Blog

29
Sep

The Family Photo that Hangs in my Office as a Reminder of my Roots

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on The Family Photo that Hangs in my Office as a Reminder of my Roots

Here’s to the hardest dude I never met. This is my Great Grandfather Floyd Sledd. He was a boxer and a bootlegger. His nickname was “Hammer Head” if that gives any indication of his personality. I keep his picture pinned up on my board at work. When I look at him, it reminds me that […]

Read More
28
Sep

An L.A. Story, Told Through a Favorite Family Photograph

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on An L.A. Story, Told Through a Favorite Family Photograph

My great uncles Frank Olvera & Cruz “Cachi” Martinez, hanging out in the Los Angles area with an old Buick. I am lucky I found this photograph; it’s on it’s last leg with bad paper, but has a sweet inscription: “To Mother, Love Frank.” We lost uncle Cruz “Cachi” (on right) recently, and laid him […]

Read More
27
Sep

A Vintage Portrait of a Woman Who Was Loud and Proud

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A Vintage Portrait of a Woman Who Was Loud and Proud

My grandma Olga was one of a kind. A loud and proud Italian woman who obviously caught the eye of everyone around her. She wasn’t afraid to tell you when you were wrong, and could charm absolutely anyone! She spoke many different languages and traveled often to Italy and France making new friends along the […]

Read More
25
Sep

A Small Old Photo that Teaches Us Big Things about Unconditional Love

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A Small Old Photo that Teaches Us Big Things about Unconditional Love

Meet my grandpa, George Becker Hesse, who taught me so much about living well and dying well. Born in 1913 in Pennsylvania, his dad died when he was very young so my grandpa ended up settling in Kansas, farming his whole life. This photograph had to have been taken in his twenties. Not sure, since […]

Read More
24
Sep

All Family Photographs are Little Acts of Love

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on All Family Photographs are Little Acts of Love

“Photography is an act of love.” – Jay Maisel Me as a three year old. Cake by Nana, dimples my own. What I love most about this photo is the sincere smile and anticipation of tucking into my amazing birthday cake, made by my Nana! ~shared by @petrabryant View on Instagram →

Read More
23
Sep

Simple Honeymoon Memories Memorialized in a Vintage Photo

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Simple Honeymoon Memories Memorialized in a Vintage Photo

This image is of my Grandad Andrew and his late wife Marie. I believe they were on their honeymoon when this photo was taken. They would have been in their mid-twenties in this photo. That’s all the information I have, but isn’t it a magical picture? I love seeing them young together. Grandma Marie passed […]

Read More
22
Sep

Nostalgia Makes Memories More Meaningful

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Nostalgia Makes Memories More Meaningful

My grandmother Dorothy rocking a white one piece and bathing cap in the late 1930s. But the best part? She’s wearing a Mexican silver cuff on her left wrist. I love wearing that cuff and its’ matching twin now, but I admit I’ve never worn them to swim! ~shared by @duvenay View on Instagram →

Read More
21
Sep

A Legacy of family farming and military service

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A Legacy of family farming and military service

A photo of my grandfather in 1963 on the family farm. He passed away recently, but he has left quite a legacy behind. WWII veteran, collector, builder, and grandfather. In 1945 Eisenhower announced, “Today, what is left of the two German Armies, surrendered to a single American Division: the 102nd.” 146,000 surrendered to that division, […]

Read More
20
Sep

What I found in an old box of photos from my grandfather

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on What I found in an old box of photos from my grandfather

When I was in New Jersey last month, my grandfather said I could take any of the many photos he has stored in boxes and frames all over his home. This is one of my favorites; a photo of my grandparents on a picnic sometime in the late 1930s, most likely before they were married. […]

Read More
19
Sep

My Great Grandmother’s Hobby Was Photography and Her Family Photo Albums Are Priceless

Posted by | · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on My Great Grandmother’s Hobby Was Photography and Her Family Photo Albums Are Priceless

My grandfather on the right, and his brothers in 1944. My great grandmother’s hobby was photography. I have whole albums of hers scanned from as early as 1909. They are especially touching to see because they are candid, exploratory, and casual photos from an era when photography was pretty formal. Looking at her pictures has […]

Read More