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Do you have a skeleton in the closet??

And that brings us back to Mom and Dad together...

Remember that my Grandad had told my Dad to never touch the bottle.
Well, my Mom found out early in her marriage one day that he was stashing it in the mouthwash bottle! She was going to work every day smelling like a drunk and didn't know it! She put a stop to that real quick, and as far as I know, he never touched it again. That was before my brother and I came along.

Mom.jpg


Dad2.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
So I guess it is time to show you me, not that I'm an integral part of the story. However, it is interesting that I was an Rh baby... which was a big deal at the time. In fact, I have a pouch with all of my Mom's doctor visits and instructions for when she was pregnant with me. They had to induce labor early to get me out quick! Mom was having problems, and I was the cause! That didn't change much after I was born either!

Me.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
We did have a great home...
I'm on the right with my Dad, and the left with my Mom
That's my brother... 2 years older.

Notice that milk carton I have with me!
I carried it around everywhere!
What was I thinking!
I was a geek from the start!

I don't think we had started going to Panama City Beach yet,
So this is probably Daytona or Ferandina Beach, Florida
Could be Savannah, but I don't think so.

Dad&usbeach.jpg


Mom&usbeach.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
Nobody could have asked for a better home than mine.

My parents loved each other deeply and stayed together till death do us part, not because they had to for the kids, but because they loved each other. We weren't rich in "things", although we never wanted for anything, but we were rich in so many other ways.

My Dad was the greatest man I ever knew.
My Mom had no equal.

They touched lives everywhere they went.

I miss them.

And now I'm depressed again. :(

Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
No real skeletons that I know of, other than one branch of our family tree intercrosses at one point! :eek:

Also, my Uncle was a code worker in WWII and my grandfather was an FBI agent for 25 years, and there's still stuff they can't talk about. Not really a skeleton, I just think that's cool. :D
 
I know I've posted a lot of pics this time, but I'll get back into the WWII letters and stuff if anybody is still interested in that. I'm sure I've probably run everybody off by now. :rolleyes:

Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
Reading this thread, it strikes me how small the world is. Here I am, in Denmark, reading stories of an american family, and almost getting to know people from halfway 'round the globe who passed away years before I was born.
Keep it coming Dawg:)

-Squirrel
 
MacDawg said:
Nobody could have asked for a better home than mine.

My parents loved each other deeply and stayed together till death do us part, not because they had to for the kids, but because they loved each other. We weren't rich in "things", although we never wanted for anything, but we were rich in so many other ways.

My Dad was the greatest man I ever knew.
My Mom had no equal.

They touched lives everywhere they went.

I miss them.

And now I'm depressed again. :(

Woof, Woof - Dawg
Click to expand...

'Dawg, I think I speak for a lot of us here when I say Thank You for sharing your family history with the MR community. It is clear that you grew up in a loving household and with the right values instilled in you (kinda makes me wonder what happened to change you so dramatically :rolleyes:) I'm sorry you are feeling a little depressed as the notes and pictures bring back memories, but I'm also a little envious.

Keep it going as long as you want. Rest assured there are quite a few here who are keeping up.
 
MacDawg said:
I just don't want the mods to get upset with all of these posts Doctor Q, Mr. Anderson and others, if it gets to be too much, just tell me
Click to expand...

There's a difference between spam and actually having something to say/tell. There's nothing wrong with this - its quite interesting.

One suggestion, though, as you're posting them as you find them, you may want to organize it in chronological order. Also, some of the more delicate stuff you might want to scan and store on cd/dvd.

Good stuff, keep it coming.

D
 
Chip NoVaMac said:
I agree.

And as to 'Dwag mentioning a book. Books like these sell all the time. Just look at our interest here. Also you local paper may be interested in a series of articles.
Click to expand...
I'm still catching up on all the posts in this thread, but I'll second that. I mean, it may not turn out to be a bestseller or anything like that, but it might be a great gift for your family and future generations to tell this story. Like Chip said, you've managed to hook a bunch of strangers. ;)

If I ever do find the time to do some serious, committed genealogical research about my own family, that's what I'd like to do: try to record stories that would really tell the reader about who my ancestors were, not just the basic family tree.
 
This is fascinating. I'm going to keep reading this thread as it's carried through to MacDawg's children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

"Roots" for the MacRumors forums!
 
Sorry, I know I'm bouncing around, telling stories within stories... but that's the random way I'm coming across things. I've learned a lot about my family that I didn't know. I might even share some of it.

Young 'Billy Boy' was 19 when he enlisted in the Army. He applied January 26th of 1942 to be a "Flying Cadet" in the Army Air Corps., very soon after Pearl Harbor was bombed (Dec. 7, 1941). He was underage (I guess the age was 21 at the time), so his Mom and Dad had to sign for him, which they did (giving me his Mom's signature), and he had to obtain letters of reference, of which he produced three. I think he dreamed of flying and maybe even being a pilot. He didn't achieve that... but he did end up building airplanes, including the C130 and the C5. I have a kinship with him, in that he worked for Lockheed, and I used to load and unload Lockheed L1011 Tristars at work. I also have a kinship with the family of "doctors" because I too have a doctorate.

Application.jpg


Reference.jpg


Reference2.jpg


Reference3.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
you never know what you're going to find....

...once you start looking for all this stuff.

Nothing can top Dawg - keep 'em coming, BTW - but discovering one's personal ancestry is such a fascinating topic, no matter what you find out. I wish I had more time to spend doing research on my family. There are simply too many dead ends in our family tree. Oh, well, maybe someday. The net does make this job easier. Or at least you think it does.....

No murderers or anything here, but through some digging I discovered:

* the man I knew as "papa" - who I thought was my mother's father - was really my grandmother's second husband. I know nothing about Mom's real father - except maybe that he was of Slavic/Polish descent (thought I figured something out online, but haven't had much time for sleuthing....) That does explain why my Mom looks nothing like my Aunt and Uncle. Never thought about it until Mom, Papa, and Babcia all passed away. (And I never thought about why we called my "Italian" grandmother by a Polish nickname - but now it might make more sense....)

* my father was literally disowned by his mom. They grew up in a big, ugly city in New Jersey; my Dad was supposed to marry someone with money to get my grandmother out. He married Mom 'cause he loved her; Grandmom said "don't come back." He didn't. I never met the woman, though she lived 20 minutes away for the first 20 years of my life. My older sisters actually went to her house to introduce themselves - she slammed the door in their faces. Dad didn't even bother going to the funeral. From what he heard, not many did.

* and lastly, and most shocking of all.....no, I can't......it's unfathomable, it's unbelievable, it's.........

well, OK, since you're all still here.....




my uncle John was a professional accordian player. Yup, a steady gig, somewhere in Wisconsin, through the late 50's and early 60's. His nickname? The wizard of the cordovox. Recorded some albums, too, but I've never heard them. Well, as a high school music teacher and part-time professional musician, I guess I have ol' Johnny to thank. Shame I couldn't have done it while he was still alive....


MFK
 
Billy Boy made it into the service, based on the fine recommendations he received, and his parents approval. I wonder how his Mom, Viola felt about all of this. She was probably very sick already at the time, and would only get worse.

Dad4.jpg


His early letters were consumed with his Mom, who he called "Sugar". He was constantly asking about her and telling her to get well, and the he was coming to see her as soon as he could get leave. He was stationed in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and then got his wish and was stationed in Macon, just south of Atlanta.

She asked every day if she had received a letter from her 'Billy Boy'. When she didn't, his father, T.D. would write to him and beg for him to write her more often.

He did get home to see her, as this letter shows, but Viola was not doing well at all.

Sickletter.jpg


As best I can tell, this is what the letter says:
This is to certify that Mrs. Vinson is desperately ill but there's slight improvement over her condition five days ago. I believe, if possible to have her son with her longer, would add greatly to her happiness as she hasn't much longer to live.

J.D. Manget M.D.
Click to expand...

Viola passed away on June 23rd, 1942, just months after her Billy Boy had enlisted in the army, and before he was even deployed.

Grave.jpg


From the receipt for her headstone, I learned another startling fact about my Dad's family. Billy was an only child, or so I thought, but the gravestone receipt reads that it should include a marker for an "infant" who was most likely still born in 1931, nine years after my father was born.

Marker.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
Now Billy Boy wasn't the only one trying to get into the service.
His father, Dr. T.D. was trying to get back in too.
Remember he served in the Dental Corps in WWI

TDWWI.jpg


Now, with the death of Viola, he was trying to get back in too.
He petitioned the Army for reinstatement, and I'm including a letter.
This letter is special, because it comes from Senator Richard B. Russell.

Senatorletter.jpg


As far as I can tell, he was never reinstated.

Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
So, with his mother, Viola, "Sugar", fresh in the grave, Billy is prepared to ship out.
He ships out and heads to London
(maybe he ran into ancestors of Blue Velvet, iGAV or even E),
before he ends up in North Africa and then Italy.

Hmmmm, he's still hung up on this "Alice Rose",
but that will change!
Hope you read this letter... its moving.

Dadletter1.jpg


Dadletter2.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
From London, Billy Boy moves on to North Africa.
I think this shot is from the USO in Tunisia.
The only things he told me about the war involved Rommel and North Africa,
and a bakery in Italy (more about that later!).

By now you should be able to spot Billy Boy
He's in the middle (left) with the cup to his face.

DadUSO.jpg


He writes a letter to his dad and he talks about a new girl, not Alice Rose. I think her name is Modian (?). But then he talks about marriage and doesn't mention her. If you read the letter closely, you will find these words...

"I heard about Wiliam getting married. Hope he likes married life. I might try it some day when I find the right girl."

He had to wait a while, but when he found Mom, he found the love of his life.

Dadletter.jpg


Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
My great-grandmother was a bootlegger during Prohibition. All the grandkids thought is was awesome that she did what she needed to do to support 3 kids as a single woman. My grandmother was quite embarassed by it and didn't lie it whnever the subject came up.
 
Now Billy Boy's best friend before he went into the Army was R.C. (Reese) Stephenson.
They would remain best friends throughout the war and after the war.
I even had the opportunity to know R.C.

Well, R.C. ends up in Germany as a POW and sends this postcard to Billy's Dad.

RCpostcard.jpg


RCpostcard2.jpg


Well, I've already told you that they remain best friends, so you know he gets out OK.
R.C. marries Ruby, and Ruby becomes one of my Mom's best friends.
I can still remember when Ruby died, and how devastated my Mom was.

Mom&Ruby.jpg


Mom&Ruby2.jpg


You didn't think I would show you a picture of R.C. when I could show you Ruby instead did you? My mom is the one in front. She looks like a child doesn't she! My Dad was 7 years older than my Mom. They hooked up in 1947 (remember the Valentine?). Billy would have been 25 and my Mom would have been 18. She was just a child.

Woof, Woof - Dawg
 
jazzmfk said:
my uncle John was a professional accordian player. Yup, a steady gig, somewhere in Wisconsin, through the late 50's and early 60's. His nickname? The wizard of the cordovox. Recorded some albums, too, but I've never heard them. Well, as a high school music teacher and part-time professional musician, I guess I have ol' Johnny to thank. Shame I couldn't have done it while he was still alive....


MFK
Click to expand...
What happens when you leave an accordion in your car in the bad section of town?

















Someone puts another one in :D
 
MacDawg said:
He didn't achieve that... but he did end up building airplanes, including the C130 and the C5. I have a kinship with him, in that he worked for Lockheed, and I used to load and unload Lockheed L1011 Tristars at work.

Woof, Woof - Dawg
Click to expand...

We see C-130s fly overhead every once. We live in the exit path of Miramar, so we see quite a few aircraft. Once I saw a C-5B. Damn, those are huge. Shook everything on the ground from at least a few thousand feet in the air.
 
Mesmerising stuff, please don't stop with the images - they're the best part. Primary is always the best kind... but I hate to think the bandwidth this is drawing. Is there a limit on .mac? If there is, you might want to consider image shack.

All the guys on your father's side could be brothers, man... quite scary just how similar they all are!
 
amazing

this is all so amazing!! thanks for posting.


it's makes me sad that the art of letter writing is being lost by the convenience of computers. sigh.
 
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