress or skirt. She looks comfortable in her print dress. Lloyd looks formal. Perhaps it was a Sunday and they had gone to church earler or if it was a work day he just came from the office. Gordon looks like he’s on vacation and enjoying the day.
While I know little about Gordon, Lois and their children, I find myself wanting to keep a close watch on them to see what information I can find and what they may do next.
Tableaux were all the rage at the turn of the century. They were called Tableaux vivants, or living pictures, in which staged scenes were performed to recreate motionless works of art. They were common in pageants, women’s colleges, and civic festivals from the 1900s through the 1920s. Many tableaux were often Grecian-themed and used a draped style for the dancers’ costumes. This symbolized purity, beauty, and artistic freedom. Outdoor scenes like the one below were chosen to evoke pastoral ideals and connect performers to the natural world.
Here we have a photo from Cousin Jean Bourscheidt’s photo album. A group of women who gathered at Sunnyside, the Gauss’ farm. Standing we have Lucy B Way, Edith P Stone, Julia Proctor White, Elizabeth Way, Florence Raymond. Kneeling is an unknown woman, Mrs Gauss, and our cousin Jean Bourscheidt.
I gather that Julia Proctor White is the leader, as her dress is a different color than the others and she is prominently featured in several of the photos. So I did some research on who Julia Proctor White is. She was born in 1875 and lived until 1968. She was a civic and cultural leader in Peoria whose work influenced Peoria’s arts and women’s movements. She began her professional career as a kindergarten teacher and became vice president of the Peoria Free Kindergarten Association. She helped establish public kindergartens in Peoria in 1907. I am sure that is where her path crossed with cousin Jean.
Julia also had many civic and cultural contributions in addition to her work to establish kindergartens in schools. She worked with the Florence Crittenton Home, supporting women and children in need. She helped found the Peoria Women’s Civic Federation and in 1955 wrote its 50-year history manuscript. She was the first president of the League of Women Voters following the passing of the 19th Amendment. Prior to this, she had been a member of the Equal Suffrage Association. She also served as Director of the Peoria Players Theater and was an advocate for community performances.
Cousin Jean didn’t add any words that included what she thought of these photos or how it had all come together. But I hope she enjoyed her time with this dance group and has many fond memories of a time when Tableaux vivants were all the rage, and this form of dance was new and exciting.
I think Cousin Jean is the 2nd individual on the left
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.
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.
I don’t know why I never asked to see this photo until now. For me, Kermit and Eunice’s marriage was what was important. Eunice never spoke to me about their wedding day, just that it was also Kermit’s birthday. But she always spoke of their marriage and how she missed him.
Brenton, Kermit’s brother, was the minister at the Brethren Church Eunice attended. Brenton had a son named Walter, who kept asking Eunice if she wanted to meet his Uncle Kermit. He was just convinced that she would like him. I can just see Eunice politely thanking Walter for the thought, but also saying she didn’t need to meet his Uncle.
But fate and destiny have a way of working things, and when two people are destined to meet, then they meet. Kermit’s friend Bob Fager asked Kermit if he would drive him to see a girl that he had met who he was sweet on. Her name was Oma Kramer, and Bob didn’t have a dependable car to get to Streator, but Kermit did. Maybe Kermit thought that once he got to Streator, he could see his brother, but once the men arrived, off went Oma and Bob to do something by themselves. This left Kermit by himself at the Kramer farm. Eunice said it was a Sunday night when they met. Once Kermit and Eunice met, their fates were intertwined for the rest of their lives. Even after Kermit left this earthly home for his heavenly one, Eunice talked of no other. For them, they were soul mates, destined to be together and fated to love.
On Sunday June 4, 1939 Kermit and Eunice were united in marriage by the Reverend V. Stroll at the United Brethren parsonage. Kermit wore his best suit and Eunice was in a sweet simple white dress, hat, gloves and shoes. An article ran in the paper proclaiming their union. In error, it reports that Eunice’s parents were from German Valley, however the Kramers resided in Streator. Like their simple wedding, the photo too is a simple reminder of their day where they celebrated not only Kermits birthday but their wedding.
While Kermit and Eunice had just 30 years together, those years produced three children, 9 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and if I’ve counted correctly 5 great great grandchildren so far. So join me in a toast celebrating the Bride and Groom, to Kermit and Eunice! Happy Anniversary!
It’s funny how you can remember things. Especially things that occurred when you were a child. For me, the barn is what I remember most. Bold and red and imposing. And a bee sting. And the hills. And it seemed like we drove forever to get where we were going. Once we got to Beardstown and then the Schroeder family farm, there was so much. So many people, where the only ones I knew were my parents, brothers, aunts, and uncles. Yet I was told we are all family. And the hills. I was not used to them, especially to farm on. My father’s family farm was in the flat plains of Illinois. This area is not flat. And as Tiny gave us a tour, I thought to myself, “How do they farm here?”
It’s not impossible to farm in the Bluff Springs area where Tiny’s farm sits, but it is harder. Soil quality is good and well-drained. However, the slope is moderate to steep in places, with the erosion risk being moderate to high. This leaves the only options for the steepest areas used for timber or pasture. Farming in moderately sloped areas is usually done by terracing to create the desired farmland.
On this day in June of 1980 there were many Jorden’s gathered on the Schroeder farm. But why was it called Schroeder and not Jorden? Emma Jorden, sister of our Bill Jorden Sr., had married William Schroeder and they lived on the farm in the Bluff Springs area. They had 4 children, all sons. Edwin, born in 1921, Herbert, born in 1922, Lloyd, also known as “Tiny,” born in 1923, and Alfred, born in 1924. Our Bill Jorden Jr, stayed with Emma and Uncle Billy at times when his father was working for the railroad.
All the way to the left, I believe, is Ed Schnepper, then we have our Bill, Ruth, David, Rita, Betty Schnepper, and Margaret Triss gathered. I love how Bill is wearing his ball cap jauntily. In the garage, you can see open on the right where tables of food are. It takes a lot of food to feed a lot of Jordens.
Here we have Tiny and his daughter Carol, with Aunt Gretchen seated to the right. When I would hear Bill talk about Tiny, the farm was always discussed, too. What I didn’t know, perhaps because we are talking about humble individuals who were not boastful about their accomplishments, is that Tiny served in World War II. He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater, where he participated in seven major campaigns. He initially landed in Africa and moved north to join the D-Day forces in Berlin, and was one of five American soldiers to enter Hitler’s Chancellery prior to the Russian Occupation. His military occupation was laying communication cable, which he carried out for Patton’s Third Army and for the Potsdam Conference. I just remember him being a lot of fun as he told us a lot about the farm and the land during our tour.
So while I was first drawn to this photo because of the barn I remembered, it turned into a whole lot more for me, and I hope it will for you too.
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.
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.
What a lovely spring photo of June and her mother, Hazel Katz. To me, June will always be the stylish, put-together woman I met. And this photograph does not disappoint. Just the tilt of her head shows all her confidence and sass that only a young person can pull off. Hazel seems to be exuding the air of one who taught her child to be confident and sassy.
Hazel Mae Lundberg was born May 17, 1897, in Riley, Kansas, to William and Emma (Peterson) Lundberg. Riley is located 20 milies northwest of Manhattan, Kansas. Hazel was the 6th child of 7 born to William and Emma.
Hazel married Ross McDonald in December 1915 and divorced him three years later in December 1918. Our June was born on June 18, 1916. After divorcing Ross, Hazel married August “Audie” Katz in October 1919. Our June told me that in her mother’s photo album, there were old photos that looked like someone or many others had been cut out of the images. We assume that someone was Ross. Hazel had three more children with Audie, Robert, Donald, and William.
While June grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, she led her siblings, who at times she felt so different from, but didn’t know why. I would imagine that in this photograph, June is between the ages of 9 and 12, which would place the year about 1926. Their style of dress is also that of the late 1920s. I would love to know what colors their dresses were and what materials they were made of. June’s appears to be cotton, but Hazel’s looks like it could be a silk-like fabric.
From top to bottom they are the picture of a lovely spring duo and I hope they bring some sun to your world today.
