Five Photos ~ Five Weekends: #5 Waiting For The Doughboy

The writing on the back of this photo says: 

"Garfield Park. Chicago Ill

Doughboy Monument

Memorial Ceremonies 2d Vets

May - 28 - 1933"

It is in a handwriting I do not recognize. I don't even recognize any of the people. It was in a box of photos that came from my dad.

I was curious about the ceremony and went to the Chicago Tribune archives to read the newspaper from May 28, 1933. It just happened to be opening weekend for the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair - A Century of Progress. There was no mention of a memorial ceremony that day. I check the day before and the day after. Nothing.

Memorial Day was still observed on May 30 in 1933 which made this photo even more curious.

Were they just getting some good seats? 

Guess I'll never really know .......

Five Photos ~ Five Weekends: #4 The Man Who Built My House

William C Wendler and Anna Schumann Wendler March 19, 1934

As it turns out, I don't have as many old family photos as I thought. 

However, since I really wanted to do something to commemorate the anniversary of my house yesterday, I thought I'd write about William and Anna.

This photo is of the couple, posing outside the house that William built, on their 50th wedding anniversary. 

Sometime in the spring of 1883 William had acquired a city lot in a brand new subdivision just annexed to the city of Elgin IL. He then spent the remainder of that year building a little two bedroom cottage with the help of his brother.

On March 19, 1884 William married Annie Schumann, then only 17 (William was 28), and brought her to their new home.

The house grew with the family and at some point before the turn of the century it gained a second story. And the family gained 9 children!

Plumbing and electricity would not follow until 1924.

William and Anna celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, as commemorated in the photo above, in 1934.

Yesterday, we celebrated the 132nd anniversary of a couple and of a home.

Thank you William.

©Anne Faulkner 2016 all rights reserved

Five Photos ~ Five Weekends: #3 Gus and Dad

Here we have Irv Potwin, my great grandfather, and his lifelong best friend Gus Nelson. Taken sometime around 1900. Gus had talked Irv into going to the Oklahoma territory to try their luck at one of the many land runs of the time.

This photo must have been taken before they left Corning, Iowa. They sure look confident, almost cocky, as young men of 20 often do. Visions of prosperity and new, untamed lands dancing in their heads.

Someone had labeled it, "Gus" and "Dad", but the handwriting is not my grandmother's.

I don't know much more about the adventure, I do know it didn't turn out quite as they had hoped.

You can read about Irv and the outcome of the adventure here.

Five Photos ~ Five Weekends: #2: The Family Reunion

This is the entire Irons clan of Chicago, IL. You met Charlie last week. He's the one front and center with the cigar in his hand. The baby is my grandmother Agnes Irons. This dates from late 1903 I suspect. The matriarch of the family, Agnes Irons, has just about had it with the girls. Or maybe just one in particular. 

What just happened?

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do! 

Everyone else is either used to this behavior (oh boy, here we go again!), or very uncomfortable it is happening (stand very still and she might not notice me).

Good times!

A picture really is worth a thousand words, or a thousand thoughts, in this case.

Man, I really wish I knew what just happened. I could write so many different dialogues for the players of this one frame play. The longer I look at it the better the story becomes.

I do know that this was a family reunion of some sort. Agnes' daughter Christine and family were back in Chicago for a visit, having moved to Montana 15 years earlier. 

Someone didn't approve of something?

We've all had family moments like this - I'm just tickled that this moment was caught for all of time - and that the photo somehow survived over a century to be discovered and loved by me.

Five Photos ~ Five Weekends: #1 Uncle Charlie

Uncle Charlie. In a dress. With a pipe and a devious smirk. Outside in what appears to be a public park. With a baby carriage?

When I came across this photo in a box of memorabilia I inherited when my dad died I was more than curious. It dates to around 1900. There is no notation on the back giving any indication as to what was afoot.

As a matter of fact, I needed to investigate for a while before I could even determine this WAS Uncle Charlie.

Googling "victorian men in women's clothing" got me a lot of photos. I mean a lot. Seems it was a thing. Charlie's here was an amateur photo, but there are many, many professional photos for the browsing.

So. What's up?

I feel like he was a prankster. A rogue. A rascal.

He was the youngest of 7 children. He had three older brothers and three older sisters. Four of his siblings were a decade or more older than he was, and would most likely not have approved of this behavior. The other two were only a few years older, a sister and a mischevious brother. Could this have been a bit of sibling goading?

I like to think that. A dare, well played.

Or maybe there was another side to Uncle Charlie.

Either way I like him very much.

He married late (37 years old) and had two daughters and one son.

I am currently searching for his great grandchildren, they would be about my age. I would love to learn more about my favorite uncle I never knew.

Charles Sumner Irons

b. Chicago IL 1874

d. Hinsdale IL 1956

Five Photos ~ Five Weekends

Inspired by several other bloggers doing similar photo challenges, (links follow post), I have decided to entertain myself, and hopefully you, with a vintage family photo and a tale - tall or otherwise - to accompany it.

I have so many more that five that I would choose, but in the spirit of the game I will limit myself to five to begin.

I will post the weekends of Feb 27/28, Mar 5/6, Mar 12/13, Mar 19/20 and Mar 26/27.

This weekend I will introduce you to my absolutely favorite 2nd great uncle - "the fun uncle" - Charlie Irons. I never met him, but he'd be one I'd travel back in time to hang out with! I use his photo on my business card (I won't spoil it - I might use the photo for a story) and he is the laughing one in the photo on my Facebook header.

I absolutely adore "uncle" Charlie, I hope you will too!

See you this weekend!


Five Days of Family Photo Stories
Five Photos In Five Days
My Life In Five Photos