What the Folk!

I did not take this photo (obviously) but I wanted to show you anyway:) My mum just sent me this because we're planning a turn of the century costume for my new living history programme, where I'm supposed to be a 1880s teacher. These are my great grandparents who were both missionaries. She came from Norway, he came from Sicily and they met in China, where they got married and had two sons. The baby on his mum's lap is my paternal grandfather and his older brother is my great uncle, who was like a grandfather to me, as my real grandfather died when I was only 4.

Wow biscuit, that's amazing. I have no photos older than my grandparent's generation. My dad recently sent me some old photos of his father's side of the family. I don't know any of the people & I only met my dad's father once so it's interesting to see all of them.

My current fave photos of the bunch are here. This is my uncle Butch (Benjamin). He's always been a big guy so to see him as wee one makes me smile.



My dad's older brother Billy who died from tetanus shortly after this photo was taken.

Oh that's so sad Poor Billy...

I get melancholy thinking about how the even kids the family photo I posted are dead now, but of course they grew to be old men first. I like looking at old photos and imagining what it must have been like living back then And of course it is all the more special if you know the people in the photos and their stories.

I know there is another family portrait of my great grandparents where my great grandfather is dressed in traditional Chinese costume and with his hair cut like theirs; shaved in front and with a long braid down his neck Apparently he liked to live and dress like the native Chinese when he worked there. They lived in China during the Boxer Rebellion and he was nearly murdered twice. One time they hit him with a sledge hammer, poured paraffin (kerosene) over him and set fire to him

Holy crap.

Sometimes it makes me sad to see some of the old photos too. Currently my maternal grandfather is very old and hasn't been well for a while. When I look at photos of him when he was newly married to my grandmother it's amazing how handsome he was. He was Tyrone Powers -ish with a great head of dark shiny hair (he still has a great head of hair only it's silver). It seems like a different person to the person I've known as my grandpa. It's cool but it's sad too to see how we are all young and then...we're not.

My uncle Billy's death was blamed on his mother and it caused a rift in the family. He got a cut from something rusty and should have received treatment. His mother said he did but she knew full well that he didn't and he died. One day they were sitting in the house and he was foaming at the mouth with lock jaw. Both my grandparents on my dad's side were nuts, like certifiably, which is why when I was born my dad vowed to not expose me to them. He felt they had already done enough damage & I think he was right about that.

That makes it even worse that the death could've been prevented

Good on your dad for protecting you against your own kin. Shutting your parents out must be hard even if they are nuts.

And I think exactly the same things as you do when looking at photos; you're young and healthy and pretty...and then you're not. It should make me try harder to experience as much as possible while I'm young and healthy!

My dad's the oldest (after Billy) who got out of there ASAP and the only one who emerged without being f'd up. His father would hit his mother and one of his brothers would call the cops only to have the mother lie to the cops about it and punish the son. That kind of stuff went on all the time and I suspect it makes you hate your parents in a way that almost makes it easier to be rid of them.

Ooh, I love old pictures. Thanks for sharing your stories, biscuit and SW. That's so sad about Uncle Billy. And biscuit - they set him on fire?? Yikes!

Wow. Amazing stories. I can see why you like Augusten Burroughs, SW, though thank goodness your Dad protected you from his parents. How awful about Bily.

biscuit....a bit more detail on the "head-whacking-fire-setting" of your great Grandpa, please. Was he badly burned?

This is a pic of my grandmother when she was two, and her grandmother, outside their house in Woburn MA. So, the woman is my kids' great-great-great-grandmother. I just did a photo retouch project for one of my classes so it happens to be on my computer, what a weird coincidence this subject should come up.

Wow, these are some amazing photos with incredible stories!
I love seeing all of your older relatives, and finding out more about them.
It's interesting to hear the back stories behind the photos. Biscuit, I too would love to hear more about the missionary adventures.

Well, there is actually a whole book about the adventures of my Italian great grandfather My great grandmother wrote it:)

It starts with him converting from Roman Catholic to Protestant. Not something that will make you very popular in the South of Sicily At first his family tried to make him see sense, but in time they actually converted as well. Alfonso (my great grandfather) joined the China Inland Mission, while the rest of his family emigrated to the USA (Rochester, NY to be specific. I know I have heaps of relatives there, but I've never met any). - Anyhoop, like I sad, in China he met my Norwegian great grandmother and they got married and had kids, and worked together. They worked specifically with ex-cons and inmates, hoping that they would save them by helping them find God, I guess. He did survive the attempted murders in China, and the family moved to Canada for a while. Unfortunately he was badly injured there, when I drunkard pushed him off a tram and he hit his head on the ground. He lost his eyesight and was not given long to live. Now comes the creepy bit: While in hospital he claimed to have been visited by two "ghosts". A dark figure came into the room an asked him to come with him because his time was up. Alfonso refused to go with him, and the dark figure disappeared. Now a white "light" appeared and told him he had done the Lord's work and now it was his time to rest, and would he come with. Alfonso pleaded for his life, saying he had two young sons whom he would like to see grow up. The light said he could have seven more years! - After that Alfonso had a remarkable recovery! He regained his sight and continued preaching when they eventually moved to Norway, where the doctors felt he would get the needed rest and fresh air to recuperate. After som years his health started deteriorating again and seven years to the day after his ghostly meeting he died He was only forty something:(

I know so many stories about this guy, probably because he stands out as the only foreigner in the family, and because I knew his son very well. He was a very kind man, and when he was asked by his wife to spank the boys with the back of the hair brush for being naughty, he would always use the front of it and give them a brush instead of a spanking And the boys were asked to make some noise so their mum wouldn't suspect anything.

Mum says there are more old photos up in the attic. I'll see if I can get dad to bring some down later (I'm at their house for the weekend).

Mock: Do you know when that picture was taken? I have never seen a photo of any of my great great grandparents! Do you know anything about that woman?

Wow, biscuit, what an interesting story. That's so weird about the ghosts. He gave them a "brushing", lol! He sounds like a neat guy.

The woman's name is... um... hee hee! I was all set to type it and now I can't remember it. My grandmother (the little kid in the photo) called her Mother Burns, so her last name was Burns anyway. She was my grandmother's mother's mother. My grandmother idolized her. I don't remember a lot about her history... my grandmother had a colossal memory for all family history, and I tried to write some of it down before she died (three years ago, at 92) but I didn't get it all. I have a terrible memory for this stuff, I have to have it written down or I forget what story goes with who, lol. My grandmother was two in this photo so I guess it was taken in 1917.

I have a lot of family photos, some older than this. If you guys are interested I can put them up. Heck I think I will even if you guys aren't interested, lol. I just love old photos.

OK, so, as previously threatened, here are some old family photos. Hey, no sneaking off, now. I couldn't find any of the ones from the 1800s, I'm sure they are buried in a closet somewhere. I actually have a bit of angst about the subject because my grandmother and I spent hours going through boxes and boxes of old photos, writing down who everyone was and how they were connected, etc., and all those boxes mysteriously disappeared after she died. My grandmother wanted me to have them, and I wanted to have them too. It wouldn't be so bad if I thought they still existed but I think my uncle threw them away. My uncle is an ass. But, that's a story for another day. Anyway, what I did find is some adorable pictures of my grandparents when they were young lovers, lol. These were all taken in the early 1940s, right before my grandfather went overseas to fight in WWII. He was in London during the Blitz. Interesting story: my grandmother sent him a Zippo lighter right before London was bombed. He had it in his left shirt pocket during the bombing, and a piece of shrapnel hit him right where the lighter was. It demolished the lighter but he was unhurt. He could've been killed if it wasn't for that lighter and then I wouldn't be sitting here today, lol. Thanks Zippo.



Getting ready to ship out. They're both in their late 20s I'd say.



George smoking on the bed. I think my grandmother may have jumped on him after this picture was taken, lol.



This was taken on my grandfather's parents' front porch.



My grandmother, same day. I love this picture of her, she looks so pretty. They were a dashing couple, and very in love. They were married for 45 years.



My grandmother daydreaming in my grandfather's hat.



My grandmother with my grandfather's parents. That's "Pappy", who was a vaudeville performer, and "Jennie", who by all accounts was a b**** on wheels, lol.



This is a picture of my grandmother (far left) with two of her best friends. They were in high school at the time this pic was taken.



My grandfather with some of his buddies, aftter he got home from the war. They look like they're doing some old-timey radio show, lol.



Oh and I found this in the same box. Flash forward 60 years or so and here is their granddaughter, looking oh so classy in her wedding gown, sneaking a cig behind her bouquet, lol. My friend Kerry doesn't look like she approves.

Those are great mock! My grandmother used to have a box full of old photographs (there was one of my grandpa in a dress - they were very poor - he looked like a white Buckwheat ) that we treasured and then one day she threw the box away. She still thinks it's no big deal. Anyhoo, George is a looker and I see the resemblance between your grandmother & you - so pretty!

These are my grandparents in the 1940s. Gramps was shipping out to war but he only got as far as Texas and I never heard any cool Zippo lighter type stories. I do know that he was in Texas when my mom was born in NJ and that his best friend, Dinky, saw my mom before her own father did. Dinky told me that story a few years ago and it made me cry for some reason.



This is one of my favorite photos. (they had color film I swear. I guess it was an old camera. ) Anyhoo, that's my mom & her little bundle of joy aka precious widdle moi.

Oh man, I love your pics. Every day situationas are much better than studio portraits

Mock: Your grandpa was kind'a hot, especially in uniform, and I too can see that you look like your grandma The wedding fag (smoke) is awesome!

Edit: The Zippo story gave me goosebumps

SW: Your grandpa looks smashing in uniform as well (He looks a bit like Jason Segel in that photo...) And how cute were baby SW? Love your mum's hair! (When I had a baby my hair NEVER looked like that )