Back after a long absence, yet this week's prompt perplexed me. I could not locate the photo I intended to post of an unidentified ancestress walking near the water gazing with great trepidation. I like to share photos from our massive collections, which are still under organization and scanning for genealogy. Instead of the unknown ancestress, I offer these of sisters at the river.
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| Aunt Jinx |
The first one is my aunt Virginia (aka Jinx) and the second is my Mom, Helen. I believe these were taken the same day in about 1940 and somewhere near where the family lived on 2nd Avenue in New Kensington, PA along the Allegheny river. This might have been near to a boat dock or perhaps that thing out there, is a dry wharf where swimmers congregated in better weather. You will notice that it is nearly submerged in the photo of Mom following which could mean these were not taken on the same day. Maybe it was a time when they were watching the river rise and wondering what next? The contour of the hill across the river is the same as is their "perch." I wish I could ask them all sorts of questions about this now, but it is left to my imagination.
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| Mom |
Maybe their brother, Carl, who loved taking photos had a new camera to test. I found these photos separately, one at my aunt's home and one at Mom's after they passed. I thought it curious when I was assembling some photos that they would each have the same shot. Neither sister ever learned to swim and they shared a fear of water all their lives. Actually the entire family always had a healthy respect for the rivers and was happy to move farther uphill away from the threat of the river running over it's banks and washing devastation over all in its path. Any risk of flooding was dreaded. It was lower cost housing there along 2nd avenue back in the late 1930's and early 40's and where many of the miners and factory workers like my ancestors lived.
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| Mom 1940 |
I found this one of Mom, marked "1940, high school days" also near that river, windy. I like the pose, very pre Bus Stop ala Marilyn Monroe, Check out her saddle oxford shoes. This was obviously back in the day when they wore dresses with shoes and socks, come to think of it we did too as girls in school.
We have a funeral tomorrow and so it may take me a few days to get to see all the posts. Meantime, if you want to see how others are taking the prompt to the waters, or men looking on, or?, click this link to the Sepia Host site
http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2012/10/sepia-saturday-149-27-october-2012.html
