More Photos from the Smith Branch

 Cousin Andy Cracknell sent along some more photos from the Smith side of the family.

George Smith

Another great photo of my great grandfather George Smith was a pleasant surprise. A much younger photo which gives a real feel for him. Not smiling perhaps, but I see humor in the eyes.

Estill at work

Estill at work at GM Parks Steam and Gas fittings in Fitchburg. It later became Parks-Cramer.

Estill

We think this is Estill as a young man. Just FYI the name Estill goes way back in Letitia's Indiana family. It was originally a surname.

And now the biggest surprise for me. An actual picture of Letitia herself.

Letitia 

Not sure what's wrong with her eye in this picture. Maybe just some clumsy photo editing by an earlier source.

Letitia and Marion

And here she is again with her granddaughter Marion. The biggest surprise for me was NOT the photo of her. Look again.

the Morris chair

I was aware that this Morris chair that was passed along to me was a family piece. I just didn't know its origin. It's been recovered and refinished a few times, but it is a sturdy survivor.

Cora and Harry

Andy knew this was Cora Elizabeth, but not who the child was. I feel reasonably certain this is Harry, my grandfather. Check out the lounge and the wallpaper.

So nice to have these additional family photos.

(My)Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Left: Primrose Fitzgerald and Christine  Right: Barbara Walsh and Duncan

On New Year's Eve 1952 a future genealogist was born. Duncan was about two weeks older and never let me forget it. The picture was taken about a month later, but  I think this was about as close to a "newborn" picture as you might have gotten back then. Oddly I just noticed the picture on the wall. It's a repro of a Wanda Gag lithograph chock-a-block full of cats.  The print hangs in my house to this day. My future as an ailurophile was portended.

Thankfully my mother was a packrat. I found this tidbit as well:

The day I was born just happened to be the birthday of my grandfather Harry W. Rogers, who had passed away the previous February. Another interesting coincidence I think. A New Year's Eve birthday...well any holiday birthday...is not ideal in the mind of a young child. Today I look at it as a fresh start in every way for the new year. Happy New Years!