Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Children of the past.


A photo of the past of a child that happens to be my mother Zella Marie Brown.  She was born in 1919 so we are looking at a 1921 era photo.  No, she was not a princess of a King or Queen but my grandmother lovingly nicknamed her Sis.  I am not sure if that came from Sissy or not.  She was the only girl among two boys and I do remember my Uncle Kenny called her Sis also.


This is a reposting of a photo that I have borrowed from my Uncle Kenny's stash of old photos. This boy was very good at standing still for his photo.


This is a past header that I used a year or so ago.  The little girl in the photo did not live much longer than when this picture was taken.  She was from a family with the last name of Halferty.  The person who had me frame it never knew the little girl's name or her parents name.  She just knew that it always hung in her mother's home and she wanted it to do so again.


Another reposted photo for the sake of showing you the little girl.  My grandfather, LeRoy Brown, is sitting next to a Marie Brown, a niece of his from Illinois.  From the age of my grandfather this must have been taken in the early 1900"s.  The group of relatives in the Illinois are lost but will be found on the internet. My grandfather's father, Charles Brown, died when he was three years old.  My great grandmother remarried and moved to Iowa, leaving a lot of that family history back in Illinois.  I am sure that my grandfather must have made a visit out there for the photo or Marie visited in Iowa.


My final child photo is of me on Christmas morning, 1954.  My brother's train sits on the floor and my dad is playing with his windup donkey toy.  It twirled it's tail around in circles and it really entertained him. This is the interior view in the living room of the old white farmhouse that I posted a few weeks before now.

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14 comments:

Christine H. said...

Sigh. All those kids who didn't live long. It makes those childhood years seem even more precious. Your mother beat the odds, and she was adorable.

Bob Scotney said...

The photo of your mother caught my attention immediately - that look!
Fine collection of family photos that mustn't be lost.

Little Nell said...

A lovely selection of children in photographs. That expression on your Mum’s face is wonderful; she looks so grumpy. I see that on my three year-old grandchildren’s faces sometimes if somebody is trying to make them do something they don’t want to do. How sad about the litle lost girl with no name, and such a sunny smile, because she didn’t know that she wasn’t supposed to smile and should be all formal. Of course it was right that the picture was re-hung.

Rosie said...

Aw, Christmas 1954, brings back nice memories for me. We didn't have electricity in our home yet, but it was still very special.

Liz Stratton said...

The picture of Uncle Kenny is incredible! He looks like he is on the starting blocks. But, you are right, the photo is sharp - he must have stood very still!

Postcardy said...

Your mother is so cute, though she doesn't seem very happy to have her picture taken.

Brett Payne said...

I really like that first photo of your mother - such a suspicious look, and it's not often one sees an abacus in an old family photo.

I'm wondering if the portrait of LeRoy and Marie Brown was taken in the 1910s, as the large hair bow worn at the back of the neck like that was popular from about 1912 to 1918, I have read.

Unknown said...

Nice array...and I like what you have done with your blog arrangement. I've been off to other things for a few weeks...funny with your Mom being called Sis. Just while in PA I heard a young mother calling her daughter who was all dressed up for her Kindergarten Orientation, "Little Sis" I wondered if she was the youngest or the only girl or? Then I check here and see your mom was a Sis.

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

Your mother was looking at the photographer with great suspicion! :) This post is a lovely walk through your family history.

21 Wits said...

Mommy doesn't look so happy....but what a marvel of great family photos...!

Martin Lower said...

Perhaps being told to stand still for a while didn't sit well with your mum!

Anonymous said...

Loving the pic of your Mum with her abacus. I had one (in the 1960's) and kept it until recent years, despite being still unable to fathom a use for it. I don't think standing still would have been my strong point :-) Jo

Tattered and Lost said...

Really wonderful photos. Each one charming. I especially love the little boy with the cute little chair. Reminds me of the chairs they used to have at soda fountains.

Love to see that donkey toy. I do have a little dog from the 1960s whose tail goes around and around while the whole dog goes around and around, all the while swinging a little ball on a string. After seeing your post I've got to go find the dog in its original box.

Kelly said...

My husband is from Keosauqua in SE Iowa! Love the pictures!