Summer Fun - 1920's Style!

I was pondering on what to blog on this afternoon. Sometimes just scrolling around and looking at all the family pictures I have scanned sometimes make an inspiration.

It is the end of May, today in the Pacific Northwest and I am in awe of how beautiful our weather has been for a good portion of the month. Normally our weather can be tempermental in May as it transcends into Summer. So when I spotted a photo of my Grandmother, Zelma Fern and her brother, Granville Ellis Ball with friends playing in an unknown creek I had a wonderful feeling of warm Summer weather, children playing in the water and how things sometimes don't really change at all, even after 80 years! This picture was taken somewhere near Salem, Oregon around the early 1920's.

Granville is the young boy on the left and sister, Zelma is second from left.

Zelma was my maternal Grandmother and was born 1912 in Arnett, Ellis County, Oklahoma and passed away in September 2005. Her brother, Granville was born 1916 in Salem and died 1976 in Salem.

I really love this picture.

Wordless Wednesday - Arnett, Oklahoma Concert Band

Arnett, Ellis County, Oklahoma Concert Band

ca 1910

William Edward Ball (1885-1943)

Top right with drum

Tombstone Tuesday - Margaret (Gilliland) Hutchison

Only known photo of Margaret Hutchison probably taken in the mid 1860's in Iowa.

Margaret McMillan Gilliland was born October 24, 1830 in Holmes County, Ohio daughter of Archibald and Margaret (Withrow) Gilliland. She married Daniel Hutchison, Jr. in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa at her parents home on July 4, 1850.

They were the parents of 5 sons and 4 daughters with the youngest being my Great Grandmother, Sarah Ellen Hutchison. Margaret died in Oregon, Washington County on the 23rd of April, 1909. Arcade Cemetery was established in 1886 and is located on Old Pumpkin Ridge Road just north of North Plains, Washington County, Oregon where Daniel, Margaret and all of their children and many other cousins, etc. make their final resting place. Both the Gilliland and Hutchison families have been well traced and left many descendants that have taken a big interest in their roots. Through the years, I have been in contact with these distant cousins and one thing that resonates with these folks in their strong sense of family and kindness and upmost generosity in sharing their pictures and data.

A Festival of Postcards - Nellie Baley Collection

My Great Grandmother, Nora (Nellie, Nell) Ellen Baley was a person who must have held on to family relationships and was interested in people. I feel extremely fortunate to inherit a large stack of postcards that she received as a young lady living on a homestead in Oklahoma and up to the 1920's when she and her husband, Will had ended up settling in Salem, Oregon. Nora was born in 1885 in Iron County, Missouri and moved to Ellis County, Oklahoma in the early 1900's when her father, John Riley Baley, filed a homestead claim. Her mother, Harriet Susan Buxton died in 1908 and perhaps because of being on a lonely claim, and trying to keep in contact with relatives, she resorted to writing and sending out dozens of postcards. What I have in my collection are the ones that she received. Most of them date from 1905 to the 1920's. There are only short snippets of notes on these cards but a wide variety of people who wrote her; cousins, friends and siblings. It must have been a very fashionable way to communicate during that era. Some of the cards depict holiday, birthday and just everyday greetings. Alot of the cards are pretty and some are panoramic scenes of various Midwest cities. Here is a post card that Nellie received from her sister, Fannie Malone who was widowed very early in her marriage and supporting two daughters in Afton, Oklahoma as a laundress. Written on the post card and postmarked with a date of April 17th, 1910: "April 17th. The goods cost 25 cts a yd it will take 8 yds and will cost 10 cts to mail and money order 3 or 4 cts all are well will write soon" -Fannie

I am assuming that Nellie was asking her sister the cost of dress goods in her town of Afton. My imagination at this point wonders if she knew she was getting married soon and was planning her wedding dress? (She married William Ball on October 2, 1910 in Oklahoma). Or just freshening up her wardrobe.

I really enjoy these post cards and consider them a real treasure trove!

Wordless Wednesday - Salem Heights School

Salem Heights School class of 1920 in Salem, Marion County, Oregon

Zelma Fern Ball is front row, 4th from right marked with an "X".

She was born October 8, 1912 in Arnett, Ellis County, Oklahoma and died September 24, 2005 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. She was my maternal grandmother.

Tombstone Tuesday-George Henry Freeman & Mary Elnora Hutchinson

George Henry Freeman was born June 22, 1852 in Quebec, Canada. Most likely in Brompton Gore. His parents were James Freeman and Phebe Woodard. Mary Elnora Hutchinson was born January 21, 1853 in Wayne County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Jesse and Eliza Hutchinson. George and Mary were married December 24, 1871 in Isabella County, Michigan and had several children. They were buried in Salt River Cemetery, Shepherd, Isabella County, Michigan.