From my Grandma Freda Fleming Wait's collection

The photo looks like a really old one to me!  I would say pre-1900. The kids were moving a little, so they’re blurry here. Plus, look at those outfits! This one isn’t labeled at all, so I’m not [...]]]>

From my Grandma Freda Fleming Wait's collection

The photo looks like a really old one to me!  I would say pre-1900. The kids were moving a little, so they’re blurry here. Plus, look at those outfits! This one isn’t labeled at all, so I’m not sure if it’s from the FLEMING side of the family or the WAIT side.

Does anyone have any ideas of when this photo would have been taken or perhaps have the same photo in their collection? All guesses are welcome! =)

Uncle Bill’s [...]]]>

My Uncle Bill Pedersen passed away last Monday at the age of 82. His first wife was my Mom’s sister Loretta, who passed away in the 80s. He was a quiet, strong, and kind man and raised a strong, outgoing, loving family. He married three times and lived a life full of Love.

Uncle Bill’s passing somehow reignited my genealogy spark! I’ve been a bit out of it since starting my new job at SuperTarget. Between my work schedule, the physicality of cashiering (who knew??), and our money situation, I haven’t felt like doing any research. I had it made last summer/fall when I wasn’t working! (Thank you, Scott!! xoxo) I vowed to jump back on the horse and tie up some loose ends, follow up with the “uber-WAITS researcher”, and get back to researching and documenting that research. Plus, I actually got on Twitter for the first time since I posted this in November:

Just got off the phone with uber-WAITS researcher AH She’s sending me ALL of her research from over the years, and passing the torch. WOWZA!
2:33 PM Nov 23rd, 2009 via HootSuite

She’s 86, sharp as a tack, and I can’t wait to pick her brain! Our conversation lasted all of 7 min. ha! She plays bridge and had to run.
2:48 PM Nov 23rd, 2009 via HootSuite

The “uber-WAITS researcher” was Angeline Harris… and she passed away on Friday.

I was “too busy” and “too tired” from working and meant to at least send a letter, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around my research and where I’d left off. I wanted to have my ducks in a row when I spoke to her again. I do regret not having picked her brain like I’d wanted, there are so many questions that I have about our ancestry. But mostly I regret not getting to know her. I feel like we could have been friends. Maybe it’s the shared love of genealogy like the kinship I have with my fellow geneabloggers that made me feel like I already knew her. Her death struck me to the core.

I don’t know what they’re doing with her genealogy files. I don’t expect to get them, of course, but if they’re looking for someone to take care of them and share them with the world, then I’m up to the challenge.

As an armchair genealogist, I know that we’re only on this earth for a limited amount of time. And while it seems that I have plenty of time left, that’s not always true for those around me. I felt this same regret when I lost my Dad in 2004.

UPDATE 2 !(9/8/09)

Robin and I have been comparing the 2nd gent to his brother, pictured here.  The hair is definitely the same, but it’s hard to tell since his face would have filled out quite a bit since the first picture.  The first photo was taken at the same time as Edwin’s grainy one (have [...]]]>

 

UPDATE 2 !(9/8/09)

Robin and I have been comparing the 2nd gent to his brother, pictured here.  The hair is definitely the same, but it’s hard to tell since his face would have filled out quite a bit since the first picture.  The first photo was taken at the same time as Edwin’s grainy one (have I mentioned lately that I really want a scan of the original to these photocopied photos?).  It’s not as obvious as Edwin’s picture, but still a possibility?

UPDATE!!! (9/7/09)

My cousin Robin figured out who the top guy is!  It’s my great grandfather’s youngest brother Edwin William Waits.  The only other photo I have is that really grainy one that’s a scan of a photocopy.  Good eyes, Robin!!  Now figure out who his friend is! lol!

The 1900 census shows Edwin in Seward NE.  In 1917/1918, he registered for the draft for WWI, but I haven’t seen anything that shows that he enlisted.  His draft card shows that he was working for the Union Pacific Railroad as a machinists helper and was married.

I’m still dying to know what’s written on the back of that photo, though.  I think I’ll take everyone’s advice and take it to a professional!  Thanks for all of the feedback!!  =)

This photo has driven me mad since I first saw it.  I really stands out against the photos of farms and farmers that it was mixed in with.

Who are these guys?  I can only assume that they’re either from the WAIT or FLEMING sides of my family since that’s the photo album I found them in. I can see a bit of family resemblence between the two of them, especially their noses and ears… but their eyes and mouths and hair are completely different.  When was the photo taken?  My guess is some time in the 1800s.  How old are they?  Late teens?  Early 20s?  What’s with the fur coat?  I haven’t come across anyone in my tree yet who lived anywhere that a fur coat was warranted or practical.  Not to mention affordable!  The guy on the bottom is wearing a turtleneck and what looks like a wool pea coat?  They certainly took great care in their appearance… it’s almost like they knew I’d be staring at this picture for hours and they wanted to look their best.  What sort of event would warrant a photo like this to be taken?

Look at the back of the same photo.  There’s black scrapbook paper glued to it from where it was taken out of a photo album, but you can tell there’s something written underneath it.  Argh!  Not to mention that part of the word on the left was cropped off when they trimmed the photo.  It looks like “Ed” and what looks like the beginning of a capital ”W”  to me.  At the end of the last word is definitely “tt”… what’s the letter they’re connected to… “a”… “i”…. something like that?  Or am I just imagining things because I subconsciously want their last name to be Wait or some version of that.  Was this photo originally in a frame?  When were these postcards available?  Could this have been a reprint on post card stock or is this the original photo?  I think I saw some sort of solution in a scrapbooking store once that was used specifially for dissolving the glue on pictures like this, but I would be more afraid of ruining it than anything.

If anyone has any guesses or advice on this photo, please comment away!