When Ray was a Young Boy

I don't think they sell toy guns like this anymore - the kids nowadays probably don't play "cops and robbers" or "cowboys and Indians". We even played it sometimes without the guns - all you had to do was point your finger and shoot. "Bang, you're dead!" I think it was pretty innocent play and quickly forgotten after a session of shootouts. The nice thing about back in the "old days" was that the only time you ever saw anything vaguely violent was in the movies and they were nothing compared today - a far cry from what is on television right in our homes. I think it must be so difficult for young parents to cope with all the things that influence their children in this modern world. It is so different now than when we raised our kids. Anyway, my husband is the cute little guy on the right - and I think the one on the left is his cousin, Jay. I don't know the little fellow in the center.Ray is on the horse - and I am not sure who the other folks are, but I have an idea they were relatives in Nebraska who Ray and his mother visited. I think this is a cute picture and it was probably taken in the mid to late '30s. (Click to enlarge)

Maggie and Leah in San Francisco

Pictures taken when my grandmother and Aunt Leah traveled to San Francisco to visit with Aunt Nelle and her family. Maggie is shown holding Liz Ann, the little girl who is the daughter of Betty, my Aunt Della's sister. Della is married to my Uncle Ham. They never had any children of their own, but raised Betty after the girls' mother died when Betty was still quite young.

Here is Leah with Betty who was just a couple of years older than I.

Here are Maggie and her two daughters, Leah and Nelle, ready to leave for an outing. Maggie looks sombre in this photo and Leah is dressed in her pretty print dress, light jacket and a little hat. Nelle has a very pretty coat with a fur collar.
In this photo, we find Aunt Della and Aunt Leah all dressed up and ready to go. Note the cool old car in the background. It rather reminds me of a '57 Chevie that our son had when he was in high school - only I think this car is too big to be a Chevie. Women were still dressing up wearing pretty frocks, hats and gloves. For quite a few years after we were married, everyone dressed up to go to the dentist, shopping, wore hats and gloves to church.............no more! Even in high school we wore skirts and sweaters or blouses. When I was working at Hesston Corporation in Hesston, Kansas, I remember the first time a woman wore pants to work and that was in about 1970. She was a woman in her middle forties and wore a nice pants suit. That started the rest of the girls wearing pants. However, one cute little blonde whose name was Alma and was kind of a "my friend Irma" type, came to work in slacks and a rather tight t-shirt. Alma was sent home to change clothes. She was such a kookie little gal - you had to just love her - one day she watered a plastic plant. That still makes me giggle. I digress!! (Click to enlarge)

Mom, a Horse, and Grandma

This one has me scratching my head. I don't know for sure where it was taken. Mom and Dad were married for seven years before I was born and I know they didn't live in Peoria until around the time of my birth. Bits and pieces of remembered conversations with Mom make me think they lived on a farm but again I'm just not sure. Ask questions, my readers, so that you have the information to pass on someday since there will come a time when there is no one left to answer the questions you have. One of the things I remember is that my mother never drove at all - although she talked about driving a Model T after they were first married. I think they lived out in the country but I just don't know where or for sure. Anyway, enjoy this picture of Mom and half of Grandma Pearce and a nice old horse! (Click to enlarge)

Anna Reynolds Carroll

As written on the border of the picture, this is the casket in which my great grandmother, Anna Reynolds Carroll, mother of Maggie Pearce, was lying in state in the parlor of the Pearce home at 319 Behrends Avenue in Peoria in the spring of 1917. I think it was common practice back in those days. Flowers lie beneath the casket and what appears to be candleholders are on the side. I have no idea whether it is open or shut. My cousin, Ken, who has been doing geneaology on the Pearce family for many, many years, sent me copies of court records that he had secured from Peoria County. One of them is Anna's death certificate. She was born in Ireland on July 17, 1845, and died March 31, 1917. Cause of death is listed as "nephritis" with secondary cause "genl dropsy." To the right of the window, I see a picture of my mother, Nan.
(Click to enlarge)

Wonder Where They Were Going

Winter coats with fur collars must have been the fashion in this picture that was taken sometime in the very early 1930's. Posing here are Ray's Grandma Barney, two of her daughters, Ruby and Ethel, and her daughter-in-law Clemie, Ray's mother. Ray is standing right by his mom and his cousin Bill is to the left. I assume the little girl in that row is Ruby's child and that Ethel may be holding her youngest son, Henry, or someone else's little one. Now for the lady in the apron - I don't know who she is. There was an Uncle Charlie that I never met and maybe that was his wife. I am thinking they might have all gone to her house for lunch and were leaving to go back to Chillicothe. It was obvious that she was not cold - she probably had been over a hot cookstove all day. I look at these old photos and wonder what the circumstances were when they were taken. Such fun to look at and think about. (Click to enlarge)

Three of my Most Loved Ladies

While browsing in my files of pictures that I recently scanned, I came across this one that was taken somewhere around 1960 or a year or two later. Here I am with three of the woman I love the most and who are and have been so important in my life. I am with my mom, Nan, my dear sister, Joanne (Jo) and my dear daughter, Sherry. We were back in Chillicothe to visit either from Ft. Madison, Iowa, or Topeka, Kansas - and I feel sure it would have been from Ft. Madison. Mom and Jo are both gone now. I think this is a nice picture of the four of us. It is unbelievable how fast the years have gone by. And they seem to be speeding up!! (Click to enlarge)

At the Santa Fe Station In Chillicothe, Illinois

Some time around 1935, give or take a year, my mother's sister, Nelle, and her two sons, Ken and Bob, came from California for a visit. They were met at the depot in Chillicothe by a good sized group of welcoming relatives. In the front row, down on one knee is Dan, my grandfather, then Bob, my little sister Joanne, my Uncle Ham, little brother Bud, Ken and the fellow on the end is unknown to me. In the back row I have no idea who the first two people are, but the next lady is my grandmother, Maggie, my Aunt Della (wife of Ham), then dear Aunt Leah with me standing right in front of her but only my eyes and hairbow showing, and the visitor from California, Aunt Nelle. The next people are unknown until the very last lady and that is Nan, my mom. It is always so surprising to see how people dressed up so much more than they do now. Over half of the women in the picture wore hats. So much different today. This is also one of very few pictures of my brother, sister and me together. I think we were kind of cute kids! (Click to enlarge)

Four Generations

I know I have mentioned in my Funoldhag blog (and have used this picture there, also) that my daughter, Sherry, was born on my grandmother's, Maggie, 80th birthday on June 15, 1951. Here is a picture taken on Sherry and Maggie's 1st and 81st birthday - it was a very hot day in Rome, Illinois, and we sat in the front yard of our little house right across the road from the Illinois River. The other two members of this generational picture are Nan, my mother, and me.

Sherry and Maggie are now another year older - 2 and 82. This time we were in our back yard. Over all the years, I can remember my grandmother almost always had her beautiful cameo pinned to her dress and it is there in both of these pictures. And she always wore heels - although not very high ones. (Click to enlarge)

Some Reminders of my Early Teens

Amost the same age as Shirley Temple, I was one of those little girls who had poker straight hair and that was just not right! Permanent waves were the answer - my very first one was from this torturous contraption where your hair was wound on rods and then clamps with wires attached were clamped down on the rod. The beautician put pads under and around everything and when the thing was heating she would fan the hot spots. Can you imagine? Beauty must suffer! I think they were actually pretty good perms, though.Then I spent lots of time "putting my hair up" which was winding it in pin curls and securing the curl with a bobby pin. Why, oh why, did we not have the freedom of having straight hair? There are so many ways we think we should be or how we should look - it's a puzzlement. While the pincurls were drying, I wrapped a bandanna around my head.

Now here is something all of the young teenage girls loved - Tangee! It was orange - really orange - but it turned pink when you put it on your lips. For some reason, that was the first lipstick for all the girls. I can still almost taste Tangee and feel it's waxiness on my lips.

And the wonderful little blue glass bottle of Evening in Paris with the pretty tassel. How wonderful it smelled. I felt so happy when I had one of these. Another fun aroma was Lily of the Valley. All of these delights could be purchased at the local dime store for not much money - which was good since there never was much money to be had. Do you know what, though? The good old days were really pretty darned good - in fact, it's very good looking back on them and remembering. (Click to enlarge)

Ray's Mother as a Child

Clemie was from a family of five siblings and she was the youngest. Her sister, Leatha, was nine years older and I believe the eldest of the children. In this picture one of the brothers - am not able to tell if it is Sammy, Everett or Cecil - and Leatha pose with Clemie.

This is a picture of Leatha, Clemie and their mother, Julia. She died when Clemie was still a little girl and Leatha actually was the one caring for the family. Ray was very close to his aunt. (Click to enlarge)

The Three Pearce Girls

Some petty portraits of the Pearce girls.

Nelle

Nan, my mom

Leah

(Click to enlarge)

A Very Large Load of Hay

I have posted so many pictures of the Pearce family and very few of my husband's side. The only reason is that there are not nearly as many photos. I have mentioned before that my grandparents and their family took lots of pictures, and that pleases me so much. My parents didn't take hardly any of Jo, Bud and me. Suppose part of that was money was very tight when I was growing up. Actually there are quite a few of me when I was a baby and toddler since I was the first grandchild around - having two older cousins who lived in California where my grandparents did not have contact with them.

I digress - as usual. This picture is one from Ray's family and I am almost certain it is of his father. There are just a handful of Harry. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that he died in the VA hospital in Dwight, Illinois, when Ray was only 12 years old and his mother 32. So it was Clemie and Ray through all the years. I just thought this is such a neat old photo of a great big truck filled with hay. It needed to be here in my blog. (Click to enlarge)

Going Fishing?

All of the fellows in this photo are identified by someone right on the border of the picture. I love that about the Pearce family - this is something they did a lot. However, the pretty lady peeking out of the porch door is not named, but I think it may be my Aunt Nelle. Charlie, of course, is my father. Ken and Lambert are Nelle's little boy and her husband, and Harry is my uncle. What I think is so fun is the different hats they are wearing. Dad has his hat turned up at a jaunty angle, Ken appears to be in a bonnet, Lambert in the straw hat that was so popular way back when, and Uncle Ham in a kinda beat up old strawhat. Fun picture. (Click to enlarge)

My Grandparents' Siblings

Frank Carroll and his wife, Lucy, brother of my grandmother, Margaret Carroll Pearce.

Daniel Booth Pearce, my grandfather. As I look closely at these two pictures, I would swear they are wearing the same tie. The knots are so big!

His brother, Art

and brother, Irv. More pictures sent along from my brother. (Click to enlarge)

More Fun at the Sionilli

This picture is kind of a puzzlement to me - my grandfather in a rocking chair and is it by the outhouse? I am trying to figure out if the little building is the outhouse - the Sionilli would have had one, for sure. It looks rather small - but they don't have to be very big to serve their purpose. And, Dan, why are you in a rocking chair out in the back yard?

This one is labeled "The kids" - the second kid is my dear Aunt Leah and the little guy with the devilish grin is my Uncle Ed. He was a funny guy, really.

Guess Dan got tired rocking and decided it was naptime. Complete relaxation. I think all the Pearces had a great time at the Sionilli! (Click to enlarge)

PS (The weekend at Mackinac Island for my granddaughter's wedding was just wonderful. If you would like to see a couple of pictures, click on the lady at the sewing machine at the top of the right sidebar and it will take you over to Funoldhag.)

Sixty Years Ago Today

In Chillicothe, Illinois, on this date sixty years ago, Ray and I were married. That is a long, long time ago. My sister, Joanne, was my maid of honor, and Ray's best friend, Darrell, was his best man. That was our wedding party.

A tattered, rather yellow napkin saved for all these years.

We had just a handful of pictures. The young fellow we had hired to take them had a dead battery in his camera and had to go get one so the only pictures were about five that we posed for after the reception. I doctored up the bottom picture since it was very unclear and faded. It turned out pretty good - better than it was. This one was taken by an old gentleman who would come into the law office where I worked. His name was Louie Sibley and he lived in a old folks home in Peoria and for years had been coming into the office to see the attorneys and Catherine, the secretary that had been there forever. He was a funny little fellow - he would come in, stand there and talk for a while, then all of sudden it was "goodbye" and he was gone. I am grateful to Louie for this picture of the table and cake and the bride and groom. Louie had no family and when he died we closed the office and went to his funeral. It was sad - hardly anyone there. I was so glad we went.

Today the family is all heading for Mackinac Island where my oldest granddaughter will be married tomorrow. I so look forward to our all being together again and especially for such a happy occasion. I wish for them a long and happy marriage filled with love and the ability to get over all the bumps in the road on this joint journey through life. Smooth sailing, my dears!!

(Click to enlarge)

A Bevy of Beauties

This is a cute picture that was in those that my brother sent me. Two of my aunts are showing off some pretty nice legs! Aunt Leah is on the left end and Aunt Nelle is on the right. The four gals in between are unknown to me. I imagine this was taken when my grandmother and Aunt Leah were visiting Nelle and family in California and that these were Nelle's friends. Look closely and you can see that Nelle is wearing stockings and they are hooked to garters! That is a new look, Nellie! They certainly appear to be having a fun time. You go, girls. (Click to enlarge)