Collected photos and information
It seems strange to think about Grandma having cousins, yet clearly she did. Some had the last name "Isaman." Allow me to attempt to explain. Grandma's mother, Emma Kowalske , grew up in East Jordan, Michigan during the middle years of the 19th … [Continue reading]
They lived together on Piper Blvd. in Detroit, Michigan: Walter (my grandfather), Blanche (my grandmother) and Hazel (my aunt). The time was 1945 (more or less). I can guess at the date because there is a picture of my cousin Ed on the mantle, and … [Continue reading]
Aunt Hazel was an artist...not just someone who drew pretty pictures, but an artist who made her living that way. Her studio was in my Grandparent's home where she lived. When I was invited into her studio, it was like entering another world. I … [Continue reading]
As a boy I had many questions about Uncle Earl - the uncle I had never seen. Who was his “real” mother? Where did he live? Why did my Great Grandparents adopt him? Why did my Grandmother have to drop out of high school to care for … [Continue reading]
Grandpa Walter wasn’t a war hero in the traditional sense. There is no record of him charging up an enemy hill, or saving a fallen soldier. In 1898, Walter was a student at Michigan State Agricultural College in Lansing, Michigan. He, along with … [Continue reading]
She wasn’t always my Grand Aunt Lilly, the old lady who lived alone in a big house in Manistee, Michigan and came to visit us during winter when it was too cold for her to remain in her house. She was born in Manistee, Michigan in 1880, one year … [Continue reading]
Grandma Blanche & Grandpa Walter celebrated their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary in 1953 and Aunt Bess & Uncle Albert Porter arrived from sunny California to attend the fete. By 1953 they were both quite old, especially through my 13 year old … [Continue reading]
How about a name like that? My Grandmother wore it well. She was born in Manistee, Michigan in 1880 to an immigrant family from Germany or Poland or both. Family lore is vague and perhaps misleading on the place of origin. Her family spoke … [Continue reading]
Today's post concerns the early life of my Grandfather, Walter Stacy Thompson. Walter was born on May 25, 1877 and died on May 24, 1960. He worked at U.S. Rubber Company in Detroit, Michigan, retiring after World War ll. I don't know a lot about … [Continue reading]
Hazel at 50. Hazel at 30. Hazel at 40 Hazel around 90 at home with her dog Hazel around 90. Hazel, Mabel and Douglas … [Continue reading]