Old Photos, Found Treasures!

Thanks to my cousin Lee Nelsen who shared photos from his mother's collection, and to a recently found second cousin, Debbie Mitchell Imus, granddaughter of Ida Waggoner, my Grandma Mary's sister, I have a few photos to add, which I've linked to the stories about these folks.

A few months ago, I wrote about my paternal grandfather's brother, James Henry Troutman, known as Uncle Jim to my dad and his siblings. Maybe you've read the "black sheep" stories. Here are a few photos, fronts and backs, to add to the collection of photos of Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie:

Any car buffs out there? Do you know the year and make of the car?

Jim's wife Susie, on left, and her sister, Bessie.

Then way back, early in the first year of my blog, I wrote about my grandmother Mary's siblings. I was thrilled to receive more photos of them from Cousin Lee and Cousin Debbie.

I like this formal portrait of Emory Waggoner, Grandma Mary's oldest brother; it lends him a bit more dignity than some of his other photos. No matter how poor folks were, it seems that they could get gussied up for a formal portrait, at least once. Emery wrote on the photo, "This is your uncle & brother Emory. To Mr. & Mrs. Troutman and children." This message shows a certain restraint, yet underlying affection for his sister's family. It had been sent to Mary and Clint and their children, Neville, James, Carl, Verne, and Virginia. The year is uncertain, perhaps early to mid-1920s.

The back gives evidence as to the place he resided when he sent the photo.
Boyd, Minn. is a small town in Lac qui Parle County, which borders South Dakota.

Then there was handsome Gordon, Grandma's closest brother in age, one year older. This photo is similar to one posted earlier, but a slightly different pose.

Apparently, Gordon made a trip to California, too, at some point in time.

I wish the year had been included here.

The next photo is a treasure (not that the others aren't): Grandma Mary's sister, Alice and her husband, Herbert Ellington and daughter Hazel. Thanks to Debbie for this find. Alice remained in Missouri when the rest of the family moved to Nebraska, and I don't have as much information on her as Grandma's other siblings. That's why I treasure this photo. It's the only one I have of Alice's husband and daughter.

Herbert Ellington, Hazel Ellington, Alice Waggoner Ellington, c. 1914, Missouri.

Another photo from Debbie is this next one of Grandma Mary's sister Ida's grandson, Ernest Wendorf. I learned from Debbie that Ernest and his sister Alice died from Huntington's disease; their father also had it. In the blog post I wrote on Jan. 22, 2014, I did not know the cause of their early deaths. Now we know.

Ernest Wendorf (1939-1977)

 I have more photos to share, but this is enough for now.

(c) 2015, Z. T. Noble