Haven't Been Blogging...However...

There are only so many hours in each day. I have opted to use as many as I could to scan things instead of blog things. I had a change of callings a little over a month ago at Church. I was released as the Institute teacher and called to play the organ for Sacrament Meeting. In my prayers I had been asking Heavenly Father for a way to clear out some things in my sewing room. I just didn't seem to have the time to get it done. I knew it would require many hours to put these things in order and thin down things. When this change of callings came, I knew it was the answer to my prayer and I needed to take full advantage of it because experience has taught me this simpler calling will not last forever. So the last several weeks I have scanned and scanned and cleaned out things in my sewing room. 

It is interesting to me some of the things I have come across. A veritable journey of my life, Claude's life, my parents lives, and the list goes one. 

I had two huge binders of things saved from when Claude was Bishop in Denver and again in Maryland. I was able to scan pictures from these binders and share them on Facebook with friends from those places. 

I had photo albums from my parents and found pictures I had not scanned yet. I want to share a few of this pictures. 

First, a family picture but not by blood. When I was a child in Shreveport, Louisiana, there was a couple who lived down the street from us, Mamie & Murray Jones. They were never able to have children. They became a second set of parents to my mother. While visiting them with my Mother once, Aunt Mamie was showing me some old dressers she possessed. I loved these antique pieces of furniture. Aunt Mamie said I could pick the one I wanted and she would give it to me. Today that piece sits in my sewing room. Claude took it apart and repaired it several years ago and restained it. I just love this piece of furniture. After years in the home where I picked out the dresser, the Jones' moved one block down from where we lived on East Herndon in Shreveport, Louisiana. Uncle Murray had a bad heart. When he had a heart attack, Aunt Mamie would call my Mother first and then call the ambulance. My Mother would run down the hill to their home and care for Uncle Murray until the ambulance arrived. My mother was a Practical Nurse. Uncle Murray played Santa Claus every year for the Church Christmas party. Our middle child, Andie, did not like Santa at all. She preferred her parents to anyone else. One Christmas we visited my parents and Uncle Murray came to their door dressed as Santa. Andie went right to him. I believe little children can sense the true spirit of a person. She knew immediately what a good man Uncle Murray was. As they aged, my Mother became their caregiver. Aunt Mamie died first and Mimi took over Uncle Murray's finances and cared for him after he went in a nursing home. We just loved these two people with all our hearts. Junie, my sister has Uncle Murray's cane. It was a delight to find this picture taken early in the marriage of Uncle Murray and Aunt Mamie Jones. What a treasure. 

I found these two pictures of my Father's Mother. We called her Gramma Duck because she fell off the back porch, broke her hip, and always waddled after that. Gramma Duck was first married to Bill (William Zachariah) Conner. They had two sons Odus Lavell and Oliver K. Conner. Odus died when he was six years old. Oliver we called Uncle Buddy. A couple of times my sisters and I stayed with Uncle Buddy and Aunt Gladys while our parents made a trip out west. Uncle Buddy was born in 1907 and my Fafter was born in 1928 so there was 21 years difference in their ages. Uncle Buddy had a son, Lester, that was born a year before Papa. When Bill Conner died leaving Gramma Duck with two little boys, Grampa Duck (Carl Edward Lawrence) new her already. His sister, Aunt Annie was married to Uncle Jim (James Edward Conner) who was Bill Conner's brother. Gramma and Grampa Duck married and had five children with my Father being the youngest. That is a bit of the history.

I found these two pictures in an album. I never remember seeing them before. They are treasures. The first one is Gramma Duck in the white blouse. The other lady dressed in dark clothing is Amanda Elizabeth Sermons. She is the mother of William Zachariah Conner or Gramma Duck's mother-in-law. Judging by height only and guessing the tallest child on the right end to be the oldest, I would say that is Odus and between the ladies is Oliver or Uncle Buddy. 

This second picture is my Father's Mother, Claudia Clementine Shaw Conner with her two sons after she became a widow. I am guessing Uncle Buddy is on her left with Gramma holding his hand and with Odus standing to her right in the picture. Again, never remember seeing this picture before. What treasures these pictures are. 

I also came across this picture of the Church building where I attended Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. This building was on Wyandot Street. We attended Church in this building after we moved to Shreveport when I was in second grade until the new building was built after Claude and I were married. In the steeple was a little room with a mimeograph machine. Janie Anderson and I would create a newsletter for the Shreveport Ward and go up in the steeple to make mimeographed copies for everyone. I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this building. The chapel was on the left side in the picture and the cultural hall was on the right side. As you went in the front door there was an office on each side. Along the back of the building behind the chapel was the Relief Society room and the ladies bathroom. The kitchen would have been about in the middle with the men's bathroom to the right of that. At the very right end of the picture would have been the stage with the baptismal font in the stage. Along the back of the building in that area were three classroom. After we moved to the new building, an insurance company purchased this building, took the steeple off and used it for their business. The building still stands today.

Now, back to my Mother's side of the family tree. This picture is Harriet Bennett with her son, Herman W. Fisch. The picture was dated 1944. I remember my Mother speaking of Uncle Herman make a trailer and bringing his Mother to visit in Louisiana. I am guessing this is the trailer. Harriet is my Mother's Father's Mother or my great Grandmother. They lived in Wyoming. 

Again, from my Mother's side of the family tree is Edgar Fisch. The picture is labeled with Edgar being 21 years of age. This was also the year he died. He would have been brother to Edgar and my Grampa Clarence Clifford Fisch. I have a huge picture of him hanging in my basement in an enormous frame. There are actually two pictures of men and we didn't know who they were. Now I know that Edgar is one of the men.  

And this picture is Harriet Bennett Fisch, my great Grandmother on my Father's side of the family tree. I also don't remember ever seeing this picture before. I found myself mesmerized by it. To me, Harriet has lines that show a hard life she has lived but there is just a hint of a smile that tells me she had joy in that journey as well. I am so happy to have found this picture of her.   

Finally, this picture of the Bennett sisters. They are from left to right: Margaret Albina Bennett VanValey, Harriet Bennett Fisch and Lucy Ann Bennett Nelson. It was labeled as 1974. I would have been 24 years old. That date cannot be right as I have a death date for Harriet Bennett of 1949 in Glen Rock Wyoming. Again, what a treasure of a picture. 

Lots more scanning to do but my sewing room feels lighter with all those binders gone. I feel happy having them all labeled in on a digital medium. And, I have totally enjoyed the journey of remembering my life, my parents lives and learning a bit more about my ancestors. I am grateful for pictures.