Grandpa Nelson was a dentist

This is a photo of Perry Haughton Nelson, my mother's father.  The family started out in Adams-Friendship, Wisconsin, and moved to Cocoa, Florida, where my grandfather set up his dentist's office in his home.  My grandmother sold real estate and drove her own car which apparently was scandalous at the time.

Equally scandalous was my grandfather's love of alcohol and gambling.  That's scary when you think about it.  A dentist who is imbibing.  I never knew the man.  He died when my mother was 18 years old.  In fact, that was the catalyst that sent her to the North and her destiny, my father.

I only know about him through my mother's view.  In her mind, he was the best father on the planet.  When her mother and father divorced, my mother wanted to live with him.  It seems like that happened for the most part because my grandmother was eventually locked away in a mental institution.

They had the means to build wealth.  Both were intelligent, well-educated people.  They seemed not to be able to live with each other or without each other.  They were married and divorced to each other twice.  During the first marriage, my uncle, Perry McConnick Nelson, was born and during the second marriage my mother, Gloria Marilyn Nelson.

I don't know about the triggers or other factors that went into the way the family disintegrated.  I only know the after affects and what came after.

My sister took my mother to Cocoa on a visit in the ten years preceding her death.  During one of the visits, they stopped at the home and asked to go in and look around.  My mother recognized her old room but of course much remodeling had taken place and everything had changed.  The current owner of the house told the story of doing a remodel and during they dig they had unearthed multiple empty beer bottles and they always wondered why.

Grandma's little bible

Family lore has it that my grandmother, Irma McConnick Nelson, was a Christian Scientist.  There are no identifying marks on this book, but I assume it was hers.

It's soft cover and came in a little cardboard box wrapped in a tissue paper with a mark that I've been unable to identify the meaning of.

There is gold leaf on the edges which makes it beautiful against the ox blood color of the cover.

Since it may have some limited historic value, I'm sending it to the Wisconsin Historical Society along with some other artifacts that I have no need to retain once I've catalogued them and documented them.

At this stage of my life, I'm about less is more and that includes these pieces of my family history.  Digital images serve us better than the actual piece itself.  The truth is, there's probably no one left in my family who cares about our history outside of myself.  I just think it's important to know where you came from so you can either honor it, change it or fix it.

Three sisters

It was Christmas, sometime in the early 60s.  Sue, Jeanne and I were at my Grandmother's home in Adams-Friendship, Wisconsin.

I don't recall if Santa brought the pajamas or if they were from the parents, but we all matched and of course had to have a photo taken.

I'm the eldest and Jeanne is the baby.

Because of the large age gap of seven years between us, Jeanne was often left out of a lot of the photos that we have because, well, because she wasn't here yet.  When I publish something, I sometimes hear from her 'I'm left out again'.  This photo reminds me of the three of us.  It was an innocent time.

My sisters and I were not always close.  The age gap was one thing and the personalities, well, that was something else.  I don't know exactly when it changed, but it was gradual.  For me, it was growing up and maturing emotionally and realizing that just because I was the eldest didn't mean the world revolved around me.  That was a tough lesson.

As the eldest, one would have thought I would be the most driven, the most successful (depending upon how one measures success), the leader if you will.  Not so.  Over the years, my sisters have done more to help me out than anyone I know.

There was a time when Sue was in college and she gave me her food coupons from the dorm so I could eat.  I was too busy partying and playing.  I've lived with both sisters for periods of time during stormy periods of my life, and again, for that, I am eternally grateful.

I consider them both friends now.  They are strong women who have had successful marriages, vibrant careers and raised their families.  They are now grandmothers.  We are all grandmothers.

The distance has been difficult, but whenever I see or speak with either of them, we pick up right where we left off.  I'm so grateful for both of them.

A real 50s family

This photo was taken on the wrought-iron lined front steps of my grandparent's home in Adams-Friendship, Wisconsin.  It was approximately 1959 judging from the ages of my sister, Susan, and myself.  I'm in my dad's arms, and Sue is with my mother.  I assume it was my grandmother taking the photo on her trusty 'Brownie' camera.

My sister is wearing her saddle shoes, very fifties.  Mom has the fake pearls and cat eye glasses.  She looks very June Cleaver from 'Leave It To Beaver.'  Dad looks like a James Dean wannabe.  I don't recall him ever being concerned about fashion or what he wore other than having to wear a tie to church.

Grandma and Grandpa Curry lived approximately 65 miles from our home in Prairie du Sac, but the trip seemed like a lifetime with two fighting girls in the backseat of the old car.  We spent many weekends at our grandparents home being cared for while our parents attended various parties and social events.  It's something I didn't appreciate at the time, and it's something that I realize I won't have with my granddaughters.

Grandma Curry was a joy and a beloved grandmother.  She was a librarian, and we loved spending time with her at work, going through the stacks, finding the toys and play areas, meeting other children.  She introduced us to table manners.  We were not allowed at the table until our faces were washed, teeth were brushed, and we had to say 'please' and 'thank you'.  Breakfast was usually something simple...a boiled or poached egg, toast with butter and Grandmother's regimen of vitamins.

Her musical skills were amazing.  She played the piano and was the organist at her church for decades.  She even played the piano for the silent movies at the local theater in Adams.  It was fun to stand around after the evening meal, sometimes alone, sometimes with my mom and my sister, sometimes with other cousins, and sing the Broadway show tunes of the day.

While I don't recall the actual taking of this photo, it's interesting to me how just seeing this photo can then make things I hadn't thought about in years come up.  I remember Grandma's house as it was, which is unrecognizable in the present day, the yard with the fire pit in the back, the neighbors surrounding the house, and the various places in town like Grandma's church, the library and the movie theater.

There was promise in this family.  Some of it has been realized, and some of it is yet to be written.  A third daughter is yet to come.

Four generations photo

It was 1980, and it was a pretty rough year.  My daughter, Courtney, was born and within eight months, we had left our home in Washington, D.C., and returned to Wisconsin.  I was raising her as a single mom, and to get by, I was taking care of my dad who had suffered a major stroke.  It worked for a little while, and I was grateful for a place to stay while I tried to pull my life back together.

This generational picture is precious to me.  We have my dad, my grandmother, Leona Curry, (his mother), myself and my daughter, Courtney.

I would love to have a picture of my grand babies in a generational photo but as far as I know, there isn't one.  They are thriving with their foster family in Wisconsin.  I get photos and updates, but it's not the same as seeing them and having a relationship with them.  They are always in my heart.

The antique Egyptian style Masonic fez that belonged to whom?

This fez has been in my possession for years.  I've known of my family's connection to the Masons, but I never cared too much about it until the 'DaVinci Code' and all the resulting publicity came out about this group.

For all the articles I've read about the Masons, to the best of my knowledge, my dad went to secret meetings once in a while and probably never reached beyond a basic level of entry.  I always thought it was just a guys night out, especially when I got older and understood that married people don't always like hanging out with each other.  It was a boys' lodge night and I figured they played cards and drank beer.  My father never told me exactly what they did even when pressed, but again, back in the time I could have asked him more about these things, I didn't really care about them.

My grandfather was a Mason, and my grandmother belonged to something called the 'Eastern Star'.  I wonder what the fixation was with all this middle eastern symbolism?

This fez most likely belonged to the half-brother of my mother's cousin.  In other words, he was no relative of mine.

The C.E. Ware Company of New London, Ohio, seems to have been specifically created to fulfill the orders of the Masons or Odd Fellows or all the numerous names they called themselves.  Below is what I was able to find online about the company that created this fez.  It no longer exists.

Credited to http://thomasstephenneel.com/nl-ward.html

C.E. WARD COMPANY

In 1891 Clyde E. Ward and his brother in law, Ed Stilson, paid four New London gentlemen $138 for their lodge rosette business. Shortly after this they receIved an order from the Odd Fellows Lodge for 600 bullion collars and the Ward-Stilson Company was on it's way!

Mr. Ward had a gentleman from Columbus come up and show the two women on a treadle sewing machine how to do the bullion work since this was all new to them. They later added caps, robes, swords and other lodge paraphernalia.

About 1905 Ed Stilson paid C.E. Ward for his half of the business and set out on his own. He had a large order from the Masonic Lodge that helped his business after splitting from C.E. Ward. About 1913 Ed took his business to Anderson, Indiana, where it prospered for many years afterwards.

By 1910 the Ward Co. Regalia business had expanded so that it included costumes, swords, with inland hilts, bugles, horns, harps, jewels and hand-painted scenery . Later they added lanterns and electric arc lights. Mr. Ward had adapted a yellow envelope with his photo in the left hand corner that was soon known around the country. They made it back to New London even if they were addressed wrong. The company built a new factory building on the corner of James and Williams Streets in 1910. Even with this the business expanded so fast that they rented part of the old St. James Hotel building and used it for sewing and stock rooms. A two story brick addition was added to the Williams Street side in 1911 to relieve the situation. A new wood working plant was opened on North Main Street between the Big Four and Norhern Ohio tracks to build shipping crates and other wooden items needed for the business. They paid a 5% bonus to all employees in 1919. In 1920 they were looking for more help from either new full time or part time employees.

In 1923 the C.E. Ward Co. asked the railroad to move the present stock yards as they wanted to build a new building near there for expanding business and to everyone's surprise the Railroad did move the stock yards to the East end of town near Hiles Tower . A new 42 x 84 foot "Metal Plant" building was added on Railroad Street in the summer of 1924 and a sprinkler system was added to their factory building. They again rented part of the old St. James Hotel for storage space. In 1927 they had an order for new band uniforms for Norwalk High School and soon they were getting band uniform orders from all over the country. In 1936 they bought the former National Bank building on the southwest corner of the square downtown and turned it into their office building. In September 1938 they received an order from the I.O.O.f. Lodge in the Dutch East Indies. In 1939 they made new band uniforms for the Warren, Pennsylvania V.F.W., a national award winning show band.

In 1940 they purchased the old post office building on the corner of East Main and Railroad Avenue and installed new sewing machines and a new sprinkler system for fire protection. A small fire in the main factory building during the night had been extinguished by the system and proved their worth. Clyde E. Ward died in 1943 and his son, Sterling, became president of the Company. Sterling died in 1946 and another son, Rodney, took over the business. Rodney was hit and killed by a train in 1968. Later that year the C.E. Ward Co. was sold to the Crowell Collier Co. of New York and several years later they sold the Company to the Oak Hill Camp and Gown Co. of Salem, Va. Oak Hill moved the operations to Salem and the C.E. Ward Company was then just a part of New London's history!

Ebay had one of these for sale and labeled it an antique fez.  It was selling for $80.00.  I'm going to donate this one to the Wisconsin State Historical Society since it doesn't have any personal meaning to me.

Letters from my father to my mother - January 19, 1952

This letter is dated January 19, 1952, very early in the morning.  My dad was at work, at what was known then as the 'graveyard shift'.

What was happening on that day in the world?  The NFL took control of the NY Yanks.  I guess that didn't last.  The PGA approved allowing black participants.  Amidst the events of the world are the words my father wrote to my mother.  I've left them as he wrote them, punctuation and all.  My father was an educated man.  He had a bachelor's degree, but his writing left something to be desired.  I assume he was in a hurry when he was dashing off these missives to my mom.  Overall, he was generally well-spoken.

The envelope has a rose motif on the inside of it.  Roses were my mother's favorite.  I wonder if my dad already knew this and that's why he chose this particular stationary or if it was just plain dumb luck?

January 19, 1952

Very early in the morning

Dear Gloria,

How do you like my heading, I'll bet you wonder what I doing, well I'm at work just at the beginning of my lunch period, and thought I better drop you a line tonight, instead of waiting until I get home in the morning because, when I get home, I have several thing to do around the house for my mother as she is still down in bed with the flu, so I do what I can to help her out around the house until I get good and tired and then I just fall into bed.  I was thinking of you down here on the job about 3:00 Sunday night, about how you probably hated to get up to catch that early train back, I'm glad you waited until then to go back so we did have out 4 more hours together, Gloria I sure have a wonderful time when your home, I only regret that it can't be more often.

It looked now that my planned trip to Milwaukee on the 30th will reach reality, I think the man I said was gone will be back for sure by then, as I inquired about him last night and they are expecting him back next Monday, but of course I'll say more about this in my next letter.  Or maybe I'll just come anyhow.  But like I say I will write you more definitely.

Not to much exciting since you left, as you know Adams, just go to work and come home.  I did run into a politican I know who is working down here, and I didn't know he was here os now I can fill in my extra work time to do about nothing, especially the graveyard.

I've heard a lot of comment around town in th two days about how woderfuf the day was Sunday over at the church everyone seemed to enjoy it quite well.

Gloria this is an awful short letter to se nd you but there isn't too much to say for your two days absence, I'll promise to write more in the next letter, unless you want to hear me put in some beefs about my job, but I think I'll save those until a future date.  Every one is kidding me about me not going to Washington for the inauguration, I sure wish I was but I'm not.  I'll do my best to be down on the 30th.  I'll see you then.  

Yours Jim.

My dad is referring to the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Dad always wanted to go into politics.  He never had a clear agenda and lack of money would have made mounting a political campaign almost impossible even in those days.  He always wanted to 'be somebody', and I don't think he ever attained his goal.  His claim to fame was saying the prayer at mealtimes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I used to get irritated because it would take so long and I was hungry and ready to eat.

Mom's notes on the letter speak to her level of organization.  She writes she received the letter on 1/21/53 and she answered right way on 1/22/1953.  She has written the name 'Helen' on the letter with what appears to be a phone number and the days of the week Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday.  I really don't know which Helen she is referring to.  I'm assuming she must have had the letter from my father close at hand and used it to write herself a note.

It's these little things that I would like to ask her now and of course, it's too late for all of that.  It's still delightful and enlightening to read his words to her.  I don't have the letters she wrote back to him.  Maybe I'll find them someday.