OLD, OLD PHOTOS FROM THE H…. FAMILY ARCHIVES
This next post is a display of some very old photos from the family archives. My little sis “S” (of the car eject fame) was kind enough to send me what she had so I could share them on my blog. The one that really piques my interest is the same one used on the cover of this blog and the first one shown in the slideshow below. It shows my grandmother (Alma Belle) and grandfather (Charlie). They were my dad’s, mom and dad.
In this photo they are shown with their mule team hitched up and taking a load of friends to a picnic. They had been around the hood and scooped up all comers. It was a good load. I feel somewhat sorry for those two mules. They have some kinda load to pull, only to get beat on the ass by my grandpa with his strap. The picture is from the early 1900’s and probably before 1917, as I don’t recognize my dad in the load. They may have been heading for a place called “Meeting Creek” on the Battle River.
Throughout the course of this blog, from time to time, I have added old family photos as I came across them. In this post I will try to consolidate everything I have and put them in one place. You may, therefore, encounter some duplicates from past posts. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did sorting through them, fixing them where possible, digitizing them and finally coaxing them onto this blog. Brought a tear to my one good eye, I might say.
MY GRANDPA & GRANDMA LOADED UP & HEADED FOR A PICNIC DAD ON HIS HORSE – SHOWN HERE IN THE LATE 1920’s MOM’s UNCLE HERBERT (BROTHER OF GRANDMA) – RETURNED TO UK IN 1950’s, & LIVED IN CHESHIRE THE REST OF HIS LIFE MOM’s PARENTS HOMESTEAD IN THE ROSALIND AREA 1920’s MOM (middle) & HER BROTHERS ALONG WITH ANNIE WHITING (FRIEND) & LILY GIDDINGS (mom’s aunt) MOM AND HER BROTHER HUBERT MID 1930’s. HERE IN THE GARDEN AT HOME. GRAMPA GIDDINGS WAS KNOWN FOR HIS FLOWERS ROSALIND ALBERTA, STRAIGHT EAST OF CAMROSE EARLY 1950’s THIS WAS THE FARMHOUSE OF MY GREAT UNCLE, ALVA H…., IT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 1 MILE FROM DAD’S PARENTS PLACE. MULE DRAWN RAKE SITTING ON MY GRANDPA’s HOMESTEAD. HE WAS A GREAT LOVER OF MULE OR HORSE PULLED IMPLEMENTS A YOUNG COWBOY SIGNS UP FOR THE AIRFORCE AND SPENT HIS NEXT 5-1/2 YEARS THERE. 1940. AN OLD HAYMOWER LYING ABANDONED ON DAD’s PARENTS’ HOMESTEAD, FACING INTO THE BATTLE RIVER COULLEE DAD WAS AN AIRPLANE MECHANIC. THEY WORE JACKETS AND TIES TO WORK AND FLEW WHAT THEY FIXED. DAD IS SECOND FROM RIGHT, BOTTOM ROW. MOM AND DAD IN A DATING PICTURE. I DON’T KNOW WHERE DAD GOT THE CAR. JUNE 1942 MOM AND DAD IN FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA SHORTLY AFTER MARRIAGE DAD MIDDLE TOP ROW, SERVED 5-1/2 YEARS IN THE AIRFORCE. HE WAS A MECHANIC, WELDER, BOXER, SINGER AND HARD ASS. DAD IN THE AIRFORCE, STATIONED IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS MOM WITH A FRIEND, HOLDING MY BROTHER, EDMONTON 1943 1943 DAD ON AIRFORCE BASE IN FT. MACLEOD, “L” NOW ABOUT 2-1/2 MTHS, 1943 MOM AND DAD WITH BROTHER “L”, IN EDMONTON EARLY 1946 THE PORT IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS WHERE DAD WAS POSTED 1945 DAD’s FAMILY HOMESTEAD IN THE LATER YEARS AFTER RETIREMENT TO ROSALIND THESE ARE MY GRANDPARENTS AFTER MOVE TO ROSALIND MY DAD’S WELDING SHOP ON FIRE. I FOUND THIS IN A HISTORY OF ROSALIND BOOK. THE FOUR OF US IN 1950, ROSALIND, ALBERTA PRIOR TO DAD’s FAMOUS SHOP FIRE MY DAD’s MOTHER IN HER HOUSE IN ROSALIND LATE 1950’s THE FOUR OF US, NOW IN RED DEER AND DRESSED FOR CHURCH, CIRCA 1954 SCHOOL DAYTS, RED DEER 1957, I WAS IN GRADE 2, “S” IN 1, MURT IN 5 & “L” IN 8. DAD CAUGHT JUST COMING IN FROM WORK, HE COULD GET REAL DIRTY MOM AND DAD SHOWN AT A SOCIAL FUNCTION, 1950’S MOM IN HER BRAND NEW HOME IN RED DEER, SHE WAS HAPPY AS A CLAM. BIG SISTER “MURT” AND LIL SIS “S”, ABOUT THE SAME AGE AS WHEN SHE FELL FROM THE CAR. MY TWO SISTERS AGAIN. THEY WERE BOTH IN DANCING CLASSES. THIS TAKEN IN 1957. 1970, WITH MY MOM’s MOM AS SHE TURNS 85. SHE WOULD GO ON TO LIVE TO 97 YEARS. A TOUGH OLD BIRD INDEED! MOM AND DAD AT HOME IN RED DEER, MOM COULD STILL WALK SO THIS IS IN THE EARLY 1960’s. GRAMPA WITH HIS ROCK AND ROLL BAND, D1, D2 AND D3 DANCING THE DISCO. NEICE “M” LOOKING ON MOM AND DAD BOUGHT “D1” (MY OLDEST) A GUITAR FOR CHRISTMAS 1977 DAD WAS FAMOUS IN CAMROSE AT THE SENIORS HOMES, THIS CIRCA 1995 THIS IS WHAT THE LAND LOOKED LIKE. IT WAS NOT THE DEEP, RICH, BLACK EARTH OF ALBERTA LEGEND A MONUMENT TO THE HOMESTEADERS, MOM’S FAMILY FROM ENGLAND DAD’S FAMILY HOME AND OUTBUILDING. WHEN HE WAS SMALL THIS WAS A MANSION TO HIM THIS A VIEW FROM THE MIDDLE OF DAD’S FAMILY’S PLOT LOOKING TOWARD THE COULEE AND BATTLE RIVER IN THE BACK THE OUTBUILDINGS FINALLY COLLAPSING FROM THE WEIGHT OF AGE. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY FEEL MY MOTHER’S FAVORITE FLOWER THE ALBERTA ROSE, GROWING WILD AROUND THEIR HOMESTEAD THE ALBERTA PRAIRIES LOOKING BACK FROM MOM’S TOWARDS DAD’S MOM’S HOMESTEAD THIS HOME NOW STANDS ON THE SITE OF THE HOMESTEAD WHERE MOM’S PARENTS SETTLED ONE OF THE OUTBUILDINGS ON DAD’S PARENTS LAND THE ORIGINAL HOMESTEAD OF MY GRANDPARENTS ON MY FATHER’S SIDE. ONE OF THE LAST TIMES THAT WE COULD SPEND WITH MY MOM. THIS IN 1987, SHE PASSED THE NEXT YEAR WHILE WE WERE IN SOUTH AFRICA ONE OF THE GREAT CHRISTMAS VISITS WITH MY MOM. SHE COULDN’T WALK BUT YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW. SHE DID EVERYTHING FINALLY MY SMALL PART OF THE CLAN COMPLETE, EXCEPT FOR ANGE, AT THIS TIME ON THE WAY! THIS IS THE RESTING PLACE OF BOTH MOM AND DAD’S FAMILIES MY GRANDAD, MOM’S FATHER MY GRANDMOTHER SHE LIVED A LONG TIME, 44 YEARS AFTER MY GRANDAD DAD’S PARENTS ON TOP, MOM AND DAD AT BOTTOM.
I am aware that I may have gotten some of the dates, times and perhaps people mixed up a bit, however I did the best I could with the resources I had. I am sure more family photos exist somewhere and, hope that maybe, if other family member(s) hold any, that they might be so kind as to add them to this blog, for all of us to share. Even just going through this relatively small amount of photos makes me hunger for more.
5 Comments
Deysi
Good job Jimbo! Love all the photos.
Ange
Wow I love these so much! Young Uncle Larry looks like Ben.
I think there is a typo on the photo of us with Grandma. 1987 instead of 77 or I’m a lot older than I thought I was!
Jimbo Red
Good eye, I’ll fix it. And yes, I think you are right. L does look like ol’ Benhameen!
JMW
Very cool. Old family phots are awesome!
Jimbo Red
I’m glad you like them, sure would like to see some from your family.