Mystery Monday - The Lindbergh Family Photograph

Imagine my surprise when I was going through a photo album in a box of pictures my husband's cousin, Frances, brought me to go through and found this picture labeled "Lindberg Family" on a page.  The other pictures in the album were of family and friends, so was this a photo of THE Lindbergh family and if so, what was it doing here?  It has the same border and curved edges found on many of the photos in the album.  Was it taken with a camera belonging to a family member or was it mass produced and sold?

The first thing I did was a Google search for "Lindberg Family" and clicked on Images.  The fourth picture on the second row was identical to this one, minus the border.  Clicking on the picture took me to an entry for Evangeline Lindbergh on wikitree.com.  It said the photo was taken in Washington, D. C. on June 12, 1927.

In order to send a private message to Carolyn Murphy, the profile manager, to ask if she had more information about the photo, I had to register for an account, so I did, and then continued searching.

A website about Charles Lindbergh also has this picture of the Lindberghs with a caption stating it was taken "When Col. Charles Lindbergh was in town to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from President Coolidge, the president and first lady entertained the Lindbergh family at Patterson House, where they were living while the White House was being renovated. "  When I sent an email to the webmaster, I got an automated reply with a suggestion to post questions on the discussion area of the website.

Before seeing the automated response, I had done a Google search on Charles Lindbergh +Louisiana and found the discussion area.  To my surprise someone had posted the following: "From CAL autobiography 'WE': "The next morning I was again heading toward Texas against a strong westerly wind which retarded the speed of the Jenny so greatly that even with my double fuel capacity it was necessary to land at Farmerville, Louisiana, to replenish my supply. From there I flew to Texarkana..."

"I am looking for details concerning the landing at Farmerville by CAL. Last weekend a relative told me that my grandfather gave CAL a ride to get his fuel and all my grandfather asked for was to do an interview with CAL (my grandfather worked for the local newspaper). Even though CAL wasn't famous at this point in time I suppose having a airplane make an unxpected landing in a pasture was a rare enough event in 1923 to be newsworthy!"

FARMERVILLE?  Wait a minute!  Joe Cecil Fowler and Johnny Strother lived in Farmerville at one time!  I have emailed the person who left the post in Nov 2007 and received a reply.  He too thinks it would be great to find a newspaper with that interview.  

From the CharlesLindbergh.com website I also learned that Lindbergh made a victory tour of 48 states and 82 cities after receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1927.  Where did he stop in Louisiana?  "In 147 speeches and 192 messages dropped from the air he promoted the still nascent aeronautical industry."  Was the picture dropped from the air? That's doubtful because it's in good condition.

Any ideas on how to solve this mystery?

Happy Birthday to Robin

On this day in 1979 our daughter was born at 10:45 PM in Odessa, Texas.  Since her due date wasn't until at least May 3rd, she weighed in at 3 lbs, 3 ozs and dropped down to 2 lbs 12 ozs.  She stayed in the Nursery ICU the first 30 days, then was moved to an isolette for 2 weeks before being moved to an open crib two weeks before coming home after a 60-day stay in the hospital.  That day was May 6th and her maternal grandfather, Richard Robbins' birthday.  He and my mother were waiting for us at our house to celebrate.  On that day she weighed a whopping 5 lbs, 4 ozs.  We had to buy premie diapers from the hospital and doll clothes for her to wear until she was big enough to wear the standard newborn size.  Of course her Grandma Robbins made her a couple of things to wear as well.

This is one of my favorite pictures; it was taken on March 28th.  I'll never forget the love in her daddy's eyes and him saying, "Won't it be a glorious day when we get to take her home."  The nurses told us she recognized her daddy's voice when he came in to visit.  She could hear us talking while we washed our hands and put on the hospital gowns and would turn her head and start kicking.

I know it sounds corny, but "you've come a long way baby" definitely applies.  We're so proud of her and all she has overcome to be the young woman she is today.

She shares her birthday with her cousin, Katrina.  I've posted birthday wishes to her on my other blog, A Nested Family of Robbins.

Treasure Chest Thursday - Calcote Family Portrait

When we visited Aunt Cile in October 2011 and I was scanning family pictures, she brought out this treasure and gave it to us. (I teared up when she gave it to me and held it in my lap most of our trip.) I plan to have copies made when I can find the right place to do it. It looks more like a painting than a photograph. The back is attached with what looks like upholstery tacks and the cardboard arm for standing it up is broken off.

On the left, Myrtis Calcote is holding a doll and her brother, Adron Calcote is beside her.  Bertha Calcote is standing in the middle.  The name of the boy next to her was not known by Aunt Cile, but he is not one of the siblings.  The adults are William Harrison Calcote, Jr. and wife, Virginia Buckles Calcote.  Standing beside her mother is Alma Calcote with Ollie in front holding a teddy bear.

Wedding Wednesday - Alvie French and Ollie Calcote

Alvie French and Ollie Mae Calcote were married 12 November 1921 in Franklin County, Mississippi.  Their granddaughter, Carolyn, has the original marriage certificate.  Carolyn remembers her grandmother telling her about when her granddaddy courted her grandmother. He would ride up on his white horse and tie it up in front of the house. One day he showed up unexpectedly.  Grandmama, and her sisters, Aunt Alma and Aunt Myrtis, were barefooted. They were mortified and had to pull their dresses over their feet so he couldn't see them because you didn't let men see your naked feet.

These are scanned copies of pictures and a newspaper article about their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in November 1962.  

 

Tombstone Tuesday - Ollie Mae Calcote French

Ollie Mae Calcote French is buried in the Natchez City Cemetery in Hospital Lot 98, Space 2 between her husband, Alvie French, and their youngest daughter, Helen French Campbell.   

The Hospital Addition of the cemetery was named for the old Charity Hospital that burned on Sunday, August 5, 1984, but there are graves older than that in the Hospital Addition.  The lighting wasn't right for taking a photograph of the framed picture hanging in the cemetery office and I'm no photographer, so that's my reflection, not that of a ghost.

Matrilineal Monday - Ollie Mae Calcote French

My husband's maternal grandmother was born on the 5th of July in 1905 in Mississippi, the youngest child of William Harrison Calcote, Jr. and Virginia F. Buckles.  She is listed with her parents on the 1910 and 1920 Franklin County, Mississippi Census records.

In 1930 she, her husband, Alvie French, and their three daughters, Myrtice, Voncile, and Helen, were living in Roxie, Mississippi. This photo of Ollie holding Voncile was taken some time in 1924 in Hamburg, Mississippi.  It was scanned in October 2011 when we visited Aunt Cile.
The dates the following pictures were taken of Alvie and Ollie are unknown.

This photo of Alvie and Ollie with their first grandchild, Everett, was taken in the late 1940s. I do not know when the studio picture of Ollie was taken, but it is the only portrait I have seen of her.

Robin with her great grandparents in Roxie, Mississippi in October 1983.  One of my favorite memories of the trip is the unbelievably delicious lemon icebox pie she made.  When told how much I liked it, she made another one.  She used to make a pecan pie for each grandchild when they came to visit and there are none that compare to how good they were.

Four Generations
Daughter Myrtice, granddaughter Carolyn and great grandson Ryan with Ollie

Hobbs, New Mexico about 1986

Abundant Genealogy - Or Why I've Neglected My Blogs

Has it really been this long since I've posted on this blog?  I'm surprised because I've been so happily busy working on my genealogy I didn't realize it had been at least a six-week lapse.

Excuse number 1:  On January 19 I spoke to our local genealogy group about getting ready for the 1940 census and needed time to prepare my slide presentation and handout.  I recommend the following websites for information:

1. NARA
2. 1940census.net
3. stevemorse.org 

Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter has had lots of information as I am certain Thomas MacEntee's  webinar on March 7 will.  I certainly plan to watch it.


Excuse number 2:  On Thursday, January 27 my husband asked if I still wanted to go back to Natchez, MS.  The answer was an enthusiastic "YES!"  He then asked if I wanted to go on Sunday.  Was I going to say no because I had other things to do?  Ha!  He told me this trip was for me, so plan where I wanted to go and we would do it.  I took care of things like laundry and packing and we headed to Shreveport on Sunday for a "free" night's stay at the El Dorado where I enjoyed free reflexology foot massage at La Spa.

Monday we went through Jonesboro, Louisiana and stopped at the cemetery to locate his paternal grandparents' graves.  We took pictures of their grave markers and found one for his grandmother's brother as well.  (I really like findagrave.com so I took several more pictures I've since added to that site.)

From there we went to Vidalia, Louisiana and stayed at the Comfort Suites on the banks of the Mississippi River.  We had a large window in the room with an awesome view of the River, bridge, and Natchez.  We took photos at Greenlawn Memorial Park of the markers for Virginia Hunter Andrews Fisher, her first husband, Wilson, and her mother, Myrtis Calcote Hunter, and fulfilled a few photo requests for others.

 The map they have made it difficult to find the graves we wanted to locate.  They do have a beautiful pond with ducks swimming on it behind the office that Find A Grave declined to include and a cage with several peacocks.

 

We took photos of family graves at the Natchez City Cemetery  we couldn't locate on our last visit and filled some photo requests with the help of Danny Brown, the Cemetery Director.  Our visit there was so enjoyable.  I wish we lived closer so I could spend more time there.  It's a 100 acre cemetery with some amazing monuments and stories.  We took many photos in the Fields section and some in the Hospital section that I still need to finish uploading to Find A Grave.

 Unfortunately we did not have time to visit Aunt Cile again or go to the Roxie Cemetery so I could finish photographing it.  Last week I finished adding the pictures I took on our trip there in October.

On our way back to Shreveport, we detoured to find the Buckner Cemetery where I had hoped to find the grave of some of the Strother and Farley names I've been researching.  Unfortunatley the Strother grave was unmarked, but I took photos of all the markers in the cemetery that I added to Find a Grave along with the coordinates for a map of the cemetery to be displayed.  We spent another night at the El Dorado where I had an awesome free facial by Jennifer at La Spa the next morning before heading home.  I won't assign excuse numbers to things like doing laundry, getting groceries, watching the Super Bowl, and having our new microwave and oven delivered and installed (that's a long story) after we returned.  Did I mention one of the book clubs I'm in met at my house in February?

Excuse number 3 is working on proofs through my Taylor family line to become a member of DAR.  I'm so excited!  I'll be blogging about this on my other genealogy blog, A Nested Family of Robbins.

Excuse number 4: This is not genealogy related, but I just had to add it.  On January 10 we headed to Oklahoma to the Winstar Casino for a 3-day weekend.  The trip was to see Alabama perform.  In spite of Randy having problems with his throat, he sounded great to us.  "Play me some mountain music, like grandma and grandpa used to play..."

Excuse number 5:  I'll only use one excuse to describe going to a genealogy meeting, assisting with a DRT workshop helping people with genealogy, getting to see my great niece, the Marine, who stopped in Texas while on her way to California, helping a neighbor learn how to burn CDs, helping a friend get her pictures to show up in Legacy and figuring out her problems with backups and her Find A Grave account, attending a local meeting about DNA for genealogy, and learning about Google Earth for Genealogy by watching a DVD by Lise Louise Cooke with a friend.

Enough with the excuses, but you now know I've been spending a lot of time on genealogy related activities - just not my two genealogy blogs and I have really missed that.